When Does Shark Tank Season 18 Start? (2026 Premiere)

Last updated July 8, 2026. This is a living page, refreshed as ABC confirms more details.

Shark Tank is coming back. ABC has confirmed that Season 18 will air in the fall of 2026, with new episodes on Wednesday nights and next-day streaming on Hulu. What the network has been slower to lock down is the one detail most fans want, the exact premiere date, so this page separates what is confirmed from what is still in flux.

Here is where things stand as of July 2026, plus a look at how the show's schedule has worked in recent years so you can set your expectations.

What ABC Has Confirmed

Three things are official. Season 18 returns in the fall of 2026. It keeps its Wednesday-night home on ABC. And every episode streams the following day on Hulu, the same pattern the show has used for the last several seasons.

ABC has also confirmed the cast that will fill the Tank, which is the clearest sign the season is close. Six returning sharks stay on: Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, and Daniel Lubetzky. Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams join as permanent sharks, and a guest roster led by MrBeast and Mindy Kaling rotates through the season. A confirmed cast usually means production is already well underway.

The Premiere Date, as of July 2026

Trade outlets have reported a September 24, 2026 premiere for Season 18. That date fits the fall window ABC announced, and it lines up with the network's recent habit of launching Shark Tank in late September.

One note of caution before you mark a calendar. ABC's own July announcement confirmed the fall return and the Wednesday slot but did not lock the exact premiere date in that release. Premiere dates for network shows also shift as the fall schedule settles, so treat the September 24 figure as the reported target rather than a stone-cold guarantee. This page is updated the moment ABC publishes the official date.

How the Schedule Usually Works

If you want to predict a Shark Tank premiere, history is a reliable guide. The show almost always launches in late September or October and then runs through the following spring. Our episode data shows Season 14 opening on September 23, 2022, Season 15 on September 29, 2023, and Season 16 on October 18, 2024. A late-September start for Season 18 would sit right in that range.

From there, the pattern is steady. A season carries somewhere between eighteen and two dozen episodes, spread across the fall and winter with breaks for holidays and other programming, and wraps with a finale in the spring. Season 17, for reference, ran eighteen episodes and closed on April 22, 2026. A Season 18 that premieres in late September 2026 would follow the same rhythm and finish in the first half of 2027.

The short version: expect Shark Tank back on ABC on Wednesdays in the fall of 2026, most likely in late September, streaming next day on Hulu. As soon as the network confirms the exact date, it goes here.

Why This Premiere Is Worth Watching For

Season 18 is not a routine renewal. It is the first season built entirely around the post-Mark-Cuban Tank. Cuban, the show's most active investor across fifteen seasons, left after Season 16, and Season 17 filled his seat with a rotation of guests rather than a single replacement. For Season 18, ABC made the change permanent by promoting two former guests, jewelry founder Kendra Scott and venture capitalist Rashaun Williams, to full-time seats alongside returning sharks Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary, and Daniel Lubetzky.

The other reason to circle the premiere is the guest list. MrBeast, the most-subscribed individual creator on YouTube, headlines a guest roster that also includes Mindy Kaling, J.J. Watt, Erin and Sara Foster, and Steven Bartlett. It is the splashiest lineup of visitors the show has assembled, and the network will almost certainly lean on those names to promote the launch.

There is also a bar to clear. Season 17 posted a 75 percent deal rate, the highest in the show's history, and did it without its biggest spender. A new-look Season 18 walks in with expectations already set high, which makes the return more than just another fall premiere.

If you want to catch it live, the safest move is to check ABC's schedule in early September 2026, when the network typically publishes its fall calendar and locks premiere dates. Anything airing on ABC that night lands on Hulu the following day, so there is no rush to be in front of a television at eight o'clock. We refresh this page as each detail is confirmed, so it is worth a bookmark if you would rather not chase the news yourself.