Discovery Sets KPop Shark Heroes for Shark Week
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- Discovery Channel set "KPop Shark Heroes," a Shark Week special that nods at Netflix's animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" and premieres during the July 26–Aug. 1 programming block
- Ken Jeong and Rei Ami lead the special, marking a reunion since Jeong voices Bobby, the manager of Huntr/x, and Rei Ami is the singing voice of Zoey in "KPop Demon Hunters"
- The official logline has Jeong launching a K-Pop-powered public awareness campaign after shark encounters off the Korean Peninsula, joined by Grammy-nominated singer Rei Ami, whom the show calls a "lifetime shark lover"
- Rei Ami was nominated for a Grammy for best pop duo/group performance for "Golden" alongside Ejae and Audrey Nuna, her fellow "KPop Demon Hunters" singers
- The special is produced by Will Packer Media and Anomaly Entertainment for Discovery Channel, with Jeong's prior credits spanning "The Hangover" trilogy, NBC's "Community," and a judging seat on "The Masked Singer" since 2019
Why it matters: Discovery is cross-pollinating the "KPop Demon Hunters" cultural wave into its flagship Shark Week to drive viewership, and the casting of two actual voice actors from the Netflix hit gives the special built-in fan recognition rather than a generic celebrity hook. For Discovery, the move reframes a decades-old nature brand through current pop culture while keeping the educational pitch intact.
