Drag Race France judge Nicky Doll has responded to complaints about franchise fatigue.
There's unquestionably a lot of Drag Race out there – you have an increasing number of regional spin-offs, All Stars and even the upcoming Canada vs. the World series.
The latest international variant is Drag Race France, featuring queen Nicky Doll on the judging panel in her home country after competing on the US Drag Race in 2020.
Nicky pointed out that there's actually a positive aspect to possible oversaturation when Digital Spy raised some complaints about fan fatigue for the Drag Race franchise.
Related: Nicky Doll gets honest about her new role on Drag Race France
"I always look at the glass as half-full. Fans saying, 'There's too much Drag Race. I'm exhausted. I can't even keep up' – if you look at it, ultimately, it shows that this is a fan of Drag Race who's complaining that they're going to have to watch all of the seasons," she told us.
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"We could have a fan who's just going to be like, 'I don't care about the other franchises. I'm just going to focus on the American one.' They're complaining that they have to keep up with all of them. That means that they like it. So, that's already a good sign.
"Second of all, I think that people need to understand that the world grew up watching American drag, and we loved it, and it was amazing. But in the media, America has always been really present. So as a French person growing up with American references, it's cool, but there's also something wrong about that, you know?"
Nicky also rightly pointed to the nuances in drag that can be showcased in these international spin-offs of Drag Race.
"I think that being able to create our own franchise, the same way the UK did, and Australia, and the Philippines are doing, and Spain and Holland – it really allows countries to be able to enjoy a quality programme with local references, and really promote their business," she said.
"If you're tired, don't watch it. The country that is going to have their own franchise is going to enjoy it. It's going to bring conversation to families that maybe a queer kid would not be able to bring up, and they finally have examples.
"So I think it is incredibly important, and I really hope that every single country will have their own franchise."
Drag Race France airs Thursdays at 7pm BST exclusively on the streamer of all things drag, WOW Presents Plus. Subscribe via uk.wowpresentsplus.com
Nicky Doll and the cast of Drag Race France will be appearing at RuPaul's DragCon UK, at London ExCel January 6-8, 2023. Tickets are now on sale at uk.rupaulsdragcon.com
Interested in talking about all things Drag Race? Visit our dedicated sub-forum.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
