April 7th–Best of Season 4 2-hour special starting at 9pm eastern.

It’s the 2007/2008 Alaska Crab Season. Hurricane force winds and monstrous waves batter the fleet. A dying skipper, a struggling greenhorn, two rival deckhands, and a prodigal son are just a few of the men risking their lives for “The Deadliest Catch.” 

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Episode 1–April 14th    EVERYTHING ON THE LINE

The 2008 king crab season opens with life and death stakes before the boats even cast off. The fleet is aging, and so are the captains. The Wizard’s skipper Keith and the Cornelia Marie’s skipper Phil have ominous health symptoms. Nerves are raw as the two men await medical test results — and their doctors’ clearance to fish. As the fleet launches, the captains are under huge financial pressure from costly summer boat repairs; they need to get on crab fast. One skipper arrives on the crab grounds and discovers he isn’t able to fish at all — due to a damaged hull. To make repairs, he puts on diving gear and descends into waters few men return from — the icy Bering Sea.

Episode 2–April 14th   RED SKIES IN THE MORNING

It’s week two of the crab season and the boats have encountered low crab numbers, crew tensions and even serious injury. When the fleet wakes up to ominous red dawn skies, the skippers speculate that a severe storm is on the way. But with crab quota to catch, the boats keep fishing. The Time Bandit milks a family honey hole, while the Cornelia Marie strikes out. When 20-foot seas and high winds kick up, even the bravest skippers call in their men to wait out the storm. One boat, with eleven souls on board, sends out a Mayday. In an all too familiar scene, the Coast Guard launches rescue helicopters, and the skippers stay glued to their radios — anxiously awaiting news of the fate of their brother fishermen.

Episode 3–April 28th  STAY FOCUSED OR DIE

The fleet is still dialing into the crab, and already a typhoon has taken its toll. A boat has sunk — and bone-chilling accounts of the fate of its men relay around the fleet. As soon as the weather clears, the skippers of the Time Bandit, Cornelia Marie, Wizard and Northwestern send their men right back to fishing. On a crab boat, there’s no time to dwell on tragedy. Hauling and setting pots is treacherous work and if the crews don’t stay focused on their work, they could die.

Episode 4–May 5th   PUT UP OR SHUT UP

It’s week four of king crab season. Seven souls have perished, but the fishermen soldier on in the hunt for crab. Gruelling hours and vicious hazing test the Greenhorns, and some start to crack. On the Wizard, the rookie fights to maintain dignity as the deckboss shreds him to the core. On the Northwestern, Jake Anderson gets a shot at running the hydro, and learns that operating them puts the lives of the crew in his hands. The 78-ft Lisa Marie also arrives with something to prove. The smallest boat in the fleet has a young crew with some mighty big mouths. For all of these newcomers, it¹s time to put up… or shut up.

Episode 5–May 12th   SHORT FUSES

Crab pots continue to come up empty and the skippers are out of ideas.  Low bait and long grinds take our crews to dark places — the smallest infractions from a Greenhorn or fellow deckhand cause tempers and even violence to flare. Aboard the Cornelia Marie the brothers Harris have a war of words, while on the Lisa Marie two brothers resort to a smack down. On the Wizard, low bait forces Keith to turn his back on his brother and reach out to an old enemy: Sig Hansen. While the rest of the fleet fight it out amongst themselves, it¹s a wild, swinging pot that could do fatal damage on the Time Bandit. 

Episode 6–May 19th   DEADLINE

A new deadline is set: an upcoming drop in the price of king crab has the skippers rushing to finish their season. But crew battles and a fierce arctic storm block the way. The Wizard and the Time Bandit survive savage weather to haul in gold, while on the Cornelia Marie, relief skipper Murray proves that not everyone is cut out to find the crab. On the Northwestern, greenhorn Jake rages at his mentor, Edgar, and on the tiny Lisa Marie, poor crab and bullying drive a deckhand to the brink.

Episode 7–May 26th   DOWN TO THE WIRE

The king crab season is down to the wire and skippers are desperate to top off their quotas. It’s looking bleak as crews pick through bone-yards of fished out grounds. Some boats dig deep for an end of season sprint, while other boats only scrape by.  On the Northwestern, skipper Sig is forced to radio fish in the 11th hour. On the Cornelia Marie, skipper Murray tries to maintain control as simmering crew frustrations boil over. The Time Bandit has already ended their season, but they’re contenders to claim the captains’ wager. In the end, some men will glory in big pay offs — while others will be glad just to have survived.

Episode 8–June 2nd  PAYBACK TIME

 It’s the start of the 2009 Opilio Crab Season. Anything the Bering Sea held back during King Season is now being paid out in spades. The skippers have their eye on the oncoming ice pack — but it’s a lethal, 40-foot rogue wave that’s on the hunt. The season opens with Skipper Phil Harris reuniting with his boat, his sons, and the countless headaches of helming a Bering Sea crab vessel. On the Time Bandit the men target the Greenhorn of the Northwestern for some sweet revenge. And on the Wizard, it’s the boat itself that becomes a target — of an angry Bering Sea.

Episode 9–June 9th  NO SECOND CHANCES

 The fleet arrives on the Opi Grounds and boats struggle with ice, big seas, and bad information to hunt down the crab. A skipper regrets sending his men out in savage weather to save the boat — but there are no second chances on the Bering Sea. On the Time Bandit, old family grounds are barren and Skipper Andy risks moving his pots North, next to the ice. On the Northwestern, Skipper Sig hits big crab and big seas. On the Cornelia Marie the major battles are between crew members. And on the Incentive, a new boat to the show, anger and frustration also reigns. It’s a brutal start to a brutal Opilio Season.