As winter’s icy grip tightens on Oak Island, the Lagina brothers and their team are in a race against time. In this week’s episode of “The Curse of Oak Island,” ominously titled “Uplifting Discoveries,” the Fellowship believes they are closer than ever to finally solving the 220-year-old mystery. In fact that seems to be what History says for every episode.
After more than a decade of tantalizing clues and buried promise, The Curse of Oak Island has hit a creative low this season, with longtime viewers feeling the weight of diminishing returns. The once-thrilling dig into Nova Scotia’s most stubborn mystery has yielded a flatline in both discoveries and dramatic momentum. For a series that built its brand on the slow drip of wood fragments, iron artifacts, and speculative leaps, even those familiar beats have gone frustratingly silent. Not even the usual parade of splintered timbers made much of an appearance—an odd absence in a show where “ancient wood” has often been its own recurring character.
More concerning is the growing sense that the series is recycling its own mythology without advancing the narrative. With each episode this season, the promise of a breakthrough is dangled, only to be deferred again by vague theories, redundant test results, or the excavation equivalent of busywork. After several stronger years that saw fresh structures, new tunnels, and high-tech intrigue drive momentum, Season 12 has felt like a holding pattern—a pause button on a dig that used to reward patience with just enough payoff. For fans still hoping for a final revelation, this season hasn’t just been a letdown—it’s been a warning sign.
Tune in to History Channel on Tuesday, May 20 at 9:00 PM ET.
