In April 2020, for those craving a reality TV escape from the hum-drum of quarantine, Discovery provided a spinoff of its hit show “Deadliest Catch.” Titled “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline,” the show followed Josh Harris, son of the late F/V Cornelia Marie Captain Phil Harris, as he trades the Bering Sea for the waters of Hawaii, all while using his father’s charts to guide his efforts.

Unlike the original series, which has been going strong since 2005, “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline” only ran for three seasons, until June 2022. That’s because, three months after the Season 3 finale, details of Harris’ dark adolescence came to light. More than 20 years prior, when he was a teenager, he was found guilty of the sexual assault of a 4-year-old girl who was a deckhand’s daughter.

A representative from Discovery at the time told Radar, “We’ve been made aware of this issue. Josh will not appear in future episodes of this series.”

Some fans are OK with never seeing Deadliest Catch: Bloodline again

Not only was Josh Harris fired from “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline” and the network as a whole, but Discovery canceled the entire spinoff series, putting everyone associated with Harris — including Casey McManus — out of a job. Discovery has also essentially scrubbed the series from existence, meaning it’s impossible to watch “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline” on any sort of streaming platform or On Demand.

For many fans of the franchise, not being able to rewatch the spinoff series isn’t a huge loss, as they found “Bloodline” to be scripted and repetitive. On Reddit, u/AAAFate said, “These charts they ‘found’ feel like manufactured TV to me. I don’t believe it one bit.” U/snotters said, “… you have about 30 seconds of entertaining footage where they’re fishing, interrupted constantly by Josh talking into the camera saying the same old thing, ‘We need to get this order done, hope my old man is looking down on us…'”

Even when the leading man doesn’t have a dark past, “Deadliest Catch” spinoffs tend not to boast much longevity on Discovery. For example, “Deadliest Catch: The Viking Returns,” which saw F/V Northwestern Captain Sig Hansen head to the waters of Norway, only ran for one season. People want the original show, which is now engrained in pop culture to the degree that it’s referenced in projects like Disney’s new “Haunted Mansion.”

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).