shades fills you in

The WSJ: There’s a shark war in your TV! Nat Geo’s “SharkFest” and Discovery’s “Shark Week” go head-to-head every year, around the same time. Each hopes to hook more viewers

Here’s Discovery’s promo for Shark Week 2022, which puts you in the POV of an unlucky seal

And Nat Geo’s 2022 promo for SharkFest features experts and, well, sharks. Watch the promo here

The Atlantic says Shark Week jumped the shark in 2015 -- the programming had become a bit try-hard and silly. SharkFest stepped in that year to be there for “real” shark fans

By the way, Sharkfest *knows* they’re a Shark Week ripoff. They said so back in 2015 -- check out their video here

NPR is team Shark Week. It started way back in 1988, and thanks to major marketing, it’s now a pop culture phenom. SharkFest is just piggybacking. Can we get a break on all this shark marketing?? -- NPR

The Ringer also loves Shark Week -- but admits it’s not perfect. Its best programs include Air Jaws -- where sharks swipe seals mid-air. And its worst moments include Michael Phelps’ “race” with a simulated shark

This blogger is Team Sharkfest: Shark Week just isn’t what it used to be!

And Yahoo News writes that Shark Week upset fans by starting Shark Week 2019 with celebs, not the sharks

Also, some shark experts have a bone to pick with Shark Week. They say the show demonizes the animals -- NBC News

Deseret News respectfully disagrees. Discovery undid the damage of the 1975 film “Jaws”. Thanks to Shark Week, sharks are all the rage!

A shark ecologist writing in Vox back in 2015 says it’s complicated. Shark Week isn’t always accurate, but they *do* have a huge audience, and they’re promising to do better

Whether you tune in to Sharkfest or Shark Week, Discovery is cool as long as you’re into sharks. Check out their TikTok here