AJ and the Queen
AJ and the Queen | |
---|---|
![]() Promotional poster for the series. | |
Genre | Comedy-drama[1] |
Created by | |
Starring |
|
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 10 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Running time | 47–59 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | Netflix |
Release | January 10, 2020 present | –
AJ and the Queen is an American comedy-drama web television series, created by RuPaul and Michael Patrick King. It premiered on Netflix on January 10, 2020.
Premise
AJ and the Queen follows "Ruby Red, a bigger-than-life but down-on-her-luck drag queen who travels across America from club to club in a rundown 1990’s R/V with her unlikely sidekick AJ, a recently orphaned, tough-talking, scrappy ten-year-old stowaway. As the two misfits travel from city to city, Ruby’s message of love and acceptance winds up touching people and changing their lives for the better."[2]
Cast and characters
Main
- RuPaul Charles as Robert Lincoln Lee/Ruby Red
- Izzy G. as Amber Jasmine "AJ" Douglas
- Michael-Leon Wooley as Louis Bell/Cocoa Butter
- Josh Segarra as Hector Ramirez/Damien Sanchez
- Katerina Tannenbaum as Brianna Douglas, AJ's mother
- Tia Carrere as Leilani Kala’i/Lady Danger[3]
Recurring
- Matthew Wilkas as Officer Patrick Kennedy
Guest
- Victoria "Porkchop" Parker as Porkchop[4]
- Jinkx Monsoon[4] as Edie
- Katya Zamolodchikova[4] as Magda
- Mario Cantone as Alma Joy
- Marc Singer as Bob
- Adrienne Barbeau as Helen
- Michael Cyril Creighton as Christian
- Chad Michaels[4] as Brian Gerrity
- Tim Bagley as Lloyd Johnson
- Laura Bell Bundy as Bernadette Anderson
- Bridget Everett as Anna
- Natasha Leggero as Kath
- Latrice Royale[4] as Fabergé Legs
- Monique Heart[4] as Miss Terri Tory
- Kevin Daniels as Darrell
- John Rubinstein as Doctor
- Mary Kay Place as Carolanne
- Jane Krakowski as Beth Barnes Beagle
- Ginger Minj[4] as Tommy/Fanny Pack
- Trinity The Tuck[4] as Danielle Dupri
- Jujubee[4] as Lee Saint Lee
- Patrick Bristow as Kevin Prescott
- Lorraine Bracco as herself
Additionally, former RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Mayhem Miller, Valentina, Eureka O'Hara, Bianca Del Rio, Alexis Mateo, Manila Luzon, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Jaymes Mansfield, Ongina, Kennedy Davenport, Mariah Balenciaga, Jade Jolie, and Pandora Boxx make cameos, appearing as unnamed queens.[4]
Production
In May 2018, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes, with RuPaul starring.[2] The series is created, written, and executive produced by RuPaul and Michael Patrick King. MPK Productions and Warner Bros. Television are involved in producing the series.[2][5][6][7] In July 2018, a casting breakdown released to talent agencies was published online. It revealed the names of four new characters, Louis, Hector/Damian Sanchez, Lady Danger, and Brianna, and included character descriptions as well.[8]
In September 2018, it was announced that Josh Segarra, Michael-Leon Wooley, Katerina Tannenbaum, and Tia Carrere had been cast in starring roles.[9] On October 16, 2018, it was reported that Izzy G. had been cast in the lead role of the titular AJ.[10] In January 2019, it was announced that Matthew Wilkas had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.[11]
Reception
The show holds a 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus states "Though it doesn't always come together, AJ and the Queen is a sweet, sometimes off-the wall adventure that's fun to watch even when it's fumbling."[12]
Episodes
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2020) |
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [13] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "New York City" | Michael Patrick King | RuPaul Charles & Michael Patrick King | January 10, 2020 | |
