Kimbo
07-01-2015, 02:16 PM
Shark Week is television's longest running summer event, and normally by this time of year, fans are buzzing with anticipation over seven days of programming about the ocean's top predators.
But Discovery Channel may have gone too far in recent years when it aired a series of fake documentaries that scored big ratings, but compromised the trust of longtime fans. When Shark Week returns Sunday for its 28th year, will its hardcore viewers still tune in?
The controversial programs -- "Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine" and "Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives" -- featured actors portraying scientists in search of prehistoric species of sharks that have been extinct for millions of years. And the shows were riddled with fake facts, most-notably that humans are the "meal of choice" for sharks. There were only small disclaimers at the end of each show indicating that they were bogus.
Shark Week fans weren't happy about the deceptions. In both cases, the fake shows caused social media firestorms, with viewers bombarding the network's Facebook page with angry comments, and the programs trending negatively on Twitter.
New Discovery president Rich Ross says the days of fake Shark Week documentaries are over (though the network has had no qualms about re-airing "Shark of Darkness" sporadically since Ross took over earlier this year). But the decision to not actively lie to its viewers doesn't fix Shark Week's biggest problem. Many of the new programs in this year's lineup continue to feed people's fear of sharks, casting them as villains that are on the hunt for human prey, when shark attacks on humans are actually quite rare.
In the seven shows that were made available to critics in advance, sharks are described with inflammatory words like "monsters," "psychos," "serial killers," "ninjas" and "assassins." More troubling: narrators use alarmed tones to describe how populations of great white sharks are rising around the world. Given that many shark species have been threatened with extinction, that's cause for celebration, not fear-mongering.
It's not all bad news: A couple of the new programs are top notch, including a terrific look at Cuban shark habitat, and marine biologists' ongoing efforts to track the migratory patterns of great whites. The under-water photography of most of the shows is breathtaking. And none of the scientists appear to be played by actors. Call that progress
"Shark Trek": Sightings of great white sharks along the east coast have been rising in recent years, and in 2014, there were more sightings than the previous five years combined. Massachusetts marine biologist Greg Skomal has been tagging many of the sharks with acoustic transmitters in an effort to better understand their seasonal migrations, and determine if they are related to the migratory patterns of other species. After tagging more than 50 sharks in New England, he heads to Florida, where a number of the great whites turn up, perhaps to feed on smaller black tip sharks that form schools by the thousands there. While it's unclear if there's a real connection, there is overlap in the migrations. (Premieres 8 p.m. Sunday, July 5)
"Island of the Mega Shark": Shark Week regular Jeff Kurr heads to Mexico's Guadalupe Island to try to determine if it's the mating ground for great white sharks along the Pacific Coast. Sharks are drawn there by the large colonies of elephant seals, and many of the females show signs of mating recently. "Their sides are a battlefield of scars, and those scars mean sex," a narrator says luridly. To see if they can witness sharks mating -- something that's never been filmed -- they send someone down in a clear plexiglass cage, which makes for dramatic video as curious sharks investigate. But the divers never witness any mating, which doesn't stop one of them pronouncing the island a "swingers club for sharks." It's all fairly ridiculous, but the show ends well, with them spotting a 20-foot-long female shark who appears to be pregnant. (Premieres 9 p.m. Sunday, July 5)
"Return of the Great White Serial Killer": Here's an instant nominee for the worst show in the new Shark Week lineup. As the title implies, this examination of great white shark attacks off the coast of California suggests that sharks go after humans for psychological reasons. The reasoning: There have been a series of attacks on surfers and kayakers every two years since 2008 on the same beach near Santa Barbara, resulting in two fatalities. In all cases, the sharks were 16-feet-long, suggesting that it could be the same shark. But there's no way to link the attacks without DNA evidence. Shark "expert" Brandon McMillan (he's actually a professional dog trainer featured on CBS' "Lucky Dog") investigates, interviewing attack survivors in an overwrought way. Adding to the silliness, he compares notes with another expert on a set that looks like something out of "CSI." But these great white sharks aren't committing a crime. Their numbers are increasing because the species is rebounding. The real crime is people ignoring the dangers of venturing into know shark habitat. (Premieres 9 p.m. Monday, July 6)
