Somehow, Duck Dynasty returned

In what has, against all odds, turned out to be one of the slightly less immediately upsetting public life return acts of January 2025, it sounds like A&E is getting back into the Duck Dynasty business. THR reports that the network will be teaming back up with the Robertson family, creators of premium duck calls and also eleven seasons of reality TV and also that time the family patriarch, Phil Robertson, talked very loudly in GQ Magazine about how homosexuality was a sin.

Phil Robertson, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, isn’t listed as a cast member for the new series, though: Instead, the show will focus primarily on his son Willie (CEO of Duck Commander, the family business), as well as his wife Korie. Subtitled The Revival, the series will presumably follow the structure of the original Duck Dynasty, which was actually kind of novel as far as reality shows of this type went: Instead of a more fly-on-the-wall treatment, the show basically structured itself as a sitcom, albeit one made up of real people playing themselves. (Or maybe cartoon versions of themselves. Reality gets kind of flimsy in the world of, uh, reality.) The original series was a massive hit for A&E, and was, for a time (i.e., circa 2013), the highest-rated reality show on all of cable.

For the revival, Willie’s mother Kay, Uncle Si and Willie and Korie’s kids John Luke, Sadie, Will, Bella, and Rebecca are all listed as on-camera talent. Willie and Korie Robertson issued a statement this afternoon about the revival, saying, “Going back on A&E feels a little like going back home. We’re thankful for all who have followed along as our family has grown and expanded and can’t wait to get cameras rolling again on all our new adventures, or perhaps misadventures.” Or perhaps misadventures indeed, Duck Dynasty people.