'Duck Dynasty' Returns To Record Audience Numbers; Catch Up On The Premiere By Streaming

The self-proclaimed rednecks on A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” were back on Wednesday night to a record audience.

The popular reality show, which began its second season Wednesday night, focuses on the Robertson family. The bearded family members started a whittled duck-call business and turned it into a profitable commodity in its own right and followed that by starring in their own reality show.

Critics at the television blog 2zapit.com have equated the show’s success to a refreshing escape from the rubber necking quality that’s employed by MTV’s “Jersey Shore” and “Teen Mom.” The show might call itself reality but it’s authenticity has been questioned by some, as other A&E reality shows that flash a disclaimer during the episode that many of the program’s events have been staged for the cameras.

You can catch up on the show’s engrossing narrative and watch the season premiere by heading over to AETV.com. The channel’s website allows “Duck Dynasty” fans to tune into full episodes as well as popular clips.

The “Duck Dynasty” family was welcomed with open arms by a massive television audience. The Futon Critic blog, which tracks television ratings, reported that Wednesday night’s “Driving Miss Sadie” and the episode that followed drew in 3.8 million viewers, with audience numbers increasing as the hour the show was on continued.

The increase was good enough for an increased viewership of 111 percent among total viewers, most of which fell in key advertising demographics. That number is quite an uptick for not only “Duck Dynasty” but the entire A&E network.

For comparison’s sake, Fox’s “X Factor”– one of the most popular shows on television – attracted an audience of 9.5 million viewers during an episode last month while competing for viewers with fellow titans “Modern Family” and “Survivor,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. Earlier this year, the season five finale of “Mad Men” drew in 2.7 million viewers, a record high for the show.