Ratings: ‘Duck Dynasty’ season 3 beats ‘American Idol,’ nearly ‘Modern Family’

It was surprising to us that “Duck Dynasty” beat “American Idol” for the first time earlier this season despite airing on cable, and also despite not having the same sort of timeslot early in the night. Now, it simply surprises us that the Robertson clan continues to maintain such a high level of consistency.

Are some fans of this series ever going to start to become burned out? With A&E literally running this show at all hours of the day, we were worried about it; however, it seems like they are instead operating under the strategy of striking while the iron is hot. The new episode on Wednesday night brought in a 3.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which is a full .4 higher than “American Idol” and just two-tenths of a point below the night’s leader in “Modern Family.” This is fairly consistent with the viewership that we have seen from the show all season long, and in only airing one new episode a week now instead of two, hopefully the network can stretch this out a little bit longer.

Do we think that “Duck Dynasty” has a huge run in it still? We’re not quite sure, since reality shows tend to peak around the third or fourth season. The one advantage that they do have, though, is unlike some shows that are more focused on the drama, the notion of family and having a good time are pretty timeless, and you don’t need to know much backstory to dive in here and be happy.

What do you think: are you surprised in any way by the continued dominance of the “Duck Dynasty” clan? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below, and you can read our full review of this past new episode over at the link here.

Photo: A&E