Is Discovery’s ‘Deadliest Catch’ Canceled? The Show’s New Airtime Has Fans Concerned
The long-running Discovery series has received several cancellation rumors since it aired in 2005.
Updated Aug. 1 2025, 3:22 p.m. ET
Alaskan crab fishing is a tough business to keep afloat, but it hasn’t stopped fishermen and women from their pursuits. On Discovery's Deadliest Catch, viewers watch as crews showcase bravery in treacherous waters in order to score big catches for revenue. And while the dangerous element of the job remains a factor — with many deaths and injuries coming to light — these fishermen and women continue to persevere.
In June 2025, Discovery confirmed its long-running series would return for Season 21. However, the new season comes with a twist that fans weren't expecting. As a result, many are wondering where the future stands for Deadliest Catch and if the show will be canceled. Here’s what we know.
Is 'Deadliest Catch' canceled?
Deadliest Catch fans were concerned about the show's fate will be happy to know it hasn't been officially canceled. However, the show's airtime jump from Tuesdays to Fridays understandably raised a few eyebrows. On Reddit, a user started a thread asking, "Does the show moving to Friday seem weird to anyone?" They received multiple responses from other viewers who believed the switch could've been a sign we should prepare to see the crew's final massive catch.
"Graveyard slot, where shows go to die," They know the viewership base, if it does well enough it takes a dead slot that they don't have to fill with anything else," one fan wrote. "If it slips then they have an excuse not to continue."
"That's usually where they send the shows on their last legs," another viewer mentioned. "The show is probably pretty cheap to produce, but it may be a good idea to let it rest for a few years, and then repackage it when people actually miss it."
While some fans were preparing to riot against Discovery for possibly preparing them for Deadliest Catch's ending, others weren't too concerned. Several viewers mentioned they typically watch the series after it airs anyway via streaming or DVR. Episodes of Deadliest Catch are available to stream the day after it airs via HBO Max.
"Who watches shows when they air?" one fan asked.
'Deadliest Catch' was in danger of cancellation after billions of snow crabs have seemingly disappeared from the Bering Sea.
Although there's no official word about Deadliest Catch's future, the show has received cancellation rumors several times since it aired in 2005. According to CNN, the Alaskan Board of Fisheries and North Pacific Fishery Management Council announced during the week of October 10, 2022, that the snow crab harvest has been canceled due to a vast decline in the snow crab population in the Bering Sea.
“Snow crab is by far the most abundant of all the Bering Sea crab species that is caught commercially,” researcher Benjamin Daly told CNN. “So, the shock and awe of many billions missing from the population is worth noting — and that includes all the females and babies.”
Interestingly, the agency also shares that part of the reason for the snow crab decline is due to overfishing.
Mark Stichert, the groundfish and shellfish fisheries management coordinator with the state’s fish and game department, shared that “2021 and 2022 surveys noted an estimated 45 million pounds of snow crab left in the entire Bering Sea, with mature male snow crab populations declining at around 40 percent.”
Not to mention, Michael Litzow, the Kodiak lab director for NOAA Fisheries, told the outlet that “human-caused climate change” is also a factor in the declining snow crab populations. After all, Michael shares that snow crabs can only survive in areas where the water temperature is at lowest 2 degrees Celsius and below.
“There have been a number of attribution studies that have looked at specific temperatures in the Bering Sea or Bering Sea ice cover in 2018, and in those attribution studies, they’ve concluded that those temperatures and low-ice conditions in the Bering Sea are a consequence of global warming,” Michael told CNN.
The Bristol Bay red king crab harvest was also canceled. And since Deadliest Catch is centered around the Alaskan crab fishing trade, the show may be in trouble.
Thankfully, in a statement to Deadline, Deadliest Catch Executive Producer Arom Starr-Paul said the fishery closure in the Bering Sea wouldn't affect Season 19, which aired in 2023
"Fans can anticipate another great season of Deadliest Catch where we will document our captains as they participate in other sustainable Bering Sea crab and pot fisheries, such as golden king crab, bairdi, and cod," he told the outlet.
Catch all-new episodes of Deadliest Catch, airing on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery, and streaming on HBO Max.