AceShowbiz -

"Duck Dynasty" third season finale, which follows the bearded men in Hawaii, gave A&E a big win on Wednesday, April 24. The one-hour episode lured in 9.6 million viewers, surpassing its own record of 8.6 million viewers in February. Drawing a 4.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic, the series outperformed "American Idol", which posted a 3.2 rating.

The "Duck Dynasty" season 3 ender set other A&E records with 5.6 million adults in the 25-54 demographic, 5.5 million adults in the 18-49 demo and 2.6 million adults in the 18-34 demo. The big numbers undoubtedly made the episode of the Robertson family series the most-watched telecast in A&E's history across all key ratings demos.

The season three of the show averaged 8.4 million total viewers and 4.8 million adults 18-49, which made it cable's top-rated series this year. AMC's "The Walking Dead" season three finale still topped the ratings chart with 12.4 million total viewers and 8.1 million viewers in the key 18-49 demographic.

The fourth season of the pro-hunting show is expected to start the production soon. Despite the dispute over salary, in which the Robertson family reportedly demanded $200,000 per episode, the new season is still slated to premiere later this year.