Deadliest Catch's long history could give away when Season 21 will finally premiere on Discovery.
The reality series follows different ship captains and their crews as they brave the brutal ocean waters in hopes of catching crabs. The business is a challenging and dangerous one, but can be extremely profitable if a lot of crabs are brought in.
Season 20 ended relatively recently in October 2024, but fans of the show are already eager for it to return for Season 21. The previous installment featured a lot of drama, including the loss of one of the show's most well-known ships, the F/V Saga.
When Does the New Season of Deadliest Catch Start?
Season 21 of Deadliest Catch is on the horizon, but it has not been given an official release date yet. However, that doesn't mean it is impossible to predict roughly when the reality series will return.
As shared on Instagram by Newton Garcia Ward, Deadliest Catch Season 21 filmed in 2024 and finished up around the turn of the year. This isn't surprising since the King Crab season begins in October and typically lasts through December.
Like other reality shows, Deadliest Catch doesn't have to go through a rigorous post-production process where a lot of CGI has to be used, but the episodes do take a bit of time to edit and piece together since so much footage is captured.
Some rumors have swirled that Season 21 would be released in April, but Discovery has not confirmed that.
Seeing as how it is now April as of writing, it would be extremely unlikely and maybe even impossible for a show to be released in the same month that its release date is announced (assuming Discovery even announces Season 21's release date in April).
For Season 20, Discovery announced its release date, which was June 11, 2024, on May 6, 2024, roughly one month before its premiere.
So, it seems a bit unlikely that the show could return sometime in April. It is possible that it could follow suit with Season 20 and be released sometime in June.
However, it is worth noting that, aside from Season 20, every single season of Deadliest Catch since the show began in 2005 has been released either in March or April.
The series is popular enough that it doesn't need a ton of marketing. It has a fairly loyal fanbase who will tune in without seeing any trailers, advertisements or commercials.
So, it is still possible that Deadliest Catch could return as early as the end of April, but it is safer to assume that it won't premiere until sometime in May or June.
What Will Happen in Deadliest Catch Season 21 In 2025?
The premise of Deadliest Catch is crab fishing, so there will obviously be a lot of that when the show returns. However, over the years, fans have come to know and care about the people showcased season after season.
In Season 20, Episode 15, Keith Colburn, who is the captain of the F/V Wizard, collapsed. This forced the vessel to return to land where Keith was then airlifted out.
According to medical professionals, Keith may have suffered a mini-stroke. His health caused him to be sidelined during a recovery period, and many fans were worried about him.
However, Keith is reportedly doing okay now, so Deadliest Catch fans are eager to catch up with him and see him back in action.
Many also want to know where Jake will be at the beginning of Season 21. In Season 20, his longtime ship, the F/V Saga, was repossessed. Jake had to join Sig Hansen at the beginning of Season 20, but he became captain of his own ship, called the Titan Explorer, again by the end of the installment.
It is unclear if Jake will be able to get the Saga back for Season 21 or if he will still be manning the Titan Explorer.
Deadliest Catch is streaming on Max, and Season 21 will be released sometime in 2025.
