It's time for more Louisiana family fun on A&E.
Duck Dynasty, TV's top-rated "unscripted" series, returns for Season 7 at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Slide into your camo lounge slippers, sit back and enjoy.
There may be no formal script for Duck Dynasty, but this "reality" show is, in reality, a family sitcom as planned and rehearsed as any on TV. The Robertson gang is skillfully adept at improvisation based around the producers' plot lines.
Season 7 opens with Willie taking a trip to Scotland to expand the Robertsons' duck call business. He takes the entire family along and hilarity ensues as they attempt to reconnect with their Scottish roots.
Meanwhile, Jase brings a group of people to the Highland Games and winds up participating, and Jep and Jessica try to sneak away for a romantic getaway, only to find themselves with Uncle Si in tow.
Later in the season, Willie becomes assistant coach on Lil' Will's football team; Sadie's Dancing With the Stars partner, Mark Ballas, visits and tries to teach Willie and Kay some moves.
The entire family takes over a local TV show for a holiday special with Si serving as the weatherman, Kay presenting her famous recipes and Phil offering holiday tips.
Jep and Jessica move into a new house a few doors down from Willie and Jase, and the family helps out a longtime Duck Commander employee whose mom has fallen on hard times by buying her a house for Christmas.
Top rated? If you combine the original broadcast with seven-day DVR viewing, Duck Dynasty is averaging 8.3 million viewers.
• Country Buck$. With that many viewers, it's no wonder A&E believes there's even more gold to mine in Louisiana.
Country Buck$ (isn't the dollar sign precious?) debuts at 9 p.m. following Duck Dynasty and follows the Busbice family based in New Roads, La. That's on the Mississippi River about 35 miles northwest of Baton Rouge.
The Busbice family founded Wildgame Innovations more than 10 years ago. It was a small hunting gear business that grew into a multi-million-dollar wildlife sporting empire. Their 55,000-acre ranch is a sportsman fantasy camp in Louisiana that serves as the testing ground for their new products.
A&E promises "family high jinks" when celebrity friends drop by. They include country singer Jason Aldean, Willie Robertson and Swamp People star Troy Landry.
The Busbice clan includes brothers Ryan and Matt; wacky Uncle Hard Luck; his son Joe Buck; Big Bill (Hard Luck's brother); Bill's wife, Beth; ranch manager T-Carr; and Bella, the family's pet deer.
Other reality shows to feature Louisianians are (were) Steven Seagal: Lawman; Big Easy Justice; Cajun Pawn Stars; Bayou Billionaires; Billy the Exterminator; Cajun Justice; Ragin' Cajuns; Girls, Guns and Gators; My Big Redneck Vacation; Swamp People; Swamp Hunters; Swamp Pawn and The Legend of Shelby the Swamp Man.
• Hog hero. If you missed it the first time around, here's a second chance to see The Jim Lindsey Story. The 30-minute film airs at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on AETN and tells the tale of one of my childhood heroes (although he's only four years older than I am), former Arkansas Razorbacks star running back Jim Lindsey.
Narrated by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (Lindsey's former teammate), the documentary recalls Lindsey's journey from the Arkansas Delta to the Razorbacks' 1964 national championship team, to becoming captain of the Minnesota Vikings and capturing the 1969 NFL title.
The film also features interviews with College Football Hall of Fame coach Frank Broyles, former Razorbacks head coach Ken Hatfield, former NFL players Fred Cox and Dave Osborn, and Professional Football Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant.
• More pink slips. NBC has kicked two more freshman comedies to the curb. Added to the 2014 junk heap are Bad Judge and A to Z. The former was managing 3.9 million viewers, the latter only 2.49 million.
They join ABC's Manhattan Love Story, and social media-savvy comedy Selfie (averaging 4.7 million viewers).
For those keeping score, here's the list of series that have been canceled so far or are in their final season: A to Z (NBC); Bad Judge (NBC); Gang Related (Fox); Glee (Fox); Kitchen Nightmares (Fox); Manhattan Love Story (ABC); The Mentalist (CBS); Parenthood (NBC); Parks and Recreation (NBC); Reckless (CBS); Two and a Half Men (CBS); Unforgettable (CBS); and Utopia (Fox).
In addition, the FX series Sons of Anarchy has its series finale set for Dec. 9.
At least all these had a shot. Last week NBC also canceled the planned midseason comedy Mission Control starring Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23) even before it got on the air. Will Ferrell was among the executive producers.
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Style on 11/18/2014