The annual Shark Week television marathon puts many marine biologists and shark enthusiasts on edge. We love that it draws attention to sharks and that it sometimes includes some real science and conservation. We hate the way it's done: maximum menace and blood, a two-note soundtrack and, occasionally, a gross indifference to facts. 
 
 The Discovery Channel, which bills itself as the "#1 nonfiction media company" opened this year's Shark Week with a fictional "documentary". Confused? Apparently, the producers were, too. They opened the documentary these words: 
 
 None of the institutions or agencies that appear in the film are affiliated with it in any way, nor have approved its contents. Though certain events and characters in this film have been dramatized, sightings of "'Submarine' continue to this day. Megalodon was a real shark. Legends of giant sharks persist all over the world. There is still a debate about what they may be. 
 
 If that reads like drivel, it's because it is (though I suspect it's true that no one with any sense approved of this film). It's also true that megalodon existed, but the film's title, Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, doesn't exactly point out that the animal has been extinct for two million years. 
 
 This was merely the latest example in Discovery's long trend of sensationalizing sharks and dumbing down science. Wil Wheaton put it well: 
 
 Remember when #SharkWeek was about science and biology and learning? — Wil Wheaton (@wilw) August 5, 2013 
 
 Christie Wilcox, who has long made this point, cut Discovery down to size for "peddling lies and faking stories for ratings". SyFy at least peddles nonsense honestly with its recent hit Sharknado. 
 
 Discovery's own bipolar programming illustrates why many feel ambivalent about Shark Week. A third of their primetime specials have Jaws in the title, an association that hasn't served sharks well. Others include the words "alien", "voodoo" and "serial killer", or feature awkward portmanteaus in the Sharknado style, such as "Sharkpocalypse". Marketing is one thing, but these tactics approach the ahistorical conspiracy mongering of shows like Ancient Aliens. 
 
 For every conversation with an expert, there is an interview with Tara Reid or a shrimp fisherman named Blimp. For every program that actually explores how sharks live, socialize, and evolved, there's Top Five Eaten Alive and Shark Rebellion. Many of these programs pay lip service to conservation efforts, but we've yet to see anything like the 2009 documentary The Cove's brutal exposé of dolphin fishing. Sharks do need help, and Discovery should use its clout to help them by telling the real stories. 
 
 Shark attacks on people are extremely rare, yet they get plenty of screen time. Survivors' stories can be inspirational, but Discovery often plays them for fear, airing "dramatic reenactments" and using the same camera tricks that made Steven Spielberg's monster movie famous. This mimicry of horror tropes doesn't tell us anything about sharks except – wrongly – to fear them. 
 
 What happened? Shark Week has been an institution for over 20 years, and it's undoubtedly helped raise awareness, dispel myths, and make people interested in sharks. Perhaps success went to the executives' heads; one insists about megalodon: "The stories have been out there for years and with 95% of the ocean unexplored, who really knows?"" This is the talk of a very cynical man or a true believer in the lost tribe of the yeti. 
 
 But this isn't Yeti Week, it's Shark Week, and Discovery needs to remember that. Shark Week needs more sharks. I don't mean more footage of great whites breaching, which, although spectacular, can only be repeated so many times. Sharks are too diverse and strange to limit to top 10 lists and slow motion HD. Show us the rest of cast. 
 
 How about threshers tail-whipping sardines? Or angels lunging out of the mud, wobbegongs hiding in caves, and cookiecutters glowing. 
 
 Porbeagles merit some air time, too. Warm-blooded and hyperactive, like their bigger, more famous relative the great white, the young sharks roll in kelp and chase each other around. If these were sea lions or dolphins, there'd be no question that the animals were at play. 
 
 And great whites, who've gotten all the press, haven't had their full story told, either. They sometimes move in "clans", have splash fights, and seem to have complex social lives, despite their solitary hunting habits. They fear killer whales; after an orca dispatched a great white, the entire region's population of sharks vanished, including a tracked shark who dove 500m and then swam to Hawaii to escape. 
 
 Discovery made its name as a champion for science, but it's been abandoning that mission for years. Shark Week was once a paean to marine biology. It's been reduced to a monster movie disguised as documentary. Wheaton has called for an apology, saying that the channel "betrayed its audience". He's right, and if Discovery wants Shark Week to remain beloved, it needs to right its ship. 
 
