AJ and the Queen is an American comedy-drama television series, created by RuPaul and Michael Patrick King. It premiered on Netflix on January 10, 2020.
Contents
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 1986 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."
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
Recurring
Matthew Wilkas as Officer Patrick Kennedy
Guest
Victoria "Porkchop" Parker as herself
Jinkx Monsoon as Edie
Katya Zamolodchikova as Magda
Mario Cantone as Alma Joy
Marc Singer as Bob
Adrienne Barbeau as Helen
Michael Cyril Creighton as Christian
Chad Michaels as Brian Gerrity
Tim Bagley as Lloyd Johnson
Laura Bell Bundy as Bernadette Anderson
Bridget Everett as Anna
Natasha Leggero as Kath
Jimmy Ray Bennett as Kevin
Latrice Royale as Fabergé Legs
Monique Heart 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 as Tommy/Fanny Pack
Trinity The Tuck as Danielle Dupri
Jujubee as Lee Saint Lee
Patrick Bristow as Kevin Prescott
Lorraine Bracco as herself
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. 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. 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.
In September 2018, it was announced that Josh Segarra, Michael-Leon Wooley, Katerina Tannenbaum, and Tia Carrere had been cast in starring roles. On October 16, 2018, it was reported that Izzy G. had been cast in the lead role of the titular AJ. In January 2019, it was announced that Matthew Wilkas had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.
On March 6, 2020, Netflix announced that the series had been cancelled after one season.
Soundtrack
On January 24, 2020 a 16 track soundtrack album titled AJ and the Queen (Official Television Soundtrack) was released by Warner Bros. Entertainment. It was created by Lior Rosner and RuPaul.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 52% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 5.39/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "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." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".