‘Duck Dynasty’ defeats ‘Modern Family,’ ‘American Idol’ in demo ratings

Networks better start shaking in their boots: an original cable series has taken yet another top spot from the major broadcast networks. Already, there was a show in “The Walking Dead” that consistently draws better numbers than anything on Sunday nights (and almost everything not named “The Big Bang Theory,” for that matter), but now you can also say the same exact thing about “Duck Dynasty.”

Back when the adventures of Willie Robertson and his family first started to air, the show was a pleasant-enough romp that felt more like a sitcom than most sitcoms ironically do. Now, it has higher ratings than one of the most-successful sitcoms of the past several years. When it comes to viewers within the all-important 18-49 demographic, “Duck Dynasty” actually beat “Modern Family” by a very small margin. This could change once the final broadcast numbers come in, but for whatever reason they have been delayed.

In addition to topping “Modern Family,” the folks at Duck Commander also beat “American Idol,” which has to be supremely embarrassing for a show that once drew close to 30 million viewers on a weekly basis. Its 3.9 rating is of course an A&E record, and it certainly makes us wonder whether or not this will be the peak for the show. When it comes to other successful reality franchises, it does seem to be the time in which things start to slow down; “Jersey Shore” also peaked ratings-wise in its third season, but what could give the Robertsons a longer shelf life is that they seem relatively unfazed by their fame, and instead continue to live their everyday lives in Louisiana with the exception of some promotional tours done by the network.

Are you surprised at all by this “happy happy happy” ratings news? If you want to check out our full review of the “Duck Dynasty” premiere, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: A&E