Summer TV apex predator Shark Week comes face-to-face with “Jaws” this month – at least the ongoing celebration around the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic.
With teams of marine biologists, conservationists, and field researchers, Discovery Channel’s Shark Week programs have often educated audiences about sharks and the fear of the ocean hunters, the unintended “Jaws” legacy. However, shows like “Great White Reign of Terror” and “Florida’s Death Beach” – not to mention the “Dancing With the Stars” tribute “Dancing With Sharks” – suggest that the 37th annual Shark Week (July 20-26) might have finally jumped the sensational shark.
‘Jaws’ at 50: 50 years ago, ‘Jaws’ scared us senseless. We never got over it.
Steve Kessel, director of marine research at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, applauds the educational possibilities of Shark Week, even when the outlandish outweighs the science.
“Since Shark Week started, it’s gone in waves of more educational and more sensational,” Kessel says. “Shark Week has the power to change perceptions, but there’s also fearmongering, because people love to be scared; they love the horror.”
Kessel, 44, who studied marine ecology and biology at Cardiff University in Wales, was initially motivated to become a “shark-nerd” ocean conservationist after he was blown away by “Jaws.” “It’s still my all-time favorite movie,” he says. “And I can speak to many shark-ologists, especially in my generation, who were inspired by it. In the same way ‘Jaws’ inspired me, hopefully, some of these Shark Week shows will provide a new pipeline of enthusiasm.”
Shark Week contends with copycat SharkFest
“Shark Week” owes a debt to “Jaws,” which first sparked that nation’s fascination (and terror) of sharks. The OG summer movie blockbuster set the stage for the July 1988 launch of Shark Week, which ingeniously transformed a sleepy summer TV week into an iconic annual event.
Discovery representatives declined to make executives available. However, Shark Week programmers face the challenging annual task of coming up with over 20 hours of new, bigger-than-last-year shows with varying degrees of science. Add to this mix the knowledge that even pure popular shark entertainment, such as the six “Sharknado” films, can spark positive interest in the shark ecosystem.
Meanwhile, competitors from Netflix to Nat Geo have been lured into the chum-filled summer TV waters that Shark Week established. Nat Geo’s SharkFest began in 2012 as a one-week TV event and has since grown into a multiweek shark TV celebration with 25 hours of predator programming that streams on Disney+ and Hulu, this year from July 5-21.
Specials include the official nod to The Boss with “Jaws @50: The Definitive Inside Story,” featuring the filmmakers behind “Jaws” discussing the iconic film that launched the summer movie blockbuster. Wendy Benchley, the shark-conservationist wife of author Peter Benchley, who wrote the 1974 novel and died in 2006, delves into the couple’s efforts to educate the public about sharks and combat the “Jaws effect,” the disproportionate fear generated by the film.
SharkFest tends to skew more educational and conservation-focused than its louder, trailblazing cousin Shark Week. Janet Han Vissering, National Geographic’s vice president of development and production, calls the 2025 schedule “science-forward,” with wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory getting increasingly close to great whites in the aptly named “Sharks Up Close With Bertie Gregory.”
“Through these jaw-dropping stories, we transform fear into awe, fostering excitement and respect for these vital ocean guardians,” Han Vissering says in a statement.
But National Geographic is not above pushing the fear factor in series like “Investigation Shark Attack” or “Shark Quest: Hunt for the Apex Predator,” which boasts “jaw-dropping” shark encounters from people who “emerged miraculously unscathed and others (who) were less fortunate.”
Netflix is circling the summer shark TV waters
Streaming apex predator Netflix dives into the summer shark frenzy in 2025 with two major projects, including “Shark Whisperer,” a documentary directed by a team that includes Oscar-winning filmmaker James Reed (“My Octopus Teacher”). “Whisperer” follows the controversial social media star and marine activist Ocean Ramsey, who interacts with great whites and tiger sharks in viral videos, purportedly for educational purposes.
The competition “All the Sharks” pits shark enthusiasts in a race to photograph rare species, combining conservation with competition and showcasing cool sharks.
What’s in Shark Week 2025?
Still, Shark Week reigns supreme, attracting the most annual attention and criticism. In 2021, researchers at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania analyzed over 200 episodes spanning 32 years of Shark Week. The final report criticized the overall programming for its narration that included “staggering examples of needlessly promoting fear” – as well as knocking sensational show titles such as “Sharkpocalypse,” “Great White Serial Killer,” and “Sharks: Are They Hunting Us?”
Shark Week 2025’s schedule leads off with the fin-tastically ridiculous – the beloved former host of “Dancing With the Stars,” Tom Bergeron, returning to host “Dancing With Sharks.” The show is described as “an unprecedented dance competition between expert divers and their shark partners.” Even with the premise, “Dancing” offers the opportunity to learn about shark behavior and research.
“Jaws” gets its due with “Surviving Jaws,” which features marine biologist Tom “The Blowfish” Hird and predator ecologist Michelle Jewell diving with great white sharks to answer movie-related questions such as “Does skinny-dipping really attract great white sharks?”
Then there are the sensational titles such as “Florida’s Death Beach,” which Allegheny College’s lead report author Lisa Whitenack calls “cringeworthy.” “Many Shark Week titles continue to be focused on fear and portraying sharks as man-eaters, which seems completely unnecessary,” Whitenack says.
Shark Week attracts education and discussion by being Shark Week
During Shark Week, aquariums around the country will capitalize on the programming with local radio and TV spots that highlight sharks and promote education. The Shedd Aquarium is expecting the usual influx of July visitors, who will find special Shark Week programming around the famed central Wild Reef tank, home to more than 20 sharks.
“Shark Week definitely piques people’s interest, because sharks are all over the TV. And we’re doing some cool stuff around the week and the 50th anniversary of ‘Jaws,'” says Kessel. “This is all a great opportunity to engage people about sharks.”
How to watch Shark Week to SharkFest
Shark Week (July 20-26) airs on the Discovery Channel and streams on Discovery+ and HBO Max.
SharkFest 2025 airs (July 5-21) on National Geographic, and streams next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
“All the Sharks” streams on Netflix on July 4. “Shark Whisperer” is now streaming.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Summer of ‘Jaws’: There’s more to learn, and fear than Shark Week 2025
