RuPaul Charles hasachieved many thingsover the course of his 40+ year career in the industry. Today’s most famous drag queen started out as a struggling artist, working in low-budget films and stumbling to make a name for himself back in the 1980s, until a stint as an extra in a music video for The B-52’s pushed him into the spotlight, and from then on, RuPaul’s career never stopped soaring. Over the years, he gained further notoriety for his songs, the contracts he landed with household brands like MAC Cosmetics, and his roles in movies and TV shows.
However, it is safe to say that, out of all the contributions RuPaul made to the industry over the course of his career, the most notable, and the one that took the world by storm, is the reality competition TV seriesRuPaul’s Drag Race. This show premiered its first season back in 2009, following Ru in his search for"America’s Next Drag Superstar", and is still on the air to this day. RuPaul serves as host, mentor and head judge, joined by Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Mathews.
Over the years,RPDRhas grown increasingly popular, helping to put drag artistry on the map and boosting the careers of talented LGBTQ+ performers who, following their time on the show, went on to score major hits and world tours. The success of this TV series was such thatit spawned a franchisewith spin-off shows of all kinds, and even a number of adaptations in different countries. Here is a rundown of all the TV series that compose theRuPaul’s Drag Racefranchise.
RuPaul’s Drag U
RuPaul’s Drag Uis, so far, the only production in theRuPaul’s Drag Racefranchise that has been canceled. The reason behind its cancelation stems, partially, from the fact that this TV series' concept never really struck a chord with the audience. This show premiered in July 2010, just one year after the first season ofRPDRhit television.
In each episode,Drag Ufeatures different women who, aided by RuPaul and a few drag queens from previous seasons of the original show, undergo a makeover in order improve their self-confidence. At the end of each episode, they are rated by the judges, who then pick a winner. The show aired for three seasons, and featured Lady Bunny and Frank Gatson Jr. as judges and drag queens such as Raven, Jujubee, and Manila Luzon as mentors to the contestants before it was canceled in 2012.
Related:10 Best Drag Queens in Movies and TV Shows, Ranked
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked
“If you’re not watching Untucked, you’re only getting half the story!” That’s how RuPaul describesRuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked, the spin-off show of the franchise that is most closely related to the original series. This production, which airs alongside each season ofRPDR, features never-before-seen footage from the episodes, such as conversations between the queens as they wait to get feedback from the judges and footage of the final minutes of the eliminated contestants before they abandon the set.Untuckedfeatured some of themost iconic fightsin the history ofRPDR, as this companion show captures the queens in extremely tense moments in which nerves are on edge, leading to many misunderstandings between them.
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untuckedpremiered along with the second season of the original show, and continues to air on MTV to this day. This highly beloved production has also earned a few accolades along the way. Among them, it is worth mentioning nine Emmy Award nominations and a Critics' Choice Real TV Award for Best Unstructured Series.
RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race
2020 marked the premiere ofRuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race, a spin-off show that combines the best of the original TV series andDrag Uto treat audiences to an exciting new competition. In this production, different actors and industry personalities compete, mentored by some of the finest drag queens to ever appear on the franchise, to become “America’s Next Celebrity Drag Superstar” and win a cash prize for the charity of their choice. The show’s judging panel consists of RuPaul, Michelle, Carson and Ross, just like the original show, although the spin-off’s format changed from one season to the next.
Originally, each episode featured three different celebrities competing in several challenges to emerge as winners, but the show’s second season showcased the same contestants throughout every episode, revealing their identities as they got eliminated and crowning only one winner. Currently,RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Racehas been on the air for two seasons, featuring personalities such as Jordan Connor, AJ McLean and Phoebe Robinson, among many others.
Related:RuPaul’s Drag Race: The Top 20 Best Episodes of All Time, Ranked
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
To this day,RuPaul’s Drag Race All Starsis still the most successful spin-off show in theRuPaul’s Drag Racefranchise. This production premiered back in 2012 with a very similar format to the original show, albeit with a twist: the contestants who comprise each season’s cast are queens who have already appeared onRPDR, and they return invited by RuPaul’s to compete for a cash prize and a place in the Drag Race Hall of Fame. The show has currently been on the air for eight seasons.
Throughout its episodes, the queens face different challenges, and the ones who prevail get to decide which of their fellow contestants they want to eliminate from the competition. This has varied a bit over the seasons: in some of them, the queens with the best critics battle in a lip-sync to earn the right to eliminate another contestant, and in recent seasons, the winner of the challenge vies for that right against a Lip Sync Assassin, one of the franchise’s iconic queens.
The only season that introduced a major shift was season seven, commonly known asRuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars: All Winners, which only featured queens who had already won the original show, competing to become"Queen of All Queens."
RuPaul’s Drag Race
The show that sparked this successful franchise is still its biggest hit to date, boasting a fan base that just keeps on growing. From its very first season back in 2009 to its 15th, released this year,RuPaul’s Drag Racehas established itself as a renowned production that has gained numerous accolades and served as a stepping stone for many drag queens to showcase their art worldwide andland better opportunities. Moreover, the show brought different voices from the LGBTQ+ community into the spotlight, featuring an increasing number of transgender and non-binary contestants in each new season.
RuPaul’s Drag Racehas received many accolades over the years. Among them, it is worth mentioning its 39 nominations to the Emmy Awards, with 24 wins. It also scored two GLAAD Awards for Outstanding Reality Competition Program. The popularity of the show boosted the development of adaptations in several countries around the world, such as Canada, Italy, Chile and Mexico, among many others.
