Shark Week was created to pay homage to a giant fish that has a bad reputation. Sharks are terrifying. They have too many teeth and no one wants to get in the water when someone reminds you they’re there, but realistically, any harm from a shark is very unlikely. BuzzFeed has created a list of things more likely to kill you than a shark and stand out members are “getting sloshed” and “taking a bath.” College students typically do one of those things with great frequency (I’m not saying which, just in case Mom and Dad end up reading this…). But why do people fear them so much when it’s unlikely they will ever even see one? I can only speak for myself, but anything that has small little teeth for skin makes me wary. Also, sharks fit into the category of things that I do not want to cross paths with, right next to any type of spider, large lizards, and birds with pointy beaks (irrational fear of eye gouging).
I guess Discovery Channel thought that Jaws was ruining the reputation of sharks and wanted to take a stand. I wish Shark Week: Origin was more exciting, but what can you do? It was a smart move; the first ever Shark Week more than doubled Discovery’s viewership. Now over 50 million people tune in. This is partially due to endorsements from comedy greats like Stephan Colbert and Tracy Jordan on "30 Rock," the latter of whom made the bold statement that you “should live every week like it is Shark Week.”
Some of the programs aired during past Shark Weeks are pretty ridiculous. A few of my favorite titles are “Lair of the Mega Shark” and “Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives.” For all you shark noobs out there, Megalodon is an extinct species of prehistoric shark. All these spooky and silly shows took advantage of viewers’ innate and reasonable fear.
Anything famous ultimately has its haters, and Shark Week is no exception. A group started protesting the “mockumentary” and “docufiction” mentality that was in many of Shark Week's programming. In 2014, the new president of Discovery vowed to stop airing shows that used this so called “junk science.” The week is now focused on educating people that tune in on the misunderstood animal. I can say that I have certainly learned more since I started tuning in.
If the basis of the TV programming was to help promote respect for sharks, then I can think of a few more things that should have their own devoted week of programming. Take women for example. Why is there no Woman Week? Why is there no Crunch Wrap Supreme Week? Why is there no Vaccination Importance Week? If any of these happen (plus many more), I will be a happy woman.
Until then, here are some other weird week long programs that you should check out...
Bark Week
Directly follows Shark Week and is put on by a children’s network, The Hub, which is partnered with the Discovery Channel. It will show exclusively animal based shows and will be so cute. Shows include “Its Me or the Dog,” “Too Cute,” and cult classics like 101 Dalmatians and “Scooby Doo.”
Aporkolypse Week
Put on by the Sportsman Channel, this programming event is dedicated to feral hogs and their quickly expanding population. Not my cup of tea, but who knows, it could be interesting.
Monster Week
This week has headliners like “Serial Killer Tiger at Large” and “Killer Hornets from Hell.” Featured on Animal Planet. It sounds both hilarious and terrifying. Also the name is a misnomer because the “week” is actually 9 whole nights of scary creatures.
Tornado Week
Have that one friend that only talks about the weather? Tell him or her to tune into the Weather Channel for this week of tornado themed programming.
Sharknado Week
Not to be confused with Tornado Week, this programming event was the week before Sharknado 2: The Second One. It was a publicity stunt by the Syfy Channel that succeeded in bringing in almost 26 million viewers.
