Discovery Channel Builds on Shark Week Momentum with Powerhouse Summer Slate Featuring Five New and Returning Series

Building off the excitement of Discovery Channel’s signature “Shark Week” summer event, the network is set to launch five new and returning series on the heels of its finale that bring more high stakes adventures, compelling characters, and captivating storytelling to the channel. The lineup offers a diverse slate of thrilling new programming, from survival in extreme conditions to real-life disaster zones, bizarre animal behavior, and high-octane motorsports.

Leading the charge on Sunday, July 27 @ 8PM ET/PT is Naked and Afraid: Apocalypse – an extreme evolution of Discovery’s hit survival franchise that drops twelve battle-tested survivalists into a scorched, forbidding wasteland in South Africa. Immediately following @ 10PM ET/PT, the energy intensifies with the season premiere of In the Eye of the Storm, diving into real-life accounts of nature’s most violent weather events. The adrenaline continues Monday, July 28 @ 8PM ET/PT with the wild debut of Animals on Drugs, hosted by Forrest Galante fresh off his daring “Shark Week” special, exploring the strange side effects of human vices on wildlife. Then, on Tuesday, July 29 @ 8PM ET/PT, the mud flies in a brand-new season of Mud Madness, where extreme off-roaders push their machines – and themselves – to the limit. Finally, the week caps off with the return of the iconic Deadliest Catch on Friday, August 1 @ 8PM ET/PT, bringing back the high-stakes drama and danger of the Bering Sea.

The powerhouse week of premieres showcases the full range of Discovery’s storytelling that will keep audiences engaged all season long. Below is a closer look at each of the new and returning series fueling Discovery’s summer momentum:

NAKED AND AFRAID: APOCALYPSE – New Series Premieres Sunday, July 27 @ 8PM ET/PT

For the first time ever, 12 battle-tested survivalists take on a scorched, apocalyptic wasteland where they must scavenge ruins to survive in the all-new series NAKED AND AFRAID: APOCALYPSE. In locations long abandoned by humans, the survivalists face the franchise’s toughest challenge yet as they endure extreme heat and drought as well as unpredictable lions, elephants, black mambas, and more without food, water, and clothing. Four teams are dropped into forgotten corners of South Africa – spanning a ghost town, a vehicle junkyard, a cemetery, and even a mine shaft – where they must scavenge the wreckage for resources. In a franchise-first, survivalists will not be extracted but must escape this wasteland and find their way back to civilization at the end of the challenge. All the while, they must also battle relentless threats from apex predators, endure punishing heat and navigate constant dangers from rusted metal and broken glass. NAKED AND AFRAID: APOCALYPSE is produced for Discovery Channel by Renegade 83, LLC, a division of Lionsgate Alternative Television.

IN THE EYE OF THE STORM – New Season Premieres Sunday, July 27 @ 10PM ET/PT

Anchored by groundbreaking crowdsourced first-person storytelling and footage, IN THE EYE OF THE STORM chronicles the second-by-second stories of recent severe weather disasters through the eyes of ordinary people who survived them and managed to capture it on camera. From this year’s devasting wildfires in Los Angeles to twin twisters in Iowa that proved to be the most powerful ever recorded and apocalyptic flooding in Appalachia that swept entire towns off the map, each episode reveals the chaos and terrifying impact of natural disasters as they occurred in real time during the most destructive year for storms in modern history. IN THE EYE OF THE STORM is produced for Discovery Channel by Arrow Media.

ANIMALS ON DRUGS – New Series Premieres Monday, July 28 @ 8PM ET/PT (Three Episode Premiere)

Around the world, wild animals are getting dangerously high – and it’s not by accident. From drunk bears to meth-addled gators and Pablo Escobar’s “cocaine hippos,” human vices are wreaking havoc on the animal kingdom. In this all-new three-part series, wildlife biologist and adventurer Forrest Galante (Alien Sharks: Death Down Under) dives into the bizarre and shocking world of animals under the influence, combining boots-on-the-ground investigation and cutting-edge science to track these creatures, uncover how they got hooked, what it means for their ecosystems and how we can help them recover before it’s too late. In Florida, Galante investigates aggressive alligators emerging from drug-seeped waterways near methamphetamine hotspots, working to capture and rehabilitate these “meth gators.” Then, Galante explores a strange new trend in the US – bear home invasions where booze and marijuana edibles feed their cravings. In Colombia, aggressive hippos raised by the infamous cocaine kingpin Pable Escobar have escaped his abandoned compound. Becoming a dangerous and deadly invasive species, Galante embarks upon a risky plan to try and stop them. ANIMALS ON DRUGS is produced for Discovery Channel by Hot Snakes Media and Phantasticus Pictures.

MUD MADNESS – New Season Premieres Tuesday, July 29 @ 8PM ET/PT

An all-new season of this adrenaline-fueled series follows the off-road subculture of extreme UTV and ATV mud racing – where the machines are big, but the personalities are even bigger. As the top 10 best drivers in the country go head-to-head for the first ever MUD CUP, the series explores the rivalries, alliances and personal stakes that fuel the sport. From backwoods garages to rowdy race day showdowns across Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and Alabama, MUD MADNESS captures the heart, grit and chaos of a tight-knit community where reputations are built in the mud – and broken just as fast. MUD MADNESS is produced for Discovery Channel by Original Productions, a Fremantle company.

DEADLIEST CATCH – New Season Premieres Friday, August 1 @ 8PM ET/PT

When fishermen discover monster red king crab in the far west, a gold rush-style race ignites among the Dutch Harbor fleet. To claim their share of the billion-dollar bounty, captains and crews must brave unforgiving 50-foot seas to reach abandoned Adak Island, venturing farther west than anyone has dared in over 30 years and beyond the bounds of rescue. Navigating through unfamiliar territory to secure the lucrative haul, the crews face extreme conditions and major ship malfunctions that put them in serious life-threatening situations, leaving the fleet at the mercy of the tumultuous western Bering Sea. DEADLIEST CATCH is produced by Original Productions, a Fremantle company for Discovery.

Viewers can join the conversation by following Discovery Channel on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.