RuPaul’s Drag Race is returning to 90-minute episodes following a furious backlash by fans upset that episodes had been shortened to 60 minutes. Episodes of the hit reality competition series were 90 minutes from Season 10 to Season 14.
The show announced the change Thursday morning on its official Twitter feed. “Get ready, racers. #DragRace returns to 90-minutes starting Friday March 10 at 8/7c on @MTV.”
The initial change to the shorter episodes was announced by MTV in early January. It was made to allow its newest series The Real Friends of WeHo, to air between Drag Race and Untucked. The reason for the shortened episodes is to lean into the opportunity to build a destination night by using the existing hit franchise to launch a new series like The Real Friends of WeHo, sources close to production told Deadline at the time.
The Real Friends of WeHo is a six-episode series, clearing the way for extended episodes of Drag Race to return on March 10. Beginning March 10, RuPaul’s Drag Race will air from 8-9:30 pm followed by RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked from 9:30-10 PM, MTV said. Its new docu-competition series The Exhibit: Finding the Next Great Artist premieres on March 3 at 9 PM following Drag Race from 8-9 PM. Untucked will air at 10 PM. The Exhibit moves to its regular timeslot of 10 PM on March 10.
Some fans celebrated the news that longer episodes were coming back, but others weren’t happy that it will take another month for the extended episodes.
The show has already aired six of the shortened episodes with the seventh slated to premiere Friday.
Season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race follows 16 new queens vying for the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” and a cash prize of $200,000 – the highest in herstory of the main franchise. Guest judges include Ali Wong, Amandla Stenberg, Harvey Guillén, Hayley Kiyoko, Julia Garner, Janelle Monáe, Maren Morris, Megan Stalter, and Orville Peck.
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