“RuPaul’s Drag Race’s” ratings are anything but a drag, and now Showtime is getting in on that sweet VH1 action. Perhaps the Viacom-CBS recombination will pay off after all.
On Thursday, ViacomCBS announced that premium-TV channel Showtime would be hosting the fifth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” which features returning queens from regular “Drag Race.”
The “All Stars” spinoff aired for two seasons on Logo before airing its two most recent seasons on VH1, the home to the franchise’s flagship series since 2017 — a show that’s been both a ratings hit and a critical darling for the basic-cable channel.
VH1 is a Viacom cable channel. Showtime is owned by CBS. Those two publicly traded corporations officially remerged in December after separating in 2005.
Excluding sports and including three days of delayed viewing, Season 11 of regular “Drag Race” was the highest-rated cable program in its time period among both the key adults 18-49 demo and the 18-34 age range, according to Nielsen. Though the show skews female, that season was up 9% among the youngest men, ages 18-24.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 11 is the most recent season of the franchise. “All Stars” Season 4 aired from Dec. 2018 to Feb. 2019.
The “Drag Race” franchise is also a hit on social media, with 6.3 million followers across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. That’s +20% from the prior year. Those platforms generated 28.4 million engagements in 2019. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” drew 191.1 million video views on social in 2019.
Oh, and “Drag Race” has received 37 Emmy nominations with 13 wins, if you’re into that sort of thing.
On Thursday, ViacomCBS boss Bob Bakish said the combination of CBS All Access and Showtime is now north of 11 million paid subscribers. That’s how they always report those numbers, and represents growth of +50%. Bakish projects the combination to account for 16 million subs by the end of 2020.
Here’s hoping this loaner season of sorts helps. That’s what Bakish is banking on anyway.
“With a large and loyal following, we believe this franchise will be additive to Showtime’s subscriber dynamic, which is why we will air a special new season of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ on Showtime on a first window basis,” Bakish, the president and CEO of Showtime’s and VH1’s common parent company ViacomCBS, said during the company’s Q4 earnings conference call on Thursday.
For all that synergy talk, ViacomCBS could sure use an actual win — read about the company’s fourth-quarter earnings here.
Bakish isn’t the only executive excited over there.
“‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ is a culture-defining show that fits perfectly within the contemporary programming Showtime offers in both scripted and unscripted,” Jana Winograde, co-president of entertainment at Showtime Networks Inc, said in a statement on Thursday. “We are excited to take advantage of our relationship with our new sister company VH1 to present a special edition of this sensational series and bring in this passionate and robust fanbase. It’s the latest example of how we can leverage our combined portfolio to provide new experiences for our audience.”
Season 12 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will debut Friday, Feb. 28 at 8/7c on VH1. The special season of “All Stars” will premiere Friday, June 5 at 8/7c on Showtime’s linear channel and its streaming platform.
9 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 9 Moments, Ranked From Worst to Best (Videos)
Liza Minelli
It's shocking that a drag queen hadn't attempted Liza before the Season 9 "Snatch Game." Other gay icons have gotten the impersonation treatment multiple times -- Cher and Lady Gaga for starters -- but Liza? No takers? We're glad the first try was done by Alexis Michelle, who clearly reveres the superstar. Her theater training didn't always shine throughout the season, but it didn't get any more clear than this.
Eureka's elimination
"Drag Race" is full of atypical eliminations -- from two queens getting booted at once to Willam getting disqualified in Season 4. However, Eureka's elimination due to her torn ACL was the first time one had been eliminated for medical reasons, and it was bittersweet. Eureka later said that she received support from her fellow contestants and from the crew, which added to the emotional moment. That, plus the fact she got asked back for Season 10, makes us want to tune in.
Sarge
RuPaul loves Sarge. The contestants love Sarge. We love Sarge. The makeover challenge this season went behind the camera and allowed the queens to transform the crew into their drag daughters. They were all surprisingly charming, but one stood out. Sarge was quick-witted and hilarious, but when RuPaul asked him about working on the show and how he views drag, he was able to tone it down for a sweet moment where he showcased his respect for the medium.
Club Kids
It was by far the best runway of the season. The episode gave us a primer on Club Kid culture and allowed the contestants to stretch their creative muscles. Trinity, who had never experienced the culture before, was able to wow with her interpretation but it was Peppermint in her candy-inspired clown outfit that made our jaws drop.
Sasha Velour's entrance
There are only a handful of memorable workroom entrances, and this season, it belonged to Sasha Velour, who walked into the workroom, lifted her hands in the air, and screamed. We know now that Sasha is an intelligent, quirky queen with a unique sense of style, but in that moment we just felt her emotions. When you enter a new situation for the first time, you'd want to scream too (watch the first 20 seconds of the clip to the left).
Valentina compares herself to Selena
We're happy to see the return of a full-length reunion episode, since the queens are allowed to be more emotional and raw when they're not in front of a large audience. The whole episode was tense, but when the spotlight finally focused on Valentina and her fans, things got a little weird. When asked to explain her rabid fanbase -- some of which sent abusive messages to the other contestants -- she compared herself to 1990s superstar Selena. The other queens' faces are priceless.
"Macho Man"
In a season full of lackluster lip syncs, we were happy whenever Peppermint ended up in the bottom two. At least you knew she was going to put on a show. The one quality lip sync featured her and Alexis Michelle going head-to-head while lip syncing to "Macho Man." It's everything a lip sync should be -- competitive and dynamic. Alexis started it off with a mustache reveal, but once Peppermint pulled off her wig to reveal another wig, it was over.
"You look like Linda Evangelista"
We'll be saying this on our deathbeds. When Aja came for Valentina in "Untucked," she, in her own words, "aggressively complimented" her for what she felt was an undeserved spot in the Top 2. "You're perfect, you're beautiful, you look like Linda Evangelista, you're a model. Did you stone those tights? Oh you're smiling!" It's almost like Aja knew it was going to be on a T-shirt, or a song, which you can listen to at the clip.
Valentina shocker
This was the season of one-sided lip syncs. We thought it couldn't get worse than Charlie Hides sway and clap effort, but somehow it did. Valentina was doing well throughout the entire season, but a major misstep sent her into the bottom two and into a lip sync against Nina Bonina Brown. She could've gone all the way, as Ru said after, but when you don't know the words and refuse to take off your mask, you're going to be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
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What this season lacked in pizzazz it made up for with shocking eliminations and quotable drama
Liza Minelli
It's shocking that a drag queen hadn't attempted Liza before the Season 9 "Snatch Game." Other gay icons have gotten the impersonation treatment multiple times -- Cher and Lady Gaga for starters -- but Liza? No takers? We're glad the first try was done by Alexis Michelle, who clearly reveres the superstar. Her theater training didn't always shine throughout the season, but it didn't get any more clear than this.