 If it doesn't, Shark Week may not survive – at least not in any recognizable form. Sensation may sell in the short term, but it's going to keep irking viewers until only a few remain. Worse, it misrepresents sharks as mindless killers, rather than the important, diverse animals they are. Discovery owes its annual success and fans' loyalty to them. It would be doing right by the fish, the viewers, and us to get back to them. ||||| DIVE IN TO ‘SHARK WEEK’ WITH BRAND NEW JAWSOME SHARK PROGRAMMING AIRING SUNDAY, JULY 23 TO SUNDAY, JULY 30 ON DISCOVERY Shark After Dark, SHARK WEEK’s popular late-night talk show returns for five consecutive nights with host Eli Roth beginning Sunday, July 23 
 
 (Los Angeles) – SHARK WEEK, television’s longest-running and eagerly awaited summer TV event returns to Discovery Channel on Sunday, July 23 at 7:00 PM ET/PT and continues through Sunday, July 30. In addition, the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps makes a splash with the most interesting race of his career, and gets schooled on everything ‘shark’ at the Bimini Shark Lab. Chris Noth also joins the SHARK WEEK action and finds out there’s more to New York than Carrie Bradshaw as he narrates SHARKS AND THE CITY: NEW YORK. Celebrating its 29th anniversary, SHARK WEEK delivers all-new groundbreaking shark stories incorporating innovative research technology to reveal compelling insight on some of the most unique shark species in the world. Finally, this is the first year in the franchise’s history that SHARK WEEK will sync up around the world, airing during the same week on Discovery Channel in more than 220 countries and territories. 
 
 Check out SHARK WEEK 2017’s fintastic programming schedule here: 
 
 GREAT WHITE SHARK SERIAL KILLER LIVES – Airing Sunday, July 23 at 7PM ET/PT 
 
 Every two years in October - in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 - a secluded beach on the central California coast has been the scene of great white shark attacks. Is it the same shark returning again and again? And will the attacks continue in October 2016? Dr. Michael Domeier believes the Surf Beach attacks may be more than a tragic coincidence. With the help of shark experts Ralph Collier and Cal Lutheran, and using satellite tags and DNA technology, he wants to out the killer once and for all. Produced by Shark Entertainment. 
 
 PHELPS VS. SHARK: GREAT GOLD VS GREAT WHITE – Airing Sunday, July 23 at 8PM ET/PT 
 
 They are one of the fastest and most efficient predators on the planet: Sharks. He is our greatest champion to ever get in the water: Michael Phelps. 39 world records. 23 Olympic golds. But he has one competition left to win. An event so monumental no one has ever attempted it before. The world’s most decorated athlete takes on the ocean’s most efficient predator: Phelps V Shark – the race is on! Produced by Peacock Productions. 
 
 SHARK-CROC SHOWDOWN – Airing Sunday, July 23 at 9:10PM ET/PT 
 
 Dr. Mark Meekan and conservationist Paul de Gelder go on an expedition to one the sharkiest places in the world - a remote wilderness called the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory of Australia. Meekan is there to count sharks and species as part of Vulcan’s Global FinPrint project – Paul de Gelder’s going because he heard that sharks and crocs fight over sea turtles out there. What happens when 14-foot crocodiles move into shark infested waters? That’s what they’re going to find out! Produced by Big Wave. 
 
 GREAT HAMMERHEAD INVASION – Airing Sunday, July 23 at 10:10PM ET/PT 
 
 Early November, giant hammerheads arrive off Bimini, in the Bahamas. But why? Leading shark scientist Tristan Guttridge tags and follows these normally solitary sharks to find out. Many appear to be pregnant females, as an ultrasound of a female hammerhead shows. Guttridge believes they spend winter in Bimini to feed the growing young in their bellies – and then move on to the Florida coast to prey on migrating blacktips – and the evidence is unmistakable. Produced by Icon Films. 
 
 SHARK VORTEX – Airing Monday, July 24 at 8PM ET/PT 
 
 Each summer the Gulf Stream pushes north into the waters of southern New England, bringing with it 30 species of shark. Greg Skomal and Joe Romeiro study the annual spectacle, focusing on three sharks – makos, great whites, and porbeagles – that can out-swim, out-think, and out-compete all the others. Produced by 333 Productions and Radley Studios. 
 
