A&E revives Duck Dynasty with 20-episode order for 2 seasons of Duck Dynasty The Revival following Willie and Korie Robertson

by Thinus Ferreira

A&E is reviving its reality show Duck Dynasty with a 20-episode order for two seasons of Duck Dynasty: The Revival that will again follow the Robertson family and focus on Willie and Korie Robertson and their Duck Commander business.

Duck Dynasty ended in 2017 after 11 seasons and the two new seasons of Duck Dynasty: The Revival will not include patriarch Phil Robertson as one of the featured family members since he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

Duck Dynasty: The Revival will focus on Willie and Korie Robertson and their adult children and grandchildren, all living on the family's Louisiana homestead.

According to A&E "With their dynasty expanding into more than just ducks, Willie and Korie will bring their signature humour and family fun as they grapple with mapping out the future of Duck Commander, watching the kids navigate marriage, children and businesses of their own, and passing down the family legacy."

Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming for A&E and Lifetime, in a statement announcing the revival of the show, says "The Robertsons earned a seat in homes across the country with their unique brand of down-home practicality, Southern charm and relatable humour".

"Duck Dynasty played a huge part of the success of A&E for many years, and we look forward to reuniting with the Robertsons on the revival."

Duck Dynasty: The Revival will very likely be shown on the History (DStv 186) channel of Hearst Networks EMEA, which last year rebranded from A&E Networks.

"Going back on A&E feels a little like going back home," says Willie and Korie Robertson in the statement.

"We're thankful for all who have followed along as our family has grown and expanded and can't wait to get cameras rolling again on all our new adventures, or perhaps misadventures."

Besides Willie and Korie, Duck Dynasty: The Revival will feature Willie's mother Kay, Uncle Si and Willie and Korie's kids John Luke, Sadie, Will, Bella and Rebecca.

Duck Dynasty: The Revival is produced by Wheelhouse Entertainment's Spoke Studios and the Robertsons' Tread Lively Productions.

Brent Montgomery, Wheelhouse CEO and executive producer, says "I was a huge fan of the original Duck Dynasty and thought it was the best reality sitcom of all time, so I jumped at the chance to work with Willie and Korie".

"The Robertsons live by a motto of 'faith, family and fun' and that will be the heartbeat of what we bring to viewers."

A&E Networks' Vikings seen on M-Net renewed for a 6th season and 20 new episodes; promises 'huge and unexpected revelation' to the audience.

The drama series Vikings from A&E Networks but shown in South Africa and Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) has been renewed for a 6th season just before the start of its 5th season in two months' time.

The historical drama series from showrunner and creator Michael Hirst is shown on the History channel overseas but M-Net eventually came to viewers' rescue picking up the show for DStv subscribers in Africa.

Vikings is an international Irish and Canadian co-production done by World 2000 and Take 5 Productions and MGM Television is the worldwide distributor.

Production on the 6th season of Vikings will start in Ireland soon that recently saw the addition of Jonathan Rhys Meyers to the cast, with the 5th season's 20 episodes that will start at the end of November and that will again be broken up into two blocks of 10 episodes.

"Vikings has creatively sailed to monumental lengths," says Eli Lehrer, History executive vice president for programming in a statement announcing the 6th season renewal.

"The series has evolved from early raids in England, to the heart-stopping death of Ragnar Lothbrok, to the fierce battles of the Great Heathen Army, and now we'll see the sons of Ragnar exploring and conquering the known world."

"Michael Hirst has only scratched the surface of his epic saga. We look forward to continuing our partnership with one of the greatest writers in this era of Peak TV and entertaining our viewers with 40 new episodes over the next two seasons."

"It has been my pleasure and my privilege to work with History and our partner MGM over five seasons and 69 episodes of Vikings," says Michael Hirst.

"Now we are ready to begin production of a 20-episode season six that will deliver a huge and unexpected revelation to our audience."

"There are many reasons why I love this show, not least for the commitment and creativity of everyone involved in making it, but perhaps even more important is the spirit that drives this production - one of the happiest, most collaborative and most authentic productions I have ever been involved with. And so we sail on."