Draft:Cross-dressing in television

Cross-dressing or drag in television has followed a long history of female/male impersonations on television.

The most notable franchise involving cross-dressing in television is RuPaul's Drag Race, which is often credited for bringing cross-dressing into the "mainstream" media. With the competition series gaining attraction, it spawned over ten adaptations, involving over 500 contestants competing for a cash prize and the title of their country's next drag superstar.

Brazil
On 1 June 2018, streaming service Netflix released a teaser trailer about three drag superheroes who are responsible for protecting the LGBT community and defeating homophobic villain Lady Elza. After the teaser trailer release, the series received criticism and pushed a "politically correct LGBT agenda". The first trailer was released on 19 October 2018, with Brazilian drag singer Pabllo Vittar voicing a drag character, Goldiva. On 9 November 2018, the first season of Super Drags was released with five episodes; the following month the adult animation series was canceled.

Brazil
In March 2023, teaser images of the Brazilian reality series were released, with singer Xuxa Meneghel and drag queen Ikaro Kadoshi being the co-hosts of the series. The first season of Caravana das Drags premiered on 13 April 2023, through Amazon Prime Video. The season ran for nine episodes with ten contestants traveling through Brazil doing artistic drag tests. The series concluded on 25 May 2023; Gaia do Brasil was the runner-up with Hellena Borgys crowned as the "Sovereign Queen of the Caravan" and won R$150,000.

In August 2022, a casting call opened for a potential Drag Race adaptation in Brazil. In December, it was confirmed that the new edition of the Drag Race franchise will premiere "on MTV/Paramount+ in their respective territories." In July 2023, Grag Queen was confirmed as a host and head judge, with Bruna Braga and Dudu Bertholini as the main judges. On 19 July 2023, the twelve contestants were announced. The first season of Drag Race Brasil premiered on 30 August 2023, through MTV and Paramount+; this marked the fourteenth international adaptation of its original series. Organzza was crowned as "Brasil's First Drag Superstar".

Canada


In mid-2019, a casting call was announced for a Canadian adaptation of the Drag Race franchise; the judging panel was announced for the drag competition which included Brooke Lynn Hytes, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, and Stacey McKenzie. The first season of Canada's Drag Race premiered on 2 July 2020, with twelve contestants competing to become "Canada's First Drag Superstar"; this marked the fourth international adaptation of its original series. Priyanka won the first season. In season four, the series welcomed its first openly trans man, Denim. The Canadian series has been nominated for twenty-nine Canadian Screen Awards and won eighteen of them.

Mexico
On 8 May 2028, the first season of La Más Draga premiered with seven contestants competing for the title "La Más Draga of México". Every week, the contestants showcase their potential with challenges that exalt the Mexican culture. Mexican drag queen Deborah La Grande won the first season with Bárbara Durango, Eva Blunt, and Margaret Y Ya as the runners-up.

A casting call was announced in August 2022 for a Mexican adaption of Drag Race. Rolling Stone announced that Valentina and Lolita Banana will host the first season, with Óscar Madrazo to be on the judging panel. The first season of Drag Race México premiered on 22 June 2023, with eleven contestants competing for the title "México's First Drag Superstar". Mexican drag queens Gala Varo, Matraka, and Regina Voce were the runners-up, with Cristian Peralta as the first winner of the series.

Philippines
In July 2021, Filipino-American drag queen Manila Luzon exclusively told Entertainment Weekly about an upcoming television project she is set to host and judge. In an interview with Mega Entertainment, Luzon explained the series is going to be a pageant and it's her job to show the audience to "see the scene that's happening and to fall in love with these queens and to be inspired by their creativity." The first season of Drag Den premiered on 8 December 2022; the season ran for eight episodes with eight contestants and concluded on 26 January 2023. The series also welcomed its first openly trans woman contestant, Barbie-Q. Shewarma and Maria Cristina are the runners-up, and Naia was crowned as "Filipino's First Drag Supreme" and won ₱1,000,000.

In August 2021, American drag queen RuPaul announced a new Drag Race adaptation for the Philippines; this marked the tenth international adaptation of its original series. In July 2022, television host Paolo Ballesteros was announced as the series host. The first season of Drag Race Philippines premiered on 17 August 2022 with twelve contestants competing, through Discovery+ and HBO Go. The season ran for ten episodes and concluded on 12 October 2022. Marina Summers was the runner-up with Precious Paula Nicole crowned as the "Philippines' First Drag Superstar" and won ₱1,000,000. A second season premiered on 2 August 2023 and concluded on 4 October, releasing ten episodes with twelve contestants. The top four consisted of two trans women, Bernie and M1ss Jade So, placing in third place. Captivating Katkat was the first trans woman to win the series, with Arizona Brandy as the runner-up of the season.

United Kingdom


The first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK aired on 3 October 2019 with RuPaul as host and head judge; in every episode, the requirements of the maxi challenge vary across each episode and can be individual or group challenges. The winner of the maxi challenge also receives a special prize for their win, for example, a "RuPeter Badge" a spoof of the CBBC's famous Blue Peter badge. The series ran for eight episodes and crowned The Vivienne as the "UK's First Drag Superstar". The English adaptation was renewed for a second (2020), third (2021), fourth (2022), and fifth (2023) series. The series also welcomed Victoria Scone, the franchise's first-ever cisgender female contestant since its beginning in 2009, with Dakota Schiffer being the first openly trans woman contestant to compete in the British version of the show.

In February 2021, Paramount Global and its streaming service announced an international drag-singing competition, produced by World of Wonder. It was later announced that Graham Norton would host the series, with Leona Lewis, Michelle Visage, Trixie Mattel, and Vanessa Williams being the judges of the series. On 10 November 2021, fourteen contestants were announced and the first season of Queen of the Universe premiered on 2 December 2021, through Paramount+. The season ran for six episodes and concluded on 30 December 2022. Ada Vox was the runner-up with Grag Queen winning the first season. A second season was renewed with Mel B replacing Lewis as a judge; the season premiered on 2 June 2023 and concluded on 22 June, releasing eight episodes with ten contestants. Trevor Ashley was the runner-up with Taiga Brava winning the second season. The series was canceled and pulled out from its streaming service.

Canada
In June 2021, it was announced Brooke Lynn Hytes is set to present a talk series reboot of 1 Girl 5 Gays, where a panel of LGBTQ people and a drag queen talk about issues regarding the queer community. The revamped series 1 Queen 5 Queers premiered on 9 December 2021 and represents a broader and more diverse array of participants than the original, which focused almost entirely on the perspectives of gay men. A second season was renewed and premiered on 1 September 2022.