I suspect A&E wanted to portray the Robertsons as a modern day version of the Beverly Hillbillies. Some back country patriarch comes into some money....is too stooopid to know what to do with it....hijinxs ensues.
It didn’t work out that way.
That appears to be exactly what happened. I remember the ads and previews of the show just before and after it aired. They were portrayed as a bunch of moron redneck hicks that we were supposed to laugh at.
Sadly the libs running a&e seem to think that portrayal is accurate for rural southerners. I was with the a&e boycott when the blow up with DD started but that was hard to do since I never watch anything on it.
I believe you're right lacrew. Liberal elite haters at A&E wanted to laugh at traditional Americans - NOT give them platform from which to speak. I'll bet Phil knew that... and allowed the A&E buffoons to feel 'oh so superior' until he had them right where he wanted them...