Ruby is set to retire from touring as a drag queen, by using her $100,000 life-savings as initial payment on a downtown New York City drag nightclub. Her credit card is rejected because her love interest/business partner has apparently scammed her, forcing her to go back on the road. Sneaking aboard Ruby’s mini-RV is a neighbor’s child, AJ, who has been all but abandoned by her drug-taking prostitute mother; they were evicted so AJ needed a place to sleep. | |||||
2 | "Pittsburgh" | Michael Patrick King | RuPaul Charles & Michael Patrick King | January 10, 2020 | |
3 | "Columbus" | Bobcat Goldthwait | Jhoni Marchinko | January 10, 2020 | |
4 | "Louisville" | Adam Davidson | RuPaul Charles & Michael Patrick King | January 10, 2020 | |
5 | "Mt. Juliet" | Michael Patrick King | Eric Reyes Loo | January 10, 2020 | |
Heading towards Nashville, Tennessee Ruby and AJ discuss LGBTQ icons, which leads to finding out legendary dress designer Bob Mackie, known for campy outfits, has a namesake museum in Mt. Juliet—only six hours out of their way. | |||||
6 | "Little Rock" | Adam Shankman | Stephen Soroka | January 10, 2020 | |
AJ And Ruby pull into a Little Rock, Arkansas parking campsite for RVers for a few days’ stay, one of the nearby neighbors has a near-identical RV which Ruby mistakenly enters after using the shower. The next day AJ gets busy digging for diamonds in a “diamond” field, while Ruby is befriended by three campsite regulars who want help putting on an informal show of Grease songs. Meanwhile Damien and Lady Danger tracked down Ruby and try to kill her by planting a rattlesnake in the RV, which she escapes. On show day, Ruby plans to surprise the campsite regulars with AJ (as Grease’s Sandy), and her counterpart Brick, a neighbor boy, dressed as Danny, to jump into the "Born to Hand Jive"/"You're the One That I Want" performance. But Brick had the idea to switch roles with AJ, upsetting his dad at the cross-dressing. | |||||
7 | "Jackson" | Anne Fletcher | Drew Droege | January 10, 2020 | |
8 | "Baton Rouge" | Michael Spiller | Tracy Poust & Jon Kinnally | January 10, 2020 | |
9 | "Fort Worth" | Dennie Gordon | Michael Patrick King & Jhoni Marchinko | January 10, 2020 | |
10 | "Dallas" | Michael Patrick King | RuPaul Charles & Michael Patrick King | January 10, 2020 |
References
- ^ 'AJ AND THE QUEEN' RELEASE DATE, CAST, TRAILER, PLOT: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NETFLIX'S RUPAUL SERIES
- ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (May 11, 2018). "RuPaul Comedy Series 'AJ And The Queen' Set On Netflix From Michael Patrick King". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ AJ and the Queen (TV Series 2020– ) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-01-16
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Nolfi, Joey (December 3, 2019). "RuPaul brings 22 Drag Race queens to costar on AJ and the Queen". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ Daw, Stephen (May 11, 2018). "RuPaul Lands Starring Role in New Netflix Original Series 'AJ and the Queen'". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ Nolfi, Joey (May 11, 2018). "RuPaul to star in Netflix comedy 'AJ and the Queen'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ Sandberg, Bryn Elise (May 11, 2018). "RuPaul Comedy Series From Michael Patrick King Set at Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
- ^ McHenry, Jackson; Fernandez, Maria Elena (July 17, 2018). "Here's a Casting Breakdown for RuPaul's Netflix Show AJ and the Queen". Vulture. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (September 21, 2018). "Netflix Rounds Out Cast for RuPaul Comedy 'AJ and the Queen'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 16, 2018). "'AJ And The Queen': Izzy G To Star As AJ In RuPaul's Netflix Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
- ^ Petski, Denise (January 18, 2019). "'AJ And The Queen' Casts Matthew Wilkas; Christopher Naoki Lee Joins 'The Terror'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ AJ and the Queen: Season 1, retrieved 2020-01-16
- ^ "AJ and the Queen – Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 29, 2019.