 RETURN TO THE ISLE OF JAWS – Airing Monday, July 24 at 9PM ET/PT 
 
 Divers and scientists RETURN TO THE ISLE OF JAWS to unlock the mysteries of this new great white hot spot, just south of Western Australia. They make a startling discovery that causes us to re-think of everything we thought we knew about great whites. Produced by Red Rock Films. 
 
 ALIEN SHARKS: STRANGER FINS – Airing Monday, July 24 at 10PM ET/PT 
 
 ALIEN SHARKS is back in search of some of the world's strangest sharks. Dr. Craig O'Connell goes to the Bass Strait for sawsharks, while Victoria Elena Vasquez and Dr. David Ebert go into deep water in Tokyo Bay to find the star of the show, the goblin shark. They find both sawsharks and goblins - and many more, including ghost sharks, frilled sharks, and the amazing luminescent lantern shark. Produced by Discovery Studios. 
 
 SHARKS AND THE CITY: LA – Airing Tuesday, July 25 at 9PM ET/PT 
 
 Along the coastline of LA, great white sharks are increasing and they seem to be hunting out of season. Dr. Chris Lowe, Director of the CSULB Shark Lab, wants to know why. His investigation takes him to Guadalupe Island, off Mexico, where he finds the answer. Produced by Arrow Media. 
 
 SHARKS AND THE CITY: NEW YORK – Airing Tuesday, July 25 at 10PM ET/PT 
 
 For decades, great white shark numbers were in decline in the waters around New York. But now, seals are back in New York Harbor – can the great whites be far behind? Marine biologist Craig O’Connell tries to find out how close they really are, and shows what a future with great whites in New York will look like. Produced by Pangolin Pictures. 
 
 THE LOST CAGE – Airing Wednesday, July 26 at 9PM ET/PT 
 
 A team of explorers float in a one-of-a-kind shark cage, 500 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. Acting as human lures in the open ocean will they encounter its deadliest shark? Produced by Gurney Entertainment. 
 
 DEVIL SHARKS – Airing Wednesday, July 26 at 10PM ET/PT 
 
 From active to extinct, and at every stage in between, volcanoes hold a strong attraction for sharks of all kinds. Across the world, sharks congregate and concentrate around volcanoes and volcanic islands. What is it about volcanoes that make them shark hotspots? Dr. Mike Heithaus dives in several volcanoes to find out. Produced by Pangolin Pictures. 
 
 SHARK EXILE – Airing Thursday, July 27 at 9PM ET/PT 
 
 In Brazil, Dr. Hazin has successfully reduced the number of shark encounters by simply catching and moving sharks out to the open sea. What’s his secret? And can this solution work in Australia, where encounters are a problem? Produced by Sealight Pictures. 
 
 SHARK STORM – Airing Thursday, July 27 at 10PM ET/PT 
 
 At various times of the year and in different locations around the world, sharks of many kinds gather, swarm, and spiral. Dr. Tristan Guttridge Ornella Weideli conduct a study of just what brings them together, and what’s going on in these shark ‘societies’. Produced by Red Rock Films. 
 
 AFRICAN SHARK SAFARI – Airing Friday, July 28 at 9PM ET/PT 
 
 Madagascar is NOT known as a location for great white sharks. According to the shark sanctuary here, both great whites and tigers are ‘extinct’ in Madagascan waters. So why has a great white shark, tagged in South Africa, travelled 1500 miles up the African coast to Madagascar? Craig O'Connell and the team make the long journey to the remote island nation to investigate and see if Madagascar is the next big great white shark hotspot. Produced by Arrow Media. 
 
 LAIR OF THE SAWFISH – Airing Friday, July 28 at 10PM ET/PT 
 
 Experts unravel the mystery behind one of the sea’s strangest creatures, the sawfish, from its evolutionary links to sharks and rays, to its key role in the marine ecosystem. Their goal is to bring the sawfish back from the brink of extinction. Produced by Radley Studios and Delve Creative. 
 
 SHARKMANIA – Airing Saturday, July 29 at 9PM ET/PT 
 
 A rundown of the greatest moments from SHARK WEEK 2017, featuring the closest calls, biggest bites, greatest gadgets, and viewers’ top picks for the best of SHARK WEEK history. Produced by Discovery Studios. 
 
