"Duck Dynasty" night not be for everyone (we're looking in your direction, Morrissey), but it clearly has its fans. Lots of them.
The Season 3 premiere of the A&E reality series — which follows the hillbilly shenanigans of the Robertson family, which made its fortune making duck calls — on Wednesday night was the network's most-watched and best-rated telecast on record, drawing 8.6 million total viewers.
Also read: "Duck Dynasty" Finale Gives A&E an All-Time High
The network aired back-to-back episodes of the series, with the first episode grabbing 8.6 million total viewers, with five million of them in the key 18-49 demographic. The show averaged those numbers throughout the hour.
The network's previous ratings and viewership record belongs to — uh-huh — the season finale of the series in December, which drew 6.5 million total viewers, with 3.9 million of them in the key demo.
Compared to the Season 2 premiere, Wednesday night's "Duck Dynasty" premiere jumped by 132 percent in total viewers and 127 percent in the demo.