Series featuring drag queens and drag shows have an elevated presence on TV. Season two of Queen of the Universe debuted on Paramount Plus March 31, and April 14 sees the season 15 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race crowned on MTV. RuPaul’s Drag Race has also spawned a number of spinoffs. 

Season three of We’re Here, the unscripted HBO show that sees drag queens venture to smallish towns across America and put on a lavish drag production there, premiered November 25. 

As these shows flourish, so too does anti-drag legislation in a number of U.S. states. On March 2, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill into law that restricts adult cabaret performances in public or in the presence of children, and also bans such gatherings within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and places of worship. (A federal judge blocked the law hours before it was set to go into effect, siding with a group that filed a lawsuit claiming the law violates the First Amendment.)

Similar bills are in the works in as many as 14 other states, reports Time, including Kentucky, Texas and Oklahoma. 

It’s “an entirely different universe” for drag participants and fans than it was when We’re Here launched in 2020, said co-creator Stephen Warren. “When we created the show, we were living in a world where it felt like progress was being made,” he said. These days, “Homophobia, transphobia, drag phobia — everything is more intense than it ever was. It’s a very different world.”

RuPaul At the Center of It All 

There is considerable demand for the various drag-themed shows. Linda Ong, founder and CEO of consultancy Cultique, noted how RuPaul’s Drag Race launched on Logo in 2009, then shifted to VH1 in 2017 and ended up on MTV for season 15, which began in January. “It has migrated through growing popularity,” she said. “Logo was a niche play, VH1 was less niche and now MTV.”

All are part of Paramount Global. Drag Race’s progression to bigger, broader networks “is a clear sign of drag culture’s compatibility with the industrial logics of the modern television industry,” Myles McNutt, Old Dominion University associate professor of communication, said. 

When We’re Here premiered, AV Club said the unscripted show “charms with personality, stage presence, and a little small-town magic.” Season three saw Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Shangela put on their show in Granbury, Texas; St. George, Utah; Brevard County, Florida; Jackson, Mississippi; and Sussex, New Jersey, inspiring “drag daughters” in these towns to express their true selves in front of their families, friends and colleagues. 

Warren said politicians pushing the anti-drag legislation want to stress how they, and their constituents, are much different than the performers on the drag stage. We’re Here deploys a different approach. “We try to show the opposite — we are the same,” he said. “They say, we’re not the same, we’re better.”

Queen of the Universe, hosted by Graham Norton and executive-produced by RuPaul, follows the world’s most talented drag queens as they battle it out with musical performances for the title, and countries go head-to-head as they spotlight their top talent. Judges are Mel B, Michelle Visage, Vanessa Williams and Trixie Mattel. 

RuPaul’s Drag Race spinoffs have included RuPaul’s Drag U on Logo, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars on Logo and then VH1, and RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race on VH1. 

Outside the world of drag competitions, RuPaul Charles also hosts CBS’s prime game show Lingo. RuPaul was not available for comment. 

More to Come?

Time will tell if we’ve hit the high-water mark for drag-themed shows. Ong suspects the success of the existing shows will prompt other studios and producers to create their own and the anti-drag legislation will spark greater viewer interest. She added that the bills and laws make drag more of a “flashpoint for culture.”

“There are so many new flashpoints people are sensitive to now,” she said. “It creates an urgency for these voices to be represented and seen.”

The various drag shows both entertain and educate viewers, according to McNutt, and their role in educating viewers is growing. “It's important to understand that while these shows embrace the high drama and elaborate performance that define drag culture, they often take on consciously educational frameworks in acknowledgment of the fact that some viewers tuning in may not have a nuanced understanding of what drag is,” he said. “The burden of responsibility on these shows is increasing amidst ongoing legislation that seeks to outlaw and vilify drag and drag queens, but these shows have always understood drag through the lens of inclusion and understanding, making it a genre well-suited to rising to the occasion amidst the drama.”

Over the course of its three seasons, We’re Here on HBO has brought drag out of its liberal enclaves on the coasts, and shown the humanity behind those participating in the drag shows. Warren said drag has been around since Shakespeare, and is as American as apple pie. 

Co-creator Johnnie Ingram said such shows encourage dueling parties — be they family members or political adversaries — to sit and discuss their differences. “The only way to really bridge the gap is to sit with someone and have a conversation and talk through your differences,” he said. “We’re actually a lot more alike than we think.”

Asked what the We’re Here creators might say to a politician looking to outlaw such shows, Warren responded, “Watch a few episodes of our show and call me after. I’d love to talk.”  

HBO has renewed unscripted We’re Here for season three. Stephen Warren and Johnnie Ingram created the show, which sees drag queens set up drag shows in small-town America.

