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Expedition Unknown (2015)

L 18 seasons 170 episodes 48 min Action & Adventure, Documentary and Reality

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Synopsis

The adventures of Josh Gates as he investigates unsolved iconic stories across the globe.

About the series

Expedition Unknown is an American reality television series produced by Ping Pong Productions, which follows host Josh Gates as he investigates mysteries and legends. In each episode, Gates meets with historians, archeologists, salvage operations, or treasure hunters to join their search for historical evidence or lost treasure. The series premiered on January 8, 2015, and aired its first four seasons on the Travel Channel before moving to the Discovery Channel in 2018. The sixteenth season premiered on November 5, 2025.

The series has launched spin-offs including Expedition X, Josh Gates Tonight, and Expedition Files.

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Expedition Unknown is an American reality television series produced by Ping Pong Productions, which follows host Josh Gates as he investigates mysteries and legends. In each episode, Gates meets with historians, archeologists, salvage operations, or treasure hunters to join their search for historical evidence or lost treasure. The series premiered on January 8, 2015, and aired its first four seasons on the Travel Channel before moving to the Discovery Channel in 2018. The sixteenth season premiered on November 5, 2025.

The series has launched spin-offs including Expedition X, Josh Gates Tonight, and Expedition Files.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2015)

Season 2 (2015–16)

Season 3 (2016–17)

Season 4 (2017–18)

Season 5 (2018)

Season 5 started on Tuesday May 29, 2018. The series moved to the Discovery Channel for its 5th season.

Season 6 (2019)

Season 7 (2019)

Season 8 (2020)

Season 9 (2021)

Season 10 (2022)

Season 11 (2023)

Season 12 (2023)

Season 13 (2024)

Season 14 (2024)

Season 15 (2025)

Season 16 (2025)

Season 17 (2026)

Extra Finds (2016–17)

Extra Finds episodes involve viewers interacting with Gates.

Hunt for the Yeti (2016)

Hunt for Extraterrestrials (2017)

Search for the Afterlife (2018)

Expedition: Back to the Future (2021)

In this four-part Discovery+ miniseries, Josh Gates is joined by Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd as they journey across the U.S. in search of all surviving DMC DeLorean vehicles which were used in the film trilogy. Their mission is to sell a time machine at auction to benefit The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Aftershows

After the Hunt is a series of aftershows for Expedition Unknown.

Hunt for Extraterrestrials: After the Hunt (2017)

Expedition Unknown: After the Hunt — Season 6 (2020)

Season 6 of After the Hunt, aftershows for season 8 of Expedition Unknown

Shark Week Specials

Expedition Unknown special episodes aired during Discovery's Shark Week in 2019, 2021 and 2026. These two specials are not classified as belonging to any season. Additionally, a shark-themed episode "Sharks vs. Nazis in Paradise" aired as part of Shark Week 2024, and is listed as the fourth episode of season 13.

Spin-offs

Expedition X is a paranormal spin-off of Expedition Unknown which premiered on Discovery in February 2020. The series is hosted by Josh Gates with Phil Torres, Jessica Chobot (seasons 1-7), and Heather Amaro (season 8-).

Josh Gates Tonight is a talk show spin-off that debuted on Discovery in April 2020 in which Gates interviews celebrity guests via videoconference. The series aired as replacement programming during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Its fifth and last season premiered in May 2022.

Expedition Files

Expedition Files is a documentary television series and spin-off of Expedition Unknown that debuted on Discovery Channel with a preview episode on October 30, 2024, followed by the remainder of the first season beginning on November 27. The series is hosted by Josh Gates from a virtual set, where he narrates re-enactments of unusual historical events, unsolved mysteries, and paranormal phenomena. The second season premiered on April 16, 2025.

Season 1 (2024–2025)

Season 2 (2025)

Season 3 (2025–2026)

Season 4 (2026)

Specials

Expedition Files broadcast special episodes as part of Discovery Channel's Shark Week in 2025 and 2026.

Production

Titan submersible incident

In May 2021, Gates and camera operator Brian Weed visited OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush to test out the Titan submersible, with plans to eventually film a dive to the Titanic wreck on the Titan for an episode of Expedition Unknown. A planned test dive in the Puget Sound with Gates and Weed onboard had to be scrubbed after multiple technical issues, and on the journey back Gates grew suspicious of Rush's lack of care for basic safety and brushing over the fact that the Titan was neither certified nor had been properly tested at the depths of the Titanic. Feeling it would be unethical to promote Oceangate to potential customers, Gates asked the network to cancel the planned episode, and the Titan later imploded during a dive to the Titanic in 2023, killing Rush and four others. Footage from Gates' visit was shown in the 2025 HBO documentary Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster, with contemporary interviews of Gates recalling his concerns.

Reception

Awards and nominations

Expedition Unknown won an Emmy for Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program at the 52nd Daytime Emmy Awards on October 17, 2025. This was the first year the category existed, having split from the previous category of Outstanding Travel, Adventure and Nature Program.

References

External links

Travel Channel: Official website

Discovery Channel: Official website

Expedition Unknown at IMDb

Expedition Unknown at TV Guide

Text from Expedition Unknown on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_Unknown

Seasons

Cast

Where to watch

Production

Crew

Tags

Questions about the series Expedition Unknown

What is Expedition Unknown about?

Expedition Unknown: The adventures of Josh Gates as he investigates unsolved iconic stories across the globe.

How many seasons does Expedition Unknown have?

Expedition Unknown has 18 seasons, with 170 episodes in total.

Is Expedition Unknown still running?

Expedition Unknown is still running, with new episodes expected.

How long is each episode of Expedition Unknown?

Each episode of Expedition Unknown runs about 48 minutes.

Where can I watch Expedition Unknown?

Expedition Unknown is available on HBO Max. Availability changes often.

Who stars in Expedition Unknown?

The cast of Expedition Unknown includes Josh Gates, Orson Mochizuki, Charles Coan and Parker Schnabel.

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Trivia

Page updated on 09/13/2026.