They never set out to be television stars, any more than they sought Hollywood fame in a Steven Spielberg movie.
But sharks stay among the most imperishable (if unlikeliest) members of TV's A-list. Just consider Shark Week, the summer programming event on Discovery Channel since 1988. Once again, sharks are in the limelight as Shark Week promotes respect and appreciation for these noteworthy animals (with excitement as well part of the mix).
Shark Week 2008 airs from 7 p.m. to midnight tonight to Friday, and from 9 a.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday, featuring some of the most popular programs from past years, as well as premiering these six shows:
"MythBusters: Shark Special" (9-11 p.m. tonight): The dynamical reality-check crew from Discovery's "MythBusters" series investigates myths about sharks, including: Are sharks repelled by magnets? Do dogs attract sharks?
"Surviving Sharks" (9-10 p.m. Monday): Les Stroud, master of ceremonies of Discovery's "Survivorman," has tips for water safety, and he tests popular theories for surviving shark encounters.
"Day of the Shark" (10-11 p.m. Monday): This should be of particular interestingness to swimmers who take avoided the ocean after dark since they saw "Jaws." It chronicles six shark attacks that took place at different multiplication of twenty-four hours, to determine whether sidereal day or night is safer for swimming.
"Dirty Jobs: Greenland Shark Quest" (9-10 p.m. Tuesday): Mike Rowe, host of "Dirty Jobs," travels in search of the cryptical Greenland shark, which scientists hope potty provide lessons in the rapid bionomical changes touching that portion of the world.
"How Not to Become Shark Bait" (10-11 p.m. Tuesday): A thrill-seeking team tests shark-attraction theories with tiger, lemon and reef sharks.
"Mysteries of the Shark Coast" (9-11 p.m. Thursday): On Australia's northeastern coast — nursing home to more species of sharks than anywhere else on the globe — sharks are disappearing. A cross-discipline team of sharkaphiles sets off to determine why.
Other shows to take care for:
You say sharks aren't exciting enough for you? Then check out the dinosaurs on "Jurassic Fight Club," a new series that promises insight into the psychology as well as the physiology of these creatures. The first of the 12-episode series re-creates the action as two Majungatholus dinosaurs face off in a title bout from 70 million age ago. "Jurassic Fight Club" premieres at 9 p.m. Tuesday on the History Channel.
The SciFi network's kinky drama-comedy series "Eureka" returns for a third time of year in a certain little town of big-time geniuses. "Eureka" airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman are actors, best friends and motorbike fanatics. Now they're co-starring in "Long Way Down," a Fox Reality Channel (159 on Comcast) series that takes them on a 15,000-mile road trip from Scotland to South Africa. A follow-up to "Long Way Round," this 10-episode series premieres at 9 p.m. Saturday.
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