‘Duck Dynasty: The Revival’ Proves Faith and Family Are a Winning Combination

All Korie Robertson was trying to do was sell a few more duck calls.

“We really didn’t know. We had no idea. No expectations. None,” she told The Epoch Times about how the reality TV series “Duck Dynasty”—which ran for 11 seasons—would have such a lasting impact on the entertainment world, TV viewers, and their own families.

“This might sound crazy, but I remember I was watching ‘American Chopper,’ the show about a brother who had a motorcycle business,” Korie Robertson said. “And I was like, ‘I don’t care about motorcycles. Why am I watching this show?’ I was thinking, ‘Our family could do that. Maybe we could sell a lot of duck calls if we had a show about our family.’ I actually wrote to a few different production companies and got no response whatsoever. Then we started doing a show on the Outdoor Channel, which was kind of a small network that was for hunters, and just dipped our toe into it, and then got picked up by A&E a couple of years later. And I guess the rest is history.”

That history is still being written as Korie, her husband Willie, the CEO of Duck Commander and Buck Commander, and their children have expanded the business from sales of duck calls and hunting apparel and accessories into a diverse array of enterprises, including Fin Commander, books, podcasts, coffee, a vineyard, vintage clothing, and more.

Bringing Back the TV Show

“Doing it with our kids and grandkids has been really fun,” said Korie Robertson of the show’s reboot, “Duck Dynasty: The Revival,” which finishes its first season with episodes on July 27 and Aug. 3.

“We feel really grateful. It’s sweet to see the fans and how they still do love our family and support our family and encourage us and cheer us on.”

It was those fans who drove Korie and Willie to consider bringing their lives back onto the small screen. “A lot of people wanted to know, ‘Where are you guys? What’s happening now?’” Willie Robertson said about their decision to return.

Although the viewers have tuned in and the family has thrived, the new season has been bittersweet with the passing of Willie’s dad, Phil Robertson, who developed and patented the company’s namesake duck call—the Duck Commander.

“There was some sadness there losing him, but really more joy,” Willie Robertson said about his father’s death in May. “All he talked about in his life was when we leave—he was so excited about moving on, and he had such hope and faith in where he was going. He was confident of that.”

Given the comfort and support they felt from their fans, season two of “The Revival” will feature a special tribute to the elder Robertson. “We were honored by all the people that just poured out all the stories and just the impact that he had made, not just on us as a family, which is obvious, but also the people all around the world, through what he did and what he believed and what he shared with others,” Willie Robertson said.

Faith, Laughter, and Ducks

It’s that faith the elder Robertson passed down to his kids and grandkids that the Robertsons both agree is part of the show’s magical appeal.

“I think the faith component was huge,” Korie Robertson said. “We’re not trying to preach to you or convert you or anything. A simple prayer. It’s showing love and kindness and families that get along throughout which at the time was not notable for reality television.”

“Duck Dynasty” was also full of lighter moments that Korie Robertson said are needed in the world.

“The humor, the comedy of it was probably not even seen, not even by the network and even the production company at first,” she said.

“They didn’t see this as something that was going to be funny. A lot of people were like, ‘Oh, we watched that, we laughed. It was a chance to laugh, and times are hard, and there’s all kinds of crazy stuff going on. So just having moments where you can sit and laugh and chill out was huge.’

Of course, it was also the Robertson family themselves that compelled people to tune in—then and now.

“People related to us in a weird way,” Korie Robertson said. “It’s like we’re this Louisiana family who eat squirrel—or whatever, so you’d think they wouldn’t relate, but I think people saw and were like, ‘Oh, I have a crazy uncle too. Or my brother and I fight about…’ There were some connections that people made as well, or a nostalgia for a simpler time whenever our family used to sit around the dinner table.”

In season two, the Robertsons will continue to share the evolution of their growing brood. “100 percent, we let them decide,” said Willie Robertson about their kids’ choices to join them at Duck Commander. “We were never going to push on our children anything. Whatever they wanted to do or where they wanted to go. And they all ended up right beside us. It was amazing.”

It’s the elder legacy’s philosophy that still carries them all through their days.

“He had this mantra, it was ‘Faith, family, ducks in that order,’” Willie Robertson said. “It’s been our family mantra ever since, but he really lived that.

“Faith was the most important thing, next was family, and then, for him, next was ducks. All the success of “Duck Dynasty” and everything… the material things did not matter.”