 SHARK SCHOOL WITH MICHAEL PHELPS – Airing Sunday, July 30 at 8PM ET/PT 
 
 Michael Phelps joins Doc Gruber and Tristan Guttridge of the Bimini Shark Lab to get a crash course on everything ‘shark.’ They’ll dispel the myths and common misconceptions, teach him how to safely dive with sharks - including how to stay calm when a hammerhead swims two feet above his face - and will get Michael Phelps up close and personal with the incredible power of a great white. Produced by Peacock Productions. 
 
 SHARK WEEK 2017 Programming Schedule 
 
 (All times ET/PT) 
 
 Sunday, July 23 : 
 
 7:00 PM GREAT WHITE SERIAL KILLER LIVES 
 
 8:00 PM PHELPS VS. SHARK: GREAT GOLD VS GREAT WHITE 
 
 9:10 PM SHARK-CROC SHOWDOWN 
 
 10:10 PM GREAT HAMMERHEAD INVASION 
 
 11:10 PM SHARK AFTER DARK 
 
 Monday, July 24 : 
 
 8:00 PM SHARK VORTEX 
 
 9:00 PM RETURN TO THE ISLE OF JAWS 
 
 10:00 PM ALIEN SHARKS: STRANGER FINS 
 
 11:00 PM SHARK AFTER DARK 
 
 Tuesday, July 25 : 
 
 9:00 PM SHARKS AND THE CITY: LA 
 
 10:00 PM SHARKS AND THE CITY: NEW YORK 
 
 11:00 PM SHARK AFTER DARK 
 
 Wednesday, July 26 : 
 
 9:00 PM THE LOST CAGE 
 
 10:00 PM DEVIL SHARKS 
 
 11:00 PM SHARK AFTER DARK 
 
 Thursday, July 27 : 
 
 9:00 PM SHARK EXILE 
 
 10:00 PM SHARK STORM 
 
 11:00 PM SHARK AFTER DARK 
 
 Friday, July 28 : 
 
 9:00 PM AFRICAN SHARK SAFARI 
 
 10:00 PM LAIR OF THE SAWFISH 
 
 Saturday, July 29 : 
 
 9:00 PM SHARKMANIA 
 
 Sunday, July 30: 
 
 8:00 PM SHARK SCHOOL WITH MICHAEL PHELPS 
 
 In addition to all the fascinating programming SHARK WEEK has to offer, Discovery will leave no shark fan behind, bringing the SHARK WEEK experience to viewers in new and innovative ways through digital and social media platforms, partnerships with nonprofit groups, affiliates, education programs, and more. 
 
 SHARK WEEK has long been a celebrated summer trending topic, making online and social media a jaws-dropping treat for viewers. 
 
 Leading up to and during SHARK WEEK, Discovery Channel will cover the latest shark news, scientific findings, and everything you ever wanted to know about sharks. Fans who follow SHARK WEEK on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter will receive daily video updates all summer long featuring incredible shark facts and the planet’s most jaw-dropping shark footage. 
 
 Sharkopedia.com continues to be the best destination for all things "shark" online. Featuring an ocean of shark facts, Sharkopedia expands once again this year with even more stunning photography, video, expert interviews, and interactive experiences. 
 
 Discovery Channel is encouraging all fans and shark enthusiasts to share their passion and insight about sharks online – including the issues our finned friends face – through the Shark Finbassadors program. During SHARK WEEK, the Shark Finbassadors program will feature top shark scientists, filmmakers and advocates, who will connect with fans through live video Q&As and take over Shark Week’s Instagram account to highlight their work in the field. 
 
 This year, SHARK WEEK fans will dive into the action in Virtual Reality as famed underwater cinematographer Andy Casagrande captures the schooling hammerheads of Cocos Island in full 360, and a renowned illustrator recreates an iconic scene from this year’s SHARK WEEK line-up with the 3D/VR painting application Google Tilt Brush. 
 
 Rounding out this year’s online and social media offering: Lunch With the Sharks LIVE in partnership with the National Aquarium, broadcast via LIVE Facebook 360 Video (a Shark Week first!); Instagram takeovers from the world’s top underwater photographers; previews and highlights from this year’s SHARK WEEK lineup; shark GIF’s, memes and stickers; a “seal protest” takeover of the SHARK WEEK accounts; shark countdowns and listicles; and oceans more! 
 
