Nielsen says "Duck Dynasty" drew 8.5 million viewers for its fifth-season premiere.
That audience was slightly higher than for October's fourth-season finale of the A&E reality show. But last summer, 12 million viewers caught the fourth-season premiere.
Set in Louisiana bayou country, "Duck Dynasty" follows a family that manufactures duck calls and loves to go bird hunting.
Wednesday's airing gave viewers their first fresh look at the series since it got caught up in an uproar.
Phil Robertson