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It’s the end of the road for AJ and the Queen. Netflix has canceled the RuPaul-led comedy series after just one season.
AJ the Queen starred RuPaul Charles as Robert Lee (aka “Ruby Red”), whose dreams of opening his own drag club were dashed when his con-artist boyfriend (played by Josh Segarra) made off with his life savings. Hoping to leave the drama behind him, Robert hit the road for a cross-country drag tour, unaware that a pint-sized grifter named AJ (played by newcomer Izzy G.) had stowed away in the back of his RV.
Ru made the announcement Friday on Twitter. See the full statement below:
https://twitter.com/RuPaul/status/1235964141489319936
During the duo’s 10-episode drive to Dallas, Robert and AJ developed a beautifully unconventional father-daughter relationship, all the while thwarting the murderous efforts of Robert’s ex and an eye-patched Lorraine Bracco impersonator named Lady Danger (played by Tia Carrere). The cast also included Michael Leon Wooley as Robert’s roommate Louis (aka “Cocoa Butter”) and Katerina Tannenbaum as AJ’s mom Brianna.
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AJ and the Queen was a co-creation of RuPaul and Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City, 2 Broke Girls). The show’s first season also features appearances from nearly two dozen RuPaul’s Drag Race contestants.
TVLine’s Streaming Renewal Scorecard has been updated to reflect AJ and the Queen‘s cancellation. Drop a comment with your thoughts on Netflix’s decision below.
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I loved this show! I’m so sorry it has been canceled.
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I’m disappointed; I enjoyed this very much and just two days ago recommended it to a few friends.
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I’m sorry that there won’t be a Season 2 for AJ and the Queen. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and really looked forward to seeing the next phase of the relationship between AJ and Robert. I think Netflix needs to rethink their decision.
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I saw this coming the minute the show was announced. I’m shocked it was ever made in the first place. Shouldn’t have VH1, Logo, or Showtime have made this? I can’t imagine it got a large amount of viewers. Sad for those that watched and enjoyed it.
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Nooooooo! My other half and I loved it so much we binge watched the whole series in 2 days. We love anything with RuPaul in it. If it had been filled with violence, blood and guts then it’s likely Netflix would have kept it going for 25 series. Bad decision on their part!!
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Exactly. it NEEDS to be picked up
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Exactly! I enjoyed this show as well and want to see more
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Sad???? For what??? I’m sad fir you that you didn’t enjoy it??
I was wanting more.. so much more to explore…Reply
My story is like Sarah’s …my partner and I also watched episode after episode til it was done. We were so taken back with the quick and stupid ending. No closure for an brilliant series and actors
Ru is such a wonderful actor…we never knew that!Reply
Agreed
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Oh no cant believe it no more AJ and queen. i loved it! This is whats wrong with netflix just get comfy with a program then no more till the following year but to hear you cant find out whats happens in AJ and the queen is very annoying
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Why was you shocked it was made in the first place, why has it offended you so, did you watch any of it????
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No I wasn’t offended. I’m a huge Drag Race fan and grew up with Rupaul before people knew who Rupaul even was. If you read my comment I was shocked that Netflix made it. I even said, “Shouldn’t have VH1, Logo, or Showtime have made this?” To me, those networks probably would have been a better fit for the show.
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Everybody wants to run to Netflix to get their show made but Netflix isn’t the streaming service it was 3 or 5 years ago. They don’t allow shows to catch on. They churn out content after content without any consideration as to if they should. I’ve said it multiple times. Netflix is basically throwing spaghetti at the wall and whatever happens to stick they run with it. Even if what sticks is crap.Reply
I agree with your summary of Netflix as it is now.
The majority of their Netflix productions are awful.
There is a overload of assumptive search titles that creates anxiety. Content titles appear in more than one category.
I cancelled Netflix before and I will be cancelling it next month and using another.Reply
You nailed it! Netflix does tend to stick witj a lot of garbage yet theu let good shows go after one short season!
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Maybe Netflix viewers or America isn’t ready for a show that is about acceptance and the power of love in all it of it’s wonderful, beautiful, and painful forms.
