Duck Dynasty: The Revival premiere recap - Big changes in family dynamics, as Willie Robertson returns to the headquarters

A&E's Duck Dynasty: The Revival premiered on June 1, 2025. The debut segment featured the Robertson family returning to the main screen, revealing all the changes and shifts within the group. The show aired days after Phil Robertson's death was announced on May 25, 2025. The hunter and patriarch of the family died at 79 after battling Alzheimer's disease.

Episode one of Duck Dynasty: The Revival saw Willie return to the headquarters, which, under the care of Korie, housed multiple businesses. He then announced his semi-retirement, expressing his wish to search for his successor.

Apart from that, the segment showed how the family had grown in the past eight years. Willie welcomed his newest grandson, Xander, while the family increased to three spouses.

The official synopsis of Duck Dynasty: The Revival episode, titled The Robertsons Are Back, reads:

"In this new series eight years after Duck Dynasty, the world has changed on Willie Robertson; his kids are grown, he's a grandpa, and the Duck Commander warehouse has become the hub for multiple family businesses."

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What happened in the premiere of Duck Dynasty: The Revival?

The opening scenes of the series showcased CEO Willie Robertson, who had been away from the Duck Commander headquarters for a while. Willie revealed that it had been 18 months since he last went hunting with his team.

As the A&E show returned to screens after an eight-year hiatus, it documented several significant changes that had occurred since then. The children were older, and Willie had become a grandfather. The warehouse had become home to a wide array of businesses, including a museum, a gift shop, a podcast studio, and more. It was Willie's wife, Korie, who took care of the space in Willie's absence.

In another segment of the episode, Willie returned to the headquarters and saw his daughter Bella working at the gift shop and helping at the museum. Meanwhile, John Luke worked at the coffee shop.

Willie was shocked to see that his office had been transformed into a counseling space for his daughter, Sadie, where she was recording an episode for her podcast, Whoa That's Good.

Soon after, the Duck Dynasty: The Revival episode revealed that the Robertson family had expanded since their last TV appearance. Eight years later, they now had three spouses and seven grandchildren.

It further disclosed that the entire Robertson brood lived on the same property while Rowdy was away at college. Will and his wife, Abby, lived in Texas, but frequented the house more often.

Willie then made his way to his "replica office" in the museum and held a company meeting, in which he announced his semi-retirement. He detailed his stance to Martin, Jay, Uncle Si, and John David, expressing his desire to scout his successor.

Consequently, he called for a 4 a.m. meeting for family duck hunting. After the family gathered, they split into groups and went hunting. The children failed to hit a target, but Willie stepped in and showed them how it was done.

The Duck Dynasty: The Revival episode then travelled back to October 30, 2024, presenting viewers with a flashback of Xander's birth. He is Rebecca's son and Willie's newest grandson. Meanwhile, Korie expressed concern about Willie's behavior around his family, especially now that they had to look after their children and grandchildren.

Faith, family, and ducks in that order. That's the way we've always been and live our lives," Korie said.

However, Willie was less concerned. He believed everything would be fine as long as the children did not grow up like him. With his semi-retirement in order, he now had time on his hands, as he contemplated how to utilize it.

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Duck Dynasty: The Revival episodes air every Sunday at 9 pm ET only on A&E.