From office drones now working from home to athletes competing in empty stadiums, the coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed most of our professional lives. That even applies to the treasure hunters at the center of the hit HISTORY show The Curse of Oak Island (watch on-demand).
At the onset of the show’s 8th season—which premieres Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 9pm ET—the duo leading the expedition, brothers Marty and Rick Lagina, are unable to cross the Canadian border to resume their exploration of the titular Nova Scotia island. But as millions of viewers know, resourcefulness and persistence have been a hallmark of their efforts in the first seven seasons; a global pandemic isn’t going to stop this crew from teasing out the island’s ancient secrets.
One of the most popular shows on cable, The Curse of Oak Island has been captivating viewers with its blend of historic intrigue and real-life adventuring since it premiered in 2014. With a mix of state-of-the-art technology and old-fashioned elbow grease, the Lagina brothers and their teams have found a number of fascinating, centuries-old clues, but many mysteries remain.
Some could be solved this season. With “more determination, resources and technology than ever,” along with “unprecedented access to areas of the island that they hope will yield answers,” this promises to be the biggest season yet. From the deepest digs they’ve ever conducted to exploring a possible sunken ship to more extensive metal detecting and investigations into the manmade structures they discovered last year, the Oak Island team won’t leave any stone unturned (or swamp undredged) to finally uncover the truth.
The treasure-hunting doesn’t stop there. In the new HISTORY show Beyond Oak Island, Marty and Rick connect with other explorers and modern buccaneers in search of long-lost bounties. The premiere episode finds the Lagina brothers meeting a young fortune-seeker in search of missing pirate booty, while the second episode features their metal detection expert, Gary Drayton, searching for loot left behind by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
The best parts of Beyond Oak Island feature the treasure hunters and historians gushing about the details behind the missing bounties. It’s also inspiring to see Marty, Rick and Matty Blake—host of the Oak Island aftershow Drilling Down—encourage others to chase the legends that move them, the same way Oak Island captured their imagination.
In this respect, each episode of Beyond Oak Island plays out like a mini-season of the main franchise. Like the Lagina brothers, these adventurers will need will and determination to uncover their treasure (it wouldn’t be hidden for long if it was easy to find). But as long as there are these types of legends, there will be those who believe them. And, hopefully, a HISTORY channel crew to capture it for posterity.
The Curse of Oak Island returns with a two-hour premiere Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 9pm ET on HISTORY. Beyond Oak Island debuts the following Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 10pm ET. Get the best deal on Sling Blue with HISTORY Channel using the link below.