"Bride of Jaws": An 18-foot great white known as Joan of Shark created quite a media storm a few years ago, when she became the largest female shark ever tagged off the west coast of Australia. But then she disappeared. Filmmaker Andy Casagrande (who is featured in three Shark Week shows -- busy guy) joins to shark attack survivors to see if they can determine if she is still alive. The search takes them to what is a suspected mating ground for great whites, where they do something that seems like truly bad judgment: While one of the divers is submerged in a cage, they pour pheromone-spiked chum into the water right over her, making her swimming shark bait. Really? Later, they use death metal music to try to attract sharks -- the low frequency of the guitars is thought to mimic the sound of struggling fish. There's lots of swearing and bro attitude. If you like the Spike network, this is the Shark Week show for you. (Premieres 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 7)
"Tiburones: The Sharks of Cuba": If you only catch one Shark Week program, make it this one. One of the best things about the recent normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba is that shark scientists from the two countries are able to collaborate for the first time. Because coral reefs off of Cuba remain pristine, it's thought that they could be home to more than 50 different species of sharks, including some of the biggest in the Caribbean. During a four-day expedition, American and Cuban scientists tag an elusive long fin mako shark. But studying sharks in Cuba isn't easy: They don't have the well-equipped large boats, and they don't have diving cages, increasing the risk to divers. But the rewards are many, as they witness habitat that hasn't been damaged by man. (Premieres 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 7)
"Ninja Sharks": If you can get passed the idiotic comparison between sharks a hired martial arts killers, this is actually a very informative look six species of sharks who have evolved features that make them very effective hunters. For instance, a thresher shark has an elongated tail that it uses like a whip to break up schools of sardines. Or the salmon shark, which has a super-heated core that allows it to swim in arctic waters, where it feeds on Alaskan salmon. Among the experts explaining the unique characteristics of these sharks is Chris Fallows, the South African adventurer featured in the "Air Jaws" series. It wouldn't be Shark Week without this guy. (Premieres 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 8)
"Sharks of the Shadowland": In New Zealand, shark preservationists face an unusual problem. An invasive form of seaweed has turned up in important shark habitat, threatening to destroy the delicate ecosystem. In order to eradicate the weed, they must venture into that habitat once a month, putting them at risk of being attacked by the very seven-gill sharks they are there to protect. To dive more safely, they attempt to make visual identifications of the sharks that are known to be aggressive, making it easier to know when it's safer to dive. While filming, they get rare footage of sharks hunting in packs, along with shots of sharks feeding at night, when they are known to be more active. Fascinating stuff. (Premieres 9 p.m. Friday, July 10)
But Discovery Channel may have gone too far in recent years when it aired a series of fake documentaries that scored big ratings, but compromised the trust of longtime fans. When Shark Week returns Sunday for its 28th year, will its hardcore viewers still tune in?
The controversial programs -- "Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine" and "Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives" -- featured actors portraying scientists in search of prehistoric species of sharks that have been extinct for millions of years. And the shows were riddled with fake facts, most-notably that humans are the "meal of choice" for sharks. There were only small disclaimers at the end of each show indicating that they were bogus.
Shark Week fans weren't happy about the deceptions. In both cases, the fake shows caused social media firestorms, with viewers bombarding the network's Facebook page with angry comments, and the programs trending negatively on Twitter.
New Discovery president Rich Ross says the days of fake Shark Week documentaries are over (though the network has had no qualms about re-airing "Shark of Darkness" sporadically since Ross took over earlier this year). But the decision to not actively lie to its viewers doesn't fix Shark Week's biggest problem. Many of the new programs in this year's lineup continue to feed people's fear of sharks, casting them as villains that are on the hunt for human prey, when shark attacks on humans are actually quite rare.
In the seven shows that were made available to critics in advance, sharks are described with inflammatory words like "monsters," "psychos," "serial killers," "ninjas" and "assassins." More troubling: narrators use alarmed tones to describe how populations of great white sharks are rising around the world. Given that many shark species have been threatened with extinction, that's cause for celebration, not fear-mongering.
