Art Streiber/A & EHas America had its fill of Duck Dynasty? Ratings for the mega-hit reality series fell in its second week of new episodes on A&E, but not every viewer is leaving the flock.
According to Nielsen, the Wednesday, Jan. 22 episode of Duck Dynasty had 6.7 million viewers and a 2.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Fine numbers for many networks, but it was down almost 2 million viewers from last week. The first numbers from the season five premiere had Duck Dynasty at 8.5 million viewers.
The most recent numbers for Duck Dynasty show a steady decline. The fourth season debut in August 2013 had 11.8 million viewers. The most recent premiere was down 28 percent from that.
Duck Dynasty became national news when patriarch Phil Robertson equated homosexuality to bestiality in an interview with GQ. After the quotes erupted all over the Internet, A&E suspended Robertson from the show.
The family balked at the decision and many speculated they would walk away from the hit series if A&E didn't reinstate Phil. After only a matter of weeks, A&E lifted the suspension and the new season premiered.
Duck Dynasty faced competition from American Horror Story: Coven, which has been consistent in the ratings. The reality series still beat its broadcast competition in the demos. At 10 p.m. on CBS, CSI pulled in 9.5 million viewers and a 1.6 rating. NBC's Chicago PD had 6.2 million viewers and a 1.6 and ABC's Nashville had a 1.4 rating and 5 million viewers.