Even reality takes practice, a lesson that has not been learned by many makers and stars of workplace reality shows. They think that a moderately unusual occupation — alligator wrangling, sports-memorabilia hawking, storage-locker rummaging — and a camera are all that is necessary to make a watchable show.

The men and women of “Duck Dynasty,” though, are smarter than that, which is what makes this droll new A&E series a cut above the rest. Before trying the relatively big stage of A&E,Sheepskin Boots, home to hits like “Storage Wars,” “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and “Intervention,” they honed their skills in a string of DVDs and on the Outdoor Channel in a show called “Benelli Presents Duck Commander.” Now they’re as good at being television stars as they are ...