“IT WAS HUGE”: Willie Robertson could be talking about the ratings for “Duck Dynasty’s” season opener, which featured Phil and Miss Kay renewing their marriage vows (inset) with the help of oldest son Alan. (
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Forget about this summer’s “Sharknado”-fueled shark-craze — now it’s all-about the ducks.
A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” returned Wednesday night to 11.8 million viewers — a new cable viewership record for a nonfiction (reality) show.
“Dynasty,” which kicked off its fourth season, also set a cable record with 6.3 million viewers among adults 25-54 — and shattered A&E records by attracting 6.3 million viewers among adults 18-49.
The series revolves around the Louisiana-based Robertson clan, who run a hugely successful company which manufactures duck calls, those whistles used by duck hunters to roust the feathered birds out of their hiding places.
The company was founded by bearded patriarch Phil Robertson, who stars on the show with sons Jase, Willie, Alan and Jep, wife Marsha (“Miss Kay”) and others.
As The Post’s Kate Storey reported exclusively last month, Alan joined the series this season. He’s the oldest of the Robertson brothers and a former pastor who was featured on Wednesday night’s season opener.
“Duck Dynasty,” which came into its own in its third season — when its numbers started to build every week — was up nearly 40 percent in total viewers over last season’s premiere. It was also a hit on social media Wednesday night, totaling more activity across all major social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) than any other show on TV that night — either broadcast or cable.
Wednesday’s episode aired less than a week after Discovery’s “Shark Week” programming slate also set its own ratings records.
That, in turn, followed on the heels of Syfy’s “Sharknado,” which aired last month and several times thereafter — creating a social media frenzy in all its cheesy glory and spawning a sequel, “Sharknado 2: The Second One,” set in New York City and premiering next July.