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Well, everyone I speak to absolutely loves it. I think it has more followers than you give it credit for.
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It is an amazing show!!! Don’t be so close minded. You might learn a little something if you actually watched it. The world evolves, and so do people. None of us have the right to say what should or shouldn’t make a person happy or how they should create their joy in their life. Drag queens don’t wanna BE women……they just dress like them. Watch the show so you can be educated and maybe not be a bigot.
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This seems pretty quickly for a Netflix cancellation, dont they usually let a little more time go by to see if it finds an audience?
That said, I watched the first episode and couldn’t get into it and never went back.
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Nope, been out almost two months, and the ‘Flix is all about those magical first 30 days.
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Good to know. Didn’t realize it had been out that long.
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and their the problem…..
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With everything happening in our country right now I think the show should be picked up by someone else this is show is golden and the world could use some drag queens, life lessons and humor right now.
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Yes indeed, I completely agree with you. I love RuPaul and found her character wonderfully entertaining and beautifully sweet-natured and kind. I think we should cross our fingers and hope another platform grabs it up
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It’s about time we had more kind, sweet natured people on shows. Too much emphasis on damaged people. Ruby is not damaged.
And to be clear, I’m a straight, old white woman.Reply
Who knows? They might have gotten pressure from political or religious factions that they couldn’t quite ignore. Regardless of why the show was cancelled, it really sucks that it was.
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You needed to watch more than the first episode, it was a great series that I fell in love with.
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I think this is the fastest cancellation Netflix has ever done (aren’t there still showing waiting to find out if they get another season that aired 6+ months ago). I’m guessing the numbers must have been really bad.
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Nope. This premiered January 10, so a few days short of 2 months. Spinning Out premiered January 1 and was cancelled February 3.
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I liked Spinning Out too!
Thats it Netflix is doneReply
It shouldn’t have been an hour long drama. A 30 minute format may have benefited the show more. However, likely not the last we see of Ru on tv.
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30 minutes is standard for a comedy show. But this was a drama as much as it was a comedy. I enjoyed the 1 hr format. In fact I always prefer an hour show to a 30 minute show regardless of whether its a comedy or a drama.
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Was it the best show? no. Would I have watched a second season though? most definitely. RuPaul on a better written (and filmed – what was with the Barbara Walters Vaseline on the camera lens look?) scripted half hour comedy is something I still need in my life.
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Netflix, stop doing so many series that wind up failing (or ending too soon) and BUY MORE MOVIES for us to stream. Just about every time I look for a movie to stream, Netflix doesn’t have it. Get more!
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Watching skeleton-faced RuPaul make out with someone half his age was icky. Just as gross when ugly male leads make out with beautiful women half their age.
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You’re a sick person with a hateful heart. What would Stevie Nicks do? Probably tell you to F’ Off.
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I’ve read your comments here. Hilarious that you’d say I’m a “sick person with a hateful heart.” You must recognize that in yourself. Have a beautiful day.
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I’ve never used ageism or how someone looks as personal attacks in any of my comments. Neither towards an entertainer or the people who comment here. Am I flawed? Absolutely. But am I sick person with a hateful heart? I don’t think so. So no, I don’t recognize that in myself. Have a blessed weekend. 😘
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How about your comments toady about Roscoe Born: “I know this might sound like a horrible thing to say but I do he passed from natural causes.” You posted that, not anyone else, but here you are making a moral implication over someone’s death. You’re even aware that the comment might be “horrible,” but you still wrote it and you make a judgement about my character and tell me to go “F” myself. Seriously, look in the mirror.
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Girl you’re reading comprehension skills need some improvement, as well as your detective skills, because you missed the mark on that BIG time.
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I said I didn’t want what I was about to say on the Roscoe Born post to come off as insensitive because the poor man just passed away. Some people feel you shouldn’t say anything other than some generic condolences immediately after a passing. That anything other than R.I.P., he was a good man, God got another angel, etc, etc is inappropriate. I’ve experienced this personally.
