River Monsters remains among the most popular and influential fishing shows ever put on screen. Originally produced by Icon Films in Bristol for Animal Planet, the show earned stellar ratings in the UK, US, and internationally, and is now a popular name on video platforms like YouTube.
Bring all of this together, along with the continued interest in fishing content, and ITV and Jeremy Wade have seen fit to bring back River Monsters. This won’t be as you remember it, though, with it taking on yet another format to reach a new target audience.
A Major Part of Fishing TV History
Right now, fishing is a popular kind of sub-genre in many corners of entertainment. On TV, the low-key Gone Fishing continues to trend on the BBC, and in online gaming, the Big Bass Bonanza casino collection reigns supreme. Much like the hit shows of the 00s and 10s, these slots put the focus on the catch.
While there are winning combinations to be potentially made during the base game, the free spins feature is the focus. It’s here that all of those fish swimming around with cash prizes can be caught and even multiplied by also landing a fisherman symbol. That series numbers over 20 instalments now as the developer keeps trying to meet demand.
It’s fair to say that the late 00s has been hugely influential on fishing’s rise to prominence in modern entertainment. It was at this time that River Monsters joined the young Extreme Fishing with Robson Green as well as more seasoned shows like Deadliest Catch, to really propel the activity into the spotlight.
Originally, River Monsters’ long run spanned nine seasons from 2009 to 2017, upholding a high bar for production quality, storytelling, and successes in Wade’s quests. In the end, Wade called it a day because he’d caught all bucket list fish, and he then released a book of the same name to reveal more about his adventures.
Time to Expand River Monsters
“You thought River Monsters was over?”Wade opens in the reveal for his new show. “Well, the show was only the beginning.” The teaser above arrived shortly after the head of ITV Studios, per Deadline, announced its collection of new and upcoming shows, with a new look for River Monsters getting a big push.
Fish On! With Jeremy Wade, which is named after his legendary shout whenever the reel starts screaming, will take the form of a video podcast series. It’s available from 20 October on Patreon and through the RiverMonsters.TV platform.
The new approach to River Monsters, being a video podcast rather than a TV show, looks to tap into the show’s second life as a hit on social media platforms, and especially YouTube. ITV reckons that it’s not true that new audiences don’t want to engage with long-form content, and so a video podcast will offer plenty of depth across its 20 episodes.
Regardless of its format, the return of River Monsters is big news for British entertainment, and the podcast will almost certainly perform well once it arrives in October.