Sad news for "Duck Dynasty" fans: The Robertson family from the hit A&E series have decided to end the show after its 11th season run, with the last episode airing on April 12, 2017.
"After five years, 130 episodes and one of the biggest hits in the history of cable, the Robertson family and A&E jointly decided that 'Duck Dynasty,' the series, will come to an end after this season," A&E announced after the season premiere last week, according to USA Today.
New episodes will start running through January 18 next year and resume on March 1 with seven more episodes. But despite this end, the network announced that they will feature a series of holiday specials with the Christian family.
"Duck Dynasty" first premiered in 2012. The show placed its focus on a Louisiana family specialising in the duck-call business. It became an instant hit, and by 2013, the show was drawing in over 10 million viewers. Sadly, recent episodes failed to match its original success. For its August ratings, the show only averaged under 1.5 million viewers.
For her part, Korie Robertson, wife of Duck Commander Willie Robertson, shared a positive message on her Instagram account (@bosshogswife) about the show's cancellation.
"We are so thankful to every single one of you who have watched us, loved us, cheered us on, prayed for our family, and supported us along the way!" she wrote. "I promise you it has been noticed and we are forever grateful! We have a fun final season ahead of us so stick with us! We're not done yet."
Korie said when the show first aired, they had no clue just how many people would stick to watch their crazy family. But Korie was blown away by their fans' loyalty.
"Thank you again for following along on our journey! Our kids have grown up in front of you and we are thankful for really awesome home movies. It's been such a fun ride!" she said.
