The 20th season of the hit TV show “Deadliest Catch,” a genre-defining series following commercial crab fishermen who risk their lives on the treacherous and unpredictable Bering Sea, returns with a two-hour premiere on Tuesday, June 11, at 8 PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
Since its debut, the 59-time Emmy®-nominated series has revolutionized unscripted television. It utilizes best-in-class cinematography and storytelling to capture every death-defying moment at sea, captivating generations of viewers with authentic, tenacious characters.
“Deadliest Catch is the gold standard for unscripted series, paving the way for an entire genre of television that highlights everyday working heroes,” said Howard Lee, President of Discovery Networks. “Audiences have grown with our captains and their families, respecting their unwavering determination and experiencing the struggles and successes with them. This season is a celebration of their epic stories and the first page of their next chapter.”
To kick off this milestone season, the lucrative Red King Crab fishery has finally reopened in Alaska, igniting the first derby-style race in decades. Forced to obtain their crab hauls in a highly competitive timeframe, veteran and rookie captains are thrust into cutthroat rivalries that will push each crabber to their limit. Meanwhile, the crab grounds become more perilous than ever as a rare super El Niño weather pattern intensifies winter storms, serving as a grim reminder of why Alaska crab fishing is known as the Deadliest Catch.
The captains will face the biggest challenges of their storied careers as:
- Captain Jake Anderson loses the F/V Saga, the boat he captained for a decade and held an ownership stake in. Now, he must swallow his pride and return to his mentor, Captain Sig Hansen, on the F/V Northwestern, the vessel Jake began his career on as a greenhorn 18 years ago, until he can earn a captain’s seat on a new boat.
- After leading his crew to fight a fire on the F/V Wizard that nearly cost the life of a deckhand, Captain Keith Colburn faces a life-threatening emergency at sea 750 miles from the nearest hospital.
- At the end of last season, Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski received a medical bombshell, forcing him to fight for his life and legacy on the F/V Summer Bay.
- Lured out of retirement by the reopening of Red King Crab, Captain Johnathan Hillstrand returns to the F/V Time Bandit to capture his million-dollar quota.
- Captains Steve Harley Davidson and Jack Bunnell risk their reputations and financial future to upgrade to the 126-foot F/V Pacific Mariner in hopes of catching more quota and more crab.
- Sophia “Bob” Nielsen, the youngest captain in the fleet, takes the helm of the massive 113-foot F/V Seabrooke, honoring her late father, Gary, and testing her mettle against the most violent seas on earth.
- Hungry to secure his future as a skipper, Jacob Hutchins makes a play for the relief captain spot on Captain Rick Shelford’s F/V Aleutian Lady.