 Oceana and Discovery are teaming up again to help save our sharks. From working with other major brands to help raise money for Oceana’s shark conservation efforts, activating shark tagging trips, and developing content to educate fans on the importance of sharks in our ecosystem. 
 
 Nearly all of Discovery’s affiliate partners are participating in promotion around SHARK WEEK with advanced screenings, sneak peeks, Shark adventure sweepstakes, social and digital promotions and a robust On Demand slate. Details include pre-premiere screenings and family day events and cross channel spots across all major markets nationwide. 
 
 SHARK WEEK will be supported through the company’s Discovery Education division, the leading provider of standards-aligned digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, serving 4.5 million educators and 50 million students. Discovery Education will engage students in the important topics of biodiversity, ocean conservation and sharks through the integration of SHARK WEEK videos in both Discovery Education Streaming Plus and Discovery Education Science Techbook and complementing these videos with a variety of classroom activities, lessons, virtual reality content, and immersive virtual experiences. 
 
 SHARK WEEK continues to dominate summer television. Last year, SHARK WEEK programming reached a massive 36.3M total viewers and ranked #1 across adults, men and women 18-49 and 18-34 in primetime. During SHARK WEEK 2016, Discovery was cable’s #1 network in both Primetime and Total Day across adults, men, and women 25-54. Shark After Dark, SHARK WEEK’s late-night talk show, hosted by filmmaker Eli Roth, was ranked as basic cable’s #1 Late Night talk show across adults, men, and women 25-54, 18-49, and 18-34. 
 
 SHARK WEEK fans can gear up for excitement with everything from toys, backpacks, lunch boxes and drinkware available at Toys “R” Us. Aeropostale is offering an exclusive line of SHARK WEEK t-shirts. Other retailers include Wal-Mart, Macy’s and Michaels. Keep the SHARK WEEK celebrations going all summer long with must-have products available exclusively on DiscoveryStore.com, from themed t-shirts and sweatshirts to DVDs. Discovery At Sea, in partnership with Princess Cruises, will deck out four ships in its fleet for SHARK WEEK, featuring premiere screening parties, games, giveaways and much more. Presented by Fathom Events and Discovery Channel, “SHARK WEEK at the Movies” hits U.S. movie theaters for a special one-night premiere event on Tuesday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. local time. Tickets can now be purchased online by visiting www.fathomevents.com or at participating theater box offices for this exclusive debut, featuring a special new episode from Shark Week 2017, “RETURN TO THE ISLE OF JAWS” along with a fan favorite from Shark Week 2016, “RETURN OF MONSTER MAKO.” 
 
 About Discovery Channel 
 
 Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information please visit www.discovery.com. 
 
 About Discovery Communications 
 
 Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) satisfies curiosity and captivates superfans around the globe with a portfolio of premium nonfiction, lifestyle, sports and kids content brands including Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. Available in more than 220 countries and territories, Discovery's programming reaches 3 billion cumulative viewers, who together consume 54 billion hours of Discovery content each year. Discovery’s offering extends beyond traditional TV to all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio and Discovery Kids Play; over-the-top streaming services such as Eurosport Player; digital-first and social video from Group Nine Media; and virtual reality storytelling through Discovery VR. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
– The Discovery Channel's Shark Week is under way again, but it can't end soon enough for Alan Yuhas at the Guardian. Discovery now prefers schlock to science, as evidenced by the fictional documentary Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives that kicked off this year's festivities. When it began 20-plus years ago, Shark Week actually served a useful purpose in educating people about sharks and marine biology. Now, it's a joke. "Discovery made its name as a champion for science, but it's been abandoning that mission for years," complains Yuhas. The network is reinforcing the myth that sharks are mindless man-eaters instead of "the important, diverse animals they are." Can't we talk about real sharks? After all, Discovery owes its success to them. "It would be doing right by the fish" and the viewers to do so. Click for his full column. Need a dissenting view? Let's not forget that Discovery is a "for-profit business," writes Marc E. Babej at Forbes, who notes that Megalodon was a huge ratings success. "Anyone who relies on Discovery’s Shark Week for their education about sharks isn’t too serious about scholarship to begin with," he adds. Critics should lighten up and enjoy. Click for his full column.