A pair of “Duck Dynasty” stars have wrapped filming on their new North Texas-set series. Great American Media announced late last year that Jep and Jessica Robertson are leading a new unscripted lifestyle series called “Jep & Jess: Beyond the Bayou.” The show sees the Robertsons trade Louisiana for Texas as they develop a property at the Comanche Moon Ranch in Mingus, which is about 70 miles west of Fort Worth.
Production began in early April and wrapped this week, for a planned released in early fall on Great American Pure Flix.
Viewers will see the Robertsons build their new ranch and live like Texans, along with juggling parenting and grandparenting in their big family. The Star-Telegram visited the “Beyond the Bayou” set before filming finished and spoke with the Robertsons about the new show.
“It’s gone by really fast, to be perfectly honest with you,” Jep said on his back porch. “It’s been a pleasure. We’ve done a lot of TV things, I’ve really enjoyed this one.” The Robertsons have lived in Texas before, more specifically outside Austin for a handful of years after “Duck Dynasty” and “Jep & Jessica: Growing the Dynasty” concluded. Things are a little different this time around due to the “endless” opportunities that the Comanche Moon Ranch development gives them, Jessica said. There’s space to go hiking, cast fishing rods, shoot clay targets or even play pickleball at a court that was converted out of a tractor storage area.
Seeing the family dive into these activities and more are what’s in store for viewers when they press play on “Beyond the Bayou.” “As many things as we can kind of come up with for families out here to do fun things,” Jep said. Another unique element to the property is the “exotic wildlife” hanging around. Jessica sometimes looks out her window in the morning and sees turkeys walking around or even an aoudad sheep or two. The two have also spotted blackbuck and fallow deer. And, of course, there’s all those dang reptiles Texas is known for.
“Oh, there’s lots of rattlesnakes out here,” Jessica said.
When people flip on “Beyond the Bayou,” the Robertsons hope viewers take away a few different things.
There’s the family and faith element, where viewers get a close-up view of how the Robertsons live their lives. Another factor is showcasing what they’ve built in Mingus, and what’s to come. Jep also notes that there’s an interactive element to the project. “It’s like you can be a big part of it, own a ranch,” Jep said. “You could be a small part of it, come check it out and stay for a week and check out the state park.” For Jessica, it’s about community and trying to build something meaningful with the people around you. “Even if you didn’t grow up with a great community, you can find it,” she said. “You can find that wherever you are.”
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