Drag Race (franchise)
RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Drag Race variants, is a television drag queen competition franchise created by American drag icon RuPaul, and the production company World of Wonder. It originated in the United States in 2009, where it was devised as a replacement for Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World (2007–2009), and has been adapted in various countries. The show's aim to find the next "Drag Superstar", with the winners occupying the traits of "charisma", "uniqueness", "nerve" and "talent". RuPaul stated that the show looks for an entertainer who can stand out from the rest.[1] RuPaul’s Drag Race is credited for making drag "mainstream".[2]
| Drag Race | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Reality competition |
| Created by | RuPaul Charles |
| Production | |
| Production company(s) | World of Wonder |
| Release | |
| Original release | 2 February 2009 – present |
RuPaul's Drag Race has produced twelve seasons to date (as of 2020) and has inspired several spin-off series, including RuPaul's Drag U, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, and RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race. In addition three DragCons have been created: RuPaul's DragCon LA, RuPaul's DragCon NYC, and RuPaul's DragCon UK. A RuPaul's Drag Race Live! variety show in Las Vegas was established in 2020 with a corresponding television special.
Drag Race around the world
There have been a total of 23 winners of Drag Race worldwide.
- Currently airing franchise
- Franchise with an upcoming season
- Franchise in development
- Unknown status
- Cancelled during development
- Franchise no longer in production
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References
- Hughes, Scarlett (May 16, 2019). ""RuPaul's Drag Race"!". Radio Times. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- Hughes, Scarlett (August 10, 2019). ""RuPaul's Drag Race"!". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved August 10, 2019.