Calm down, “Duck Dynasty” fans; family patriarch Phil Robinson might have gotten a time-out from the A&E reality series after making anti-gay comments in a GQ interview. But as far as the upcoming fifth season is concerned, it appears that the “Duck” daddy will be taking very little time out.
When “Duck Dynasty” returns for a fifth season on Jan. 15, fans will be hard-pressed to tell the difference caused by Robertson’s indefinite suspension. Which is because there won’t be a difference.
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A&E has no plans to edit Robertson, even in part, from the upcoming season, a network spokesman told TheWrap. Nor does it plan to go through the episodes to look for footage that should be edited in light of the controversy.
Given that 9 of the 10 episodes have already been filmed for the season, at most, the “suspension” will amount to one episode, where Season 5 is concerned — which seems like more of a coffee break than a suspension.
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Sure, that leaves the next season of the series in question, but it seems unlikely that the situation won’t be resolved by then. Particularly given the massive ratings success that the show has been for A&E. And the fact that the rest of the Robertson family appear ready to go to bat for their patriarch.
(On Thursday, the family published a statement asserting that they “cannot imagine” going forward with the show, and noted that discussions are “in discussions” with the network.)
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So, again, “Duck Dynasty” fans; you’re going to have a hard time missing Phil Robertson. Because, for the time being, anyway, he’s not going away.