‘Deadliest Catch’ Sets Season 22 Premiere Date: How Show Will Address Todd Meadows’ Death

Alyssa Norwin April 23, 2026, 3:01 pm

Deadliest Catch is reeling in another season, and the Discovery Channel just announced when it will premiere. The season plans to have a tribute to deckhand Todd Meadows, who died earlier this year.

The 63-time Emmy-nominated show has been a staple on the Discovery Channel for years, having first premiered in 2005 and airing one season a year ever since. Scroll down for everything we know so far.

Will Deadliest Catch return for Season 22?

Yes! Deadliest Catch will be back for another season. The news was confirmed in a press release on April 23.

When does Deadliest Catch Season 22 premiere?

Season 22 returns on Friday, May 8 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel.

What will season 22 be about?

The logline reads, “With a new king crab population appearing far north, the fleet relocates 225 miles to St. George Island, facing colder weather and more extreme seas than any season before as they work to sustain their livelihoods in rapidly changing waters.”

“For the first time in decades, the captains abandon familiar fishing grounds to chase a rare breed of Red King Crab lurking in the frozen waters of the far North. This elusive catch, worth a fortune, pushes the fleet into remote territory and tests their experience and resilience at the edge of the world.”

Who is in the Deadliest Catch Season 22 cast?

'Deadliest Catch' Todd Meadows Update: Family to Sue for Wrongful Death, Cause Revealed

Jake Anderson and Sig Hansen have both been confirmed to return, despite rumors that Hansen was leaving after suffering a medical emergency at sea.

In the new season, Anderson returns to his roots as a deckhand for the first time in 11 years. Since losing his boat and his marriage, he finds an unexpected opportunity to restore the legendary Cornelia Marie, so he steps back into the captain’s chair, putting his reputation and his family’s future on the line for one final shot at redemption.

Hansen launches an unprecedented covert scouting mission for the first time ever in the series. He deploys an underwater drone into the unknown waters in a bold attempt to locate the rare strain of king crab before the rest of the fleet arrives.

Captain “Wild” Bill Wichrowski travels to St. George Island to share his decades of hard-earned knowledge, guiding Hansen through new grounds in pursuit of the bigger, richer crab that could define his season.

Keith Colburn, Mouse Colburn, Steve “Harley” Davidson, Johnathan Hillstrand, Rick Shelford, Mandy Hansen, and Clark Pederson were all in Season 21, but have not been confirmed for this season yet.

Todd Meadows will be featured in the season. The deckhand fell overboard and died on February 25. Scenes with Meadows were filmed weeks before the accident. He was on the Aleutian Lady and was filming at the time of the accident, but footage of what happened will not be shown on the show out of respect for his family and loved ones.

He will be honored in the premiere episode, and his friends will share how his death impacted them. Meadows drowned in the sea after going overboard in one of the crab pots.