AJ and the Queen

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.

Premise
''Big Mama. Little Drama.''

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."


 * Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Drama

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 Himself
 * 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

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, Dahlia Sin, Jade Jolie, Monica Beverly Hillz, Morgan McMichaels and Pandora Boxx make cameos, appearing as unnamed queens.

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".