RuPaul’s Drag Race and its web spin-off RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked strutted away from Thursday’s Emmy nominations with eight nods. So what does the web series success, in particular, mean for TV?
If video killed the radio star, then streaming’s ongoing takedown has landed traditional television in critical condition at least. So, it was extra interesting to see which shows scored primetime Emmy love this year when the show’s nominations went out Thursday morning. Sure enough, streaming and premium platforms like Hulu, Netflix, and HBO nabbed dozens of nods. But what may be the most interesting indication of where television is headed is the fact that RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked, a YouTube spin-off series of the original Drag Race, earned its own nomination in the Unstructured Reality Program category.
Viewers have shown a clear preference for choice when it comes to TV viewing in recent years. We’ve moved from a handful of network channels, to satellite dishes bursting with cable options, to smart TVs and streaming systems that give watchers ultimate control. And throwing free YouTube series into the mix takes things to an unprecedented place. Will prestige programming go the way of print publications and give away their goods for free?
According to the creators of the World of Wonder YouTube channel behind the series, Thursday’s nomination proves people are ready to see stories of all different kinds and via all different formats. Untucked, a supplement to the original Drag Race (which earned 8 nominations in its own right), features the queens and their behind the scenes highs and lows.
Caution: NSFW
In a cheeky emailed statement, Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, Untucked‘s executive producers and WOW co-founders said:
"“This nomination for our digital series ‘Untucked’ proves that when it comes to good story telling, the size of the screen doesn’t matter. It’s how you use it.”"
Then again on the other end of the spectrum, there might be an argument to be made that old school network shows could be making a comeback as well, at least in one case. NBC’s emotional drama This is Us walked away with an impressive 11 nominations Wednesday. Yes, it’s only one show in a sea of streaming and premium competition, so it could also just be a fluke. But what seems to be true regardless is that viewers are becoming more open to trying new things (even if what’s “new” in This is Us‘ case is just not being sucked into the streaming hype).
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It’s a mindset that actually fits nicely with the essence of RuPaul’s Drag Race and Untucked. As RuPaul told World of Wonder Thursday:
"“I want to thank the Academy for honoring the entire cast and crew of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, my family at World of Wonder, and our champions at VH1. It takes a village. people! Their creativity and dedication to telling the stories of our brave and talented queens never ceases to amaze, amuse, and inspire.”"
Consider us inspired and eager to see how a nomination like this one might reverberate throughout the industry.