It's not all bad news: A couple of the new programs are top notch, including a terrific look at Cuban shark habitat, and marine biologists' ongoing efforts to track the migratory patterns of great whites. The under-water photography of most of the shows is breathtaking. And none of the scientists appear to be played by actors. Call that progress
"Shark Trek": Sightings of great white sharks along the east coast have been rising in recent years, and in 2014, there were more sightings than the previous five years combined. Massachusetts marine biologist Greg Skomal has been tagging many of the sharks with acoustic transmitters in an effort to better understand their seasonal migrations, and determine if they are related to the migratory patterns of other species. After tagging more than 50 sharks in New England, he heads to Florida, where a number of the great whites turn up, perhaps to feed on smaller black tip sharks that form schools by the thousands there. While it's unclear if there's a real connection, there is overlap in the migrations. (Premieres 8 p.m. Sunday, July 5)
"Island of the Mega Shark": Shark Week regular Jeff Kurr heads to Mexico's Guadalupe Island to try to determine if it's the mating ground for great white sharks along the Pacific Coast. Sharks are drawn there by the large colonies of elephant seals, and many of the females show signs of mating recently. "Their sides are a battlefield of scars, and those scars mean sex," a narrator says luridly. To see if they can witness sharks mating -- something that's never been filmed -- they send someone down in a clear plexiglass cage, which makes for dramatic video as curious sharks investigate. But the divers never witness any mating, which doesn't stop one of them pronouncing the island a "swingers club for sharks." It's all fairly ridiculous, but the show ends well, with them spotting a 20-foot-long female shark who appears to be pregnant. (Premieres 9 p.m. Sunday, July 5)
"Return of the Great White Serial Killer": Here's an instant nominee for the worst show in the new Shark Week lineup. As the title implies, this examination of great white shark attacks off the coast of California suggests that sharks go after humans for psychological reasons. The reasoning: There have been a series of attacks on surfers and kayakers every two years since 2008 on the same beach near Santa Barbara, resulting in two fatalities. In all cases, the sharks were 16-feet-long, suggesting that it could be the same shark. But there's no way to link the attacks without DNA evidence. Shark "expert" Brandon McMillan (he's actually a professional dog trainer featured on CBS' "Lucky Dog") investigates, interviewing attack survivors in an overwrought way. Adding to the silliness, he compares notes with another expert on a set that looks like something out of "CSI." But these great white sharks aren't committing a crime. Their numbers are increasing because the species is rebounding. The real crime is people ignoring the dangers of venturing into know shark habitat. (Premieres 9 p.m. Monday, July 6)
"Bride of Jaws": An 18-foot great white known as Joan of Shark created quite a media storm a few years ago, when she became the largest female shark ever tagged off the west coast of Australia. But then she disappeared. Filmmaker Andy Casagrande (who is featured in three Shark Week shows -- busy guy) joins to shark attack survivors to see if they can determine if she is still alive. The search takes them to what is a suspected mating ground for great whites, where they do something that seems like truly bad judgment: While one of the divers is submerged in a cage, they pour pheromone-spiked chum into the water right over her, making her swimming shark bait. Really? Later, they use death metal music to try to attract sharks -- the low frequency of the guitars is thought to mimic the sound of struggling fish. There's lots of swearing and bro attitude. If you like the Spike network, this is the Shark Week show for you. (Premieres 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 7)
"Tiburones: The Sharks of Cuba": If you only catch one Shark Week program, make it this one. One of the best things about the recent normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba is that shark scientists from the two countries are able to collaborate for the first time. Because coral reefs off of Cuba remain pristine, it's thought that they could be home to more than 50 different species of sharks, including some of the biggest in the Caribbean. During a four-day expedition, American and Cuban scientists tag an elusive long fin mako shark. But studying sharks in Cuba isn't easy: They don't have the well-equipped large boats, and they don't have diving cages, increasing the risk to divers. But the rewards are many, as they witness habitat that hasn't been damaged by man. (Premieres 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 7)
"Ninja Sharks": If you can get passed the idiotic comparison between sharks a hired martial arts killers, this is actually a very informative look six species of sharks who have evolved features that make them very effective hunters. For instance, a thresher shark has an elongated tail that it uses like a whip to break up schools of sardines. Or the salmon shark, which has a super-heated core that allows it to swim in arctic waters, where it feeds on Alaskan salmon. Among the experts explaining the unique characteristics of these sharks is Chris Fallows, the South African adventurer featured in the "Air Jaws" series. It wouldn't be Shark Week without this guy. (Premieres 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 8)
"Sharks of the Shadowland": In New Zealand, shark preservationists face an unusual problem. An invasive form of seaweed has turned up in important shark habitat, threatening to destroy the delicate ecosystem. In order to eradicate the weed, they must venture into that habitat once a month, putting them at risk of being attacked by the very seven-gill sharks they are there to protect. To dive more safely, they attempt to make visual identifications of the sharks that are known to be aggressive, making it easier to know when it's safer to dive. While filming, they get rare footage of sharks hunting in packs, along with shots of sharks feeding at night, when they are known to be more active. Fascinating stuff. (Premieres 9 p.m. Friday, July 10)