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Then what I said immediately afterwards was that I hoped he passed of natural causes. Now in your mind that meant I was implying something lascivious, illegal, or as you put it morally corrupt. That reflects the going ons of YOUR mind, YOUR judgment of people, not mine.
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I was alluding to suicide. Not drugs or booze or some other kind of socially “immoral” practice. The fact that your mind went there says more about you than me.
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See, the thing is as of tomorrow, March 7th, it’ll be 9 months since I found my brother’s lifeless body in our living room with the left side of his head blown off. As I was sleeping upstairs and the morning approached he sent me a text which I heard and ignored then fell right back into a deep sleep. Not long after that he shot himself. A few hours later I was in the kitchen “talking” to him because I could hear the music from his headphones playing. When he wouldn’t respond I peaked in and well, I won’t describe what I saw.
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69, while old, isn’t like 78 or 85 or 91 like when my grandmother passed. So in light of what is obviously on my mind and has been every day since this past June, my comment was, “I hope he was suffering from something related to his mental health which possibly lead to him taking his own life.”
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I could have been more explicit but in today’s culture where drinking freaking cow’s milk is a trigger to some folks and books, films, and television shows have to essentially spoil elements of the proceeding story so that people who might get traumatized can back out beforehand I tried to be vague. I obviously was too vague. Or you just were looking for anything to use against me.
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You don’t have to tell me “little girl” to look in a mirror. I do multiple times a day. To see what the stress of loosing my entire family within a compacted amount of time has done to my body. To my hair, my skin, my weight, my eyes.
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FYI, my brother was an addict and alcohol was one of his drugs of choice. So maybe, just MAYBE the next time you get snarky and judgemental about somebody’s possible problems with sobriety. Remember that the people who hear or read what you say might be dealing with that issue themselves. Or have somebody close to them that is. Or lost somebody to it.
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You don’t live in a vacuum. Your words and actions have consequences. And some people won’t be quiet about it.
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Next time you want to play Bruce Wayne or Jessica Fletcher or Sherlock Holmes. Put some effort into it sweety.Sorry, that last part about sobriety was meant for another person here.
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So many a-holes out today I’m getting them mixed up. You are the ageist and body shame one. Apologies. I roasted you for the wrong things.Geez the need of an edit function here is insane…
*I meant, “I hope he *wasn’t* suffering…”
Ugh im.so sad this isn’t being renewed! Such it netflix!!
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Honey you need Jesus…
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That was meant for the shaming stevie nicks wannabe above luv. Sorry
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That wasn’t meant for you love sorry, it was the shady nicks comment above yours.
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Darn it… although I had a feeling after the cliffhanger ending. This was probably the first show I watched on Netflix in one sitting on release week too…
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Me and my friends loved it. Something different and new to watch. Netflix loss!
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I love this show, watched it at least 6 times…so of course it got canceled…
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More bad luck for Michael Patrick King. Three years after his2 Broke Girls died without any warning, he generates a single-season failure on a streaming platform. Shame.
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Man!!! This sucks a big one!!! We want AJ!!!
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Ugh, it wasn’t great, but I still enjoyed it. Guess we will never know what happens. First spinning out, now this. Clearly I need to stop watching first seasons if netflix shows until I know what happens…
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I am saddened AJ and the Queen will not be returning. Iwas really looking forward to season 2. I love Rupaul and Izzy G’s relationship.
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I agree that it would have benefited by being 30 minutes rather than an hour. I did cringe whenever Luis was onscreen. No dis to the actor, but c’mon, if he had to be blind (not convinced this was even necessary to any plot) HIRE A BLIND ACTOR. Having vented that, RuPaul constantly surprised me with his acting chops. There is no stopping THE QUEEN!
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It’s time to cancel the pro-Trum antigay trash Netflix!
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What on earth are you talking about?
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Not happy about the cancellation of AJ and the Queen 🤬. Boo Netflix!
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So sad to see this show go😭😭
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Straight white 70 year old woman here …. and I really enjoyed this show. Who’da thunk it? It had such heart. Such a shame.
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Your age shows. What difference does it make that you are a straight woman. Are we supposed to be surprised?
