Shark Week is an annual, week-long TV programming block created by Tom Golden at the Discovery Channel, which features shark-based programming. Shark Week originally premiered on July 17, 1988.
Featured annually, in July and/or early August, it was originally devoted to conservation efforts and correcting misconceptions about sharks.[1] Over time, it grew in popularity and became a hit on the Discovery Channel.
Since 2010, it has been the longest-running cable television programming event in history.[2] Broadcast in over 72 countries,
Shark Week is promoted heavily via social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Episodes of recent years are also available for purchase on services like Google Play Movies & TV/YouTube, Amazon Video, and iTunes. Some episodes are free on subscription-based Hulu.
1988: The first ever Shark Week premiered in July 1988, with the first show to air being Caged in Fear. A total of 10 episodes aired. Other shows included Sharks – Predators or Prey, The Shark Takes a Siesta, and Sharks of a Different Color.
1989: Due to the success of the first Shark Week, Discovery decided to continue it. Programs such as Shark: Maneater or Myth?, Shark Hunters of Achill Island, and Sharks of San Francisco aired in 1989.
1990: New shows that aired included Shark!: The World of Sharks and Barracuda and Sharks: Hunters of the Oceans.
1991: This year was referred to as Shark Week: The Revenge. Shows to air included Shark Shooters, Sea Lovers, and Great Shark Hunt.
1992: This year was branded as Shark Week: They're Back. Shows to air included The Man Who Loves Sharks (showcasing scuba diver and underwater producer Stan Waterman), Sharks of Polynesia, Great White Encounters, and Great White! Parts 1 and 2.
1993: This year was called Shark Week: We Dare You to Watch. The programs to air included African Shark Safari, Sharks on the Brink of Extinction, Teeth of Death, Assignment Adventure, and Sharks of Pirate Island.
1994: Jaws author Peter Benchley hosted Shark Week 1994. This was the first year ever Shark Week had a host. New programs were introduced at locations where Jaws was filmed.
1995: Programs to air included Sharks of the Red Triangle, Rendezvous at Ningaloo, and In Search of the Golden Hammerhead (this was the first time this rare shark was aired on television).
Since its early days, Shark Week has evolved into more entertainment-oriented and sometimes fictional programming. In recent times, it has attracted much criticism for airing dramatic programs to increase viewers and popularity. This fictitious programming, known as docufiction, has been produced in the last few years.
Examples of such programs include Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine, Monster Hammerhead, Lair of the Mega Shark, and Megalodon: The New Evidence. This strategy was successful,
especially for the program Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, as it became one of the most watched programs in Shark Week history, primarily for the controversy and backlash it generated.[
The mockumentary was based on an ancient giant shark called megalodon, which is now long extinct. The airing of this program fueled an uproar by viewers and by the science and science-loving community.
On October 28, 2014, Rich Ross became the new president of Discovery.] Later in early 2015, he vowed to remove the so-called "docufiction", which are fake and dramatized documentaries, from the future Shark Week lineups
