Here’s everything we know about RuPaul’s Netflix show ‘AJ and the Queen’
RuPaul wears many wigs. She’s arguably the world’s most famous drag queen, with a career that spans decades. Tough to say who works harder at this point, RuPaul or God. RuPaul has 14 studio albums under her belt, a prosperous acting career, and of course RuPaul’s Drag Race, an empire in and of itself.
RuPaul has teamed up with Netflix for upcoming comedy series AJ and the Queen. The deal was announced back in 2018 when the streaming giant ordered ten episodes. We at Film Daily love RuPaul, so we have all the tea about AJ and the Queen and are here to spill, spill, spill.
Basics
AJ and the Queen is a Netflix Originals scripted comedy series to air on Netflix on Jan. 10, 2020. There hasn’t been a full-length trailer for the upcoming series yet, but there was an announcement video that introduced the world to Ruby Red (RuPaul). RuPaul served lewks all over the place in the trailer. Get it!
AJ and the Queen was created by RuPaul and Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City), who serve as executive producers for the series as well.
It’s a buddy comedy!
What happens when two very different people are forced together by circumstance? Usually, it’s a buddy comedy. The formula is a very old concept: Abbott & Costello, The Odd Couple. Now we have our titular duo: AJ (Izzy G) and the Queen/Ruby Red.
RuPaul plays Ruby Red (real name: Robert), who has been scrimping and saving for years to open his own drag club. Once he’s swindled out of his life savings by a grifter (Josh Segarra) and his partner-in-crime Lady Danger (Tia Carrere), Robert finds himself at his lowest point. While on a cross-country Ruby Red roadshow, Robert crosses paths with preteen stowaway AJ, a street-wise and tough-talking orphan.
According to Deadline, AJ and the Queen promises a clash of personalities: the “unlikely pair must find a way to get along, navigate through tough times and learn from one another.” You gotta love that found-family trope.
Michael-Leon Wooley and Katerina Tannenbaum also star.
Paying homage to great movies
AJ & Robert will be heading cross-country in a 90s-era RV for Robert’s roadshow, sure to drum up some situational comedy. Each episode will follow the duo in a new locale, where they change people’s lives for the better with Ruby Red’s message of love and acceptance.
It’s clear that AJ and the Queen is paying homage to classic 90s LGBT+ cinema centered around drag queens on road trips such as To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. (RuPaul had a role in To Wong Foo, believe it or not!)
