'Duck Dynasty' Ratings Slip to 6.7 Million; Show Still Major Powerhouse for Wednesday Night
A&E's hit reality show "Duck Dynasty" continued to slide in ratings for the second episode of its fifth season, but the wholesome reality show still maintains a strong viewership for a Wednesday night television show.
This past Wednesday's episode of "Duck Dynasty," titled "Life of Si," garnered 6.7 million total viewers, with a Nielsen rating of 2.9 in the 18-49 age demographic. These numbers are slightly down from the reality show's premiere on Jan. 15, which had a total of 8.5 million viewers overall and a Nielsen rating of 3.3 among the 18-49 age demographic.
The show's most recent viewership of 6.7 million is the lowest ratings for one episode since the "Duck Dynasty" Christmas-themed season two finale in December 2012, which raked in 6.5 million viewers.
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The show's recently low ratings come on the heels of a controversy in December involving the show's patriarch, Phil Robertson, and comments he made regarding homosexuality and African Americans. Robertson was temporarily suspended from the show following the comments, only to be reinstated nine days later following immense public backlash.
The reality show's most recent low ratings may not be related to the Robertson family's recent public controversy. Variety points out that the show's ratings actually began to cool at the end of last season, dipping below 8 million a few times before finishing with an 8.4 million in the season finale. Also, the show's season 5 premiere ratings are reflective of similar ratings achieved by "Duck Dynasty" in Winter 2013.
The Hollywood Reporter adds that the show's dip in ratings this week is common for an episode following a premiere.
Although "Duck Dynasty's" ratings are lower than usual, the popular reality show still maintains an enviably high viewership compared to most other television shows. Besides Fox's "American Idol" and ABC's "Modern Family," "Duck Dynasty" still reached the largest viewership for the 18-49 age demographic for a Wednesday evening.
"Duck Dynasty" continues to hold the record of the most-watched cable reality show among adults ages 25-54 with a 6.3 million viewership. The reality show, which follows the lives of the Robertson family and their duck call business in West Monroe, La., also broke a record for its season 4 premiere when it became the most-watched cable reality TV episode in history, attracting 11.77 million viewers overall.
