TVSquad

Sorry for the lame headline.

We're in the middle of the Discovery Channel's annual Shark Week celebration, a whole of programming involving sharks, sharks, sharks, sharks, and the people who love/fear them. But David Zurawik over at The Baltimore Sun doesn't understand why some people get excited about it. He wants someone to explain its appeal.

I almost chose the above pic for this week's "What the heck is this?," but realized it would be too obscure for readers to get. What is it? It's a bloody pair of chewed up shorts, and it's part of the press kit for Discovery Channel's "Shark Week." James Hibberd over at The Hollywood Reporter gives a rundown on what the kit looks like up close. It includes Hibberd's obituary.

I once got a "Shark Week" T-shirt from the network but nothing like this.

When I say that the Burn Notice finale last night made quite a splash, I'm not talking about the ratings. I'm talking about the show. Creator Matt Nix, who penned the Burn Notice Season Two finale, really knows how to write a cliffhanger. Actually, it's a cliffhanger with a hook, because in some ways we actually went over the cliff with Michael Westen. More on those specifics -- and spoilers if you haven't seen the show yet -- after the jump.

Those of you who are lucky enough to own an HDTV should check out Planet Earth tonight on Discovery Channel. I keep seeing previews for it today as I absent-mindedly watch a marathon of Deadliest Catch and it looks stunning. The series is basically Earth Science, featuring all sorts of unique animals and plants, and examining various landscapes.

Besides the fact that it looks beautiful, the story behind it is almost as impressive. The miniseries took five years to make and photographers put their lives on the line more than once to document the extreme living conditions on this planet.

Discovery Channel's Shark Week, possibly my favorite seven days devoted to deadly marine life, will be popping its crazy dorsal fin out of the water from July 30 through August 4. Hang on, that's only six days, isn't it? I want a full seven days of deadly, man-eating fish, dag blast it. Whose chum bucket do I have to kiss to make that happen, huh? Well, whatever, I guess six days is okay. The first night of Shark Week will begin at 9 p.m. with a special episode of Dirty Jobs titled Dirty Jobs: Jobs That Bite. Host Mike Rowe will go underwater with great whites (as opposed to them coming above water to see him, I guess) and also visit a place in Florida that creates replicas of sharks fishermen have captured. Rowe will also finish Shark Week with Dirty Jobs: Jobs That Bite Harder on August 4.

Other shows to air throughout shark week include Shark Attack Survivors; Perfect Shark; Sharks: Are They Hunting Us?; Shark Rebellion; and Science of Shark Sex. Click here for a video preview.

So we've already told you that Surface is the best new show of the season, and why you should be watching it. I recently talked with Carter Jenkins, who plays Miles, the shy, curious, lizard-loving teen who started the whole thing when he brought an egg he found in the water into his home and now might be turning into a lizard thing himself. He called from California, after wrapping up filming on the NBC show for the season.

Carter Jenkins: Bob!
Bob Sassone: Hey man, how's it going?