After 11 seasons and countless dead ducks, A&E has canceled Duck Dynasty, which is apparently still on. The reality series — which chronicles the Louisiana-based Robertson family, led by bearded patriarch Phil, and the ducks that fear them — was once a ratings smash (the season four premiere is the highest rated “nonfiction series in cable history”), but viewers eventually went south for the winter, and never returned. Only 1.24 million people watched last season’s finale, down from season three’s 9.63 million.
“The series will air through Jan. 18 with one small break, followed by seven final episodes that will air between March 1 and April 12,” according to Entertainment Weekly. “By the time production wraps, the show — one of the biggest hits in the history of cable — will have made 130 episodes.”
Duck Dynasty went from cable curiosity to nationwide sensation after comments Phil made to GQ. “It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus,” he said. “I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.” Sarah Palin came to his defense, which is never a good sign, and Phil — who also claimed that gay people are “full of murder, envy, strife, hatred” — was suspended indefinitely. But most tragic of all is that the Robertson clan lost their coveted sponsorship deal with Cracker Barrel, until they didn’t.
Phil has continued to preach his bigotry (he recently urged Ted Cruz supporters to “rid the Earth” of gay marriage supporters, for instance), but fewer and fewer people have been paying attention. We have other things to worry about, like hoping for a revival of the Duck Dynasty musical.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
