- The Season 2 finale of Drag Race France will air on Friday, August 25 at 10:40pm on France 2.
- This season, which is available globally on the WOW Presents Plus platform, has not gone unnoticed abroad. It has garnered praise on social media and has the highest rating of any movie adaptation of ‘Drag Race’ on IMDB.
- “In the first season, last year, foreign audiences weren’t necessarily expecting us. And they had a pleasant surprise. This year, we benefited from this positive reputation, which brought us spectators, and word of mouth worked well,” Nikolas Messoff analyzes. The producer explains this enthusiasm by “the fact that the candidates are very charismatic and because there is a sense of humor and a very French touch. People got hooked on that. »
“I took the time to look.”Drag Race FranceSeason two is by far one of the most emotional in years [toutes adaptations de “RuPaul’s Drag Race” confondues]. Really a must. Well done France. » « All the participants of ‘Drag Race France’ should be very proud. Every week, Season Two amazes me. It’s “drag racing” at its highest level. “Honestly, Season 2 of Drag Race France has become my all-time favorite. The queens mean so much to me and each episode is funnier than the last.” This second season is flawless, with an amazing cast, creative challenges, mini-challenges that are each better than the other, and Nikki. Dole that turned out to be an excellent introduction! »
We could go on and on with this list of laudatory comments on pages and pages as it goes. Obtained on Twitter by searching for the hashtag #DragRaceFrance, and has the peculiarity of being written in English, Spanish or Portuguese. It bears witness to the enthusiasm raised by the tricolor edition of the competition internationally drag queens Which will broadcast the final match on Friday at 10:40 pm France 2.
The best rated season by netizens
The second season of “Drag Race France”, available outside our borders on the paid platform WOW Presents Plus, has become “the most watched of the year in the world”, Nikki Doll revealed last Sunday while filming the final episode at the Grand Rex in Paris. And this is nothing, because since January, a bunch of new seasons have been launched, from Canada, Spain, Belgiumfrom Sweden, from Mexicofrom the Philippines or from Australia and New Zealand, followed each other on the screens.
Unable to get exact viewership figures Like other streaming platforms, WOW Presents Plus keeps it confidential. However, Endemol producer Nicholas Misoff says he is “stunned and hallucinated” by “the number of returns internationally, on social networks, on the show’s Instagram account or in our direct messages.” [messageries privées]. He found it “pretty crazy” that the second season was the highest rated of all the other franchises IMDB. Netizens, who post their ratings and reviews, give an average of nine stars (out of a possible ten) for each episode.
“In the first season, last year, foreign audiences weren’t necessarily expecting us. And they had a pleasant surprise. This year, we benefited from this positive reputation, which brought us spectators, and word of mouth worked well,” Nikolas Messoff analyzes. The producer explains this enthusiasm by “the fact that the candidates are very charismatic and because there is a sense of humor and a very French touch. People got hooked on that. “The international audience wants to see what France is capable of, be it exceptional or extraordinary. It’s the French culture shown in a funny and surprising way,” supports Alexandra Rede-Amel, Director of Entertainment and Games at France Télévisions.
The first in Europe
Proof that this tri-color version is under scrutiny: Sally Sanders, executive producer at World of Wonder, the company that launched the “Drag Race” concept and oversees all franchises, made the trip for the final shoot in Paris. “She said she admired the cast, the writing and the French touch,” says Alexandra Rede-Amil.
“At World of Wonder, they were very happy with what we did, with what they saw,” Nikolas Misov says, beaming. There were long discussions before getting the green light. We had to find the right idea, the right concept. We are the only ones in Europe who have done this, and we were lucky that they were validated. I can’t reveal our conversations with them, but I’ve heard a lot of “It’s amazing!” (“It’s amazing!”) And I think that gave them ideas for upcoming finals in other countries. »
“Drag Race France” has also found its way onto the radar and small prints of foreign media, starting with descriptor Pop Crave, and the US site Decide who to devote a long article to last weekClaiming that Tricolor Season 2 is “the best Drag Race installment of 2023 so far”.
“Queens more than make up for what is lost in translation”
Journalist Brett White wrote: “From the very beginning, an emotional connection was created between all of the queens and became the best cure for the terrible year we’re living through.” We’ve seen these contestants bond over their love of drag, explore and share their journeys around their sexual identity, and tackle difficult topics. [tels que les agressions homophobes]. (…) It is not the lightest observation, but it is a necessary observation. Only in “Drag Race” can queer people unite around evoking trauma and minutes later, transport us to another place with their incredible talents. “Drag Race” is about queer perseverance, and France 2 highlights it with distinction. »
Contacted by 20 minutesBrett White points out that even if some of the references to French popular culture were unfamiliar to him (the parade on the subject of Dalida and lip-synching in Let me dance She allowed him to identify the singer) and that the pun does not cross the language barrier, “the personalities and talents of the queens more than make up for what is lost in translation”. As the nominees say at the beginning of each episode: “Coco cocorico! »
French audiences
On average, according to data provided by Médiamétrie, the episodes of the second season of “Drag Race France” They were followed by 512,000 people on Fridays in the second part of the evening on France 2. To these figures must be added the registered audience on the platform france.tv. For all of the first eight episodes, some 9.9 million people have been “connected to the series”, up 40% compared to the first season, France Télévisions tells us, which will soon provide the aggregate numbers. “Drag Race France was the most watched entertainment of the summer on the platform” and is “in the top 10 of all programs combined with 2.1 million cumulative video views to date”, an increase of 5% compared to the first season. The age of the program’s viewers on France Télévisions is 34 years old, ten years younger than the average age of all subscribers.
