I love a good episode of "RuPaul's Drag Race." The manufactured drama, hilarious queens and the intentionally low-budget skits of the VH1 series are always things that make the show so fun to watch.
But with RuPaul's new Netflix series "AJ and the Queen," Mama Ru takes that manufactured, superficial feeling to a whole new level: in a full-fledged series.
The show follows a drag queen, Ruby (RuPaul), whose dreams of starting a nightclub franchise are turned upside down when her boyfriend turns out to be a pimp (Josh Segarra) and runs off with his accomplice Lady Danger (Tia Carrere). When Ruby gets robbed by a scrappy 10-year-old girl (Izzy G.) named AJ, she then goes on a cross-country road trip to find herself while helping AJ find her troubled mother in Texas.
The verdict on this show is that "AJ and the Queen"--in drag terminology--is gag-worthy, both literally and figuratively.
In the literal sense, this show is gag-worthy because it's very hard to tell who this show is made for. You could argue it's made for pre-teens to teens due to the dry humor and kid-like element with AJ. But at the same time, you can argue that this show is made for LGBTQ adult audiences, primarily those in the "Drag Race" fandom. You can even argue that the target audience is soccer moms who like a good kick out of a drag show every now and then. Sure, it can be all of the above, but isn't that kind of weird in retrospect?
Figuratively speaking, the show is gag-worthy because of its odes to "Drag Race." Every queen in each club scene is portrayed by a "Drag Race" alumni, whether it be Latrice Royale, Chad Michaels, Manila Luzon or whomever else. It's also not to mention the irresistible lip syncs and gorgeous outfits that RuPaul continues to slay in with each episode.
So, the question is whether or not "AJ and the Queen" is worth watching? The answer is, "Sure, why not." The plot is somewhat interesting, the drag culture is spectacularly on display and also incorporates somewhat kind of a love letter to America's beauty. And if you disagree with me, that you think the show is a drag, then that's ok. Because with like other Netflix shows, who really knows what all of this onslaught of original programming really is for?
All episodes of "AJ and the Queen" are streaming on Netflix.