“Part of the magic of We’re Here is that even though it takes place in small towns, the series has had an incredibly inspiring ripple effect that goes way beyond those communities,” said Nina Rosenstein, executive VP, HBO Programming. “We’re looking forward to another season where we can continue to inspire and showcase some fierce drag!”

The show’s drag queens are Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Shangela. Season two began in October and saw them set up in Spartanburg, South Carolina; Temecula, California; Del Rio, Texas; Selma, Alabama; Evansville, Indiana; Watertown, South Dakota; Kona, Hawaii and Grand Junction, Colorado.

“We are thrilled to be a part of HBO’s continued commitment to LGBTQ+ storytelling,” said Warren and Ingram. “We are honored to continue to fight for equality and celebrate the many unsung heroes and allies across the country.”

Warren and Ingram spoke about the show on the B+C podcast Series Business.

Executive producing We’re Here with the pair are Peter LoGreco, Eli Holzman & Aaron Saidman, and Erin Gamble for Industrial Media’s The Intellectual Property Corporation. ■

We’re Here, an unscripted series that sees drag shows set up in small-town America, starts season two on HBO Oct. 11. Each episode sees Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Shangela Laquifa Wadley visit a different town “to inspire and teach their own ‘drag daughters’ to step outside their comfort zone for a night of no-holds-barred, full-on drag,” said HBO.

Stephen Warren and Johnnie Ingram created the show and are executive producers. “It’s a show that is political, that is emotional, that is sentimental. It captures all the emotions that we care so much about,” said Warren in the Series Business podcast. “At its core, it shows the world a connection can exist where you wouldn’t think a connection could exist.”

We’re Here came to be around three years ago. Warren and Ingram, who both have an activist background, were on vacation, and it was raining. They watched RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars and they started thinking. “What if we got outside of that box and brought extraordinary drag performers into small communities?” wondered Ingram. “What would happen?”

We’re Here launched in April 2020. There were supposed to be glitzy premieres, but then the pandemic happened. “Our ability to reach an audience in traditional ways just went away,” said Warren. “But on the other hand, people needed at that moment a show that provided the emotional support.”

Stops this season include Spartanburg, South Carolina; Del Rio, Texas and Selma, Alabama. 

Not everyone welcomes the drag queens with open arms. Sometimes there are confrontations. The creators said the We’re Here gang is often the only people in town wearing masks. 

Ingram said the We’re Here crew has each other's backs. “If you wanna mess with us, you have to mess with all of us,” he said. 

Series Business is a new podcast from Broadcasting+Cable and Multichannel News, featuring candid conversations with executive producers about launching a new show or new season.

B+C's Michael Malone chats with We're Here creators Johnnie Ingram and Stephen Warren about doing drag shows in small-town America.

Season two of We're Here premieres on HBO Oct. 11.

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HBO has renewed its unscripted series We’re Here for a second season, the premium service said Friday.

The series follows the exploits of several renowned drag queens who go to small towns across America to recruit and train residents to participate in a one-night only drag performance, said HBO. The series ended its six-episode freshman campaign on June 4.

“We’re Here resonates in ways we had hoped for but couldn’t really have anticipated,” HBO Executive Vice President of Programming Nina Rosenstein said in a statement. “The stories of our small-town drag daughters created an incredibly positive communal experience. We can’t wait for Bob, Shangela and Eureka to continue their journey helping others find their voice.”

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of April 20 to April 26 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

April 20 -- Dummy (comedy) --Quibi

April 22 -- Jane Goodall: The Hope (documentary) -- Nat Geo

April 23 -- We’re Here (reality) -- HBO

April 24 -- Bad Cut: The Dangers of Extreme Weight Cutting (documentary) -- FloSports

April 24 -- After Life (comedy) -- Netflix

April 24 -- Beastie Boys Story (documentary) -- Apple TV+

April 24 -- Defending Jacob (drama) -- Apple TV+ (Review)

April 24 -- Extraction (action/thriller) -- Netflix

April 25 -- Bad Education (drama) -- HBO

April 26 -- Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (horror) -- Showtime

April 26 -- Vida (drama) -- Starz

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of April 20 to April 26 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

April 20 -- Dummy (comedy) --Quibi

April 22 -- Jane Goodall: The Hope (documentary) -- National Geographic

April 23 -- We’re Here (reality) -- HBO

April 24 -- Bad Cut: The Dangers of Extreme Weight Cutting (documentary) -- FloSports

April 24 -- After Life (comedy) -- Netflix

April 24 -- Beastie Boys Story (documentary) -- Apple TV+

April 24 -- Defending Jacob (drama) -- Apple TV+ (Review)

April 24 -- Extraction (action/thriller) -- Netflix

April 25 -- Bad Education (drama) -- HBO

April 26 -- Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (horror) -- Showtime

April 26 -- Vida (drama) -- Starz