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Why so harsh? Let the lady make a supportive comment in peace Nicole
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Your ignorance and lack of respect shows.
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It makes a difference because she’s not the target demographic for this type of show. When the industry pours thousands of dollars into market research to determine who to “sell” this kind of program to, a “70 year old straight white lady” does not ping their radar. Which then affects the infamous Netflix algorithm. So something like AJaTQ will not be recommended to somebody like her. Therein lies one of Netflix’s problems. Their content is loosing potential viewers because they are putting faith in their algorithm and not doing any kind of blanket advertising which has the potential to possibly draw in a larger viewing base.
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Also, most old straight white people are considered to be the “devil” by Millennials and Gen Z as well as the root of all intolerance, hom*ophobia, poverty, racism, classism, sexism, and just about every other -ism you can come with. So it’s refreshing to see somebody of that demographic show their support for something that would otherwise not be considered in their wheelhouse.Reply
Thanks for that explanation, JB. My husband & I are 50 & 55, white, straight, and although we know almost nothing about RuPaul we LOVED it! But guess what? Like you said, it wasn’t targeted at us and we only first heard of it a few days ago! A full YEAR after it came out! I can’t believe Netflix makes decisions in a month. Stupid. Meanwhile they’re targeting Victorian romance dramas at us. I was a teenager in the 80’s with big, multicolored hair and whacky clothes, not in 1700 England, lol. What a shame. I’m sad. And now I wonder what else I’m missing.
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I wrote a comment. And I also posted that I was a 65 yo white straight woman from Southern Georgia. Bcuz if that exact fact. However I was my uncles fav niece and from the time I was about 14 yo I had the awesome experience of accompanying him to all his drag shows. He was one of the highest rated, most beautiful, regal, amazing, funny drag queens the world has ever had. The Divine Ms Kim aka Kenyata Denisicca. He helped put on some of Savannah greatest drag queen pageants. And I loved it and him so very much. So the drag world is still awesome and beautiful to me. I’ve never had blinders on. But even in todays society many still do. Sadly not everyone feels live and let live. To many still think everyone not of the mainstream society are either freaks, pervs, social rejects just to name a few. I grew up loving all people for whom not what they are. If I’m going to judge anyone by what they do, how they act, and what their beliefs are there’s enough politicians to look at that’ll keep everyone busy for a life time. Things like that count. Things such as gay, straight, black, white, purple or Polk a dot shouldn’t even be a consideration for anything in life period. I feel they shouldn’t even ask race or gender on applications and such. Let people be what they are. Judge them on the content of their hearts. Not what they chose to dress as, whom they choose to love, or how they choose to live their lives. I’ve always said if you Don’t feed me or eff me Don’t judge me. Plain and simple. But that’s why us elderly white folks feel the need to identify ourselves. So others know that not all of us have a stick up our arses and are actually open to many wonderful things that all people are and can be. Hell maybe we shouldn’t be judged for that. But you’re right my friend. Netflix and many others need to use more of a human touch not an algorithm to decide what they should air. AJ and The Queen was awesome. And now it’s such a loss. SMH. Yep this is from a 65 yo straight white old lady from South Georgia lol. Be Blessed.
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Just binged the whole season.. googled when season 2 would come out and saw this. Ugh I’m heartbroken. Change your mind Netflix! As a little girl who grew up in the system.. I would have LOVED to have a person like Ru Paul’s character in my life. I really resonated with so many parts of this show. So dissapointed in Netflix
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So sad this show was cancelled
I really enjoyedReply
Yet another in a very long line of shows I didn’t know existed until I read on this site that it’s been cancelled.
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Loved this show, light hearted, a little edgy with a great feel good factor. Great performances and such a shame Netflix didn’t see what others see in a great, funny, witty and sometimes tear jerking season.
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Very disappointed. Looks like I will be canceling my Netflix
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I am devoted to Ru, but this show was just not good. Being a natural entertainer doesn’t always translate into being a strong enough actor to carry an entire scripted series. And the supporting actors weren’t that great either.
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