Which season of Drag Race should I watch next?

July 18, 2018 12:58 PM

I just finished Season 10 of RuPaul’s Drag Race. I want to buy another season to watch, but since I’m paying for a season individually, I figured I’d ask for mefites’ favorites. Don’t spoil the winners, please!
posted by ocherdraco to Media & Arts (17 answers total)

Season 4 is a lot of fun. I think it's when things started to get weird.
posted by gregr at 1:13 PM on July 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

Season 5 for sure. The underwater photo shoot, dumpster diving fashion show, and the Match Game were legendary.
posted by oxisos at 1:14 PM on July 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

To me, it depends on what you love most about Drag Race. For a season that was rich in comedy queens, I'd go with season 6. For one that featured more fashion queens, season 7 is a good bet. And Season 9 is pretty excellent throughout.
posted by merriment at 1:21 PM on July 18, 2018

When I start people on Drag Race, I bring them in on Season 4 and move them forward from there. Seasons 2-3 have elements that don't hold up too well, and seasons 5+ reference back to 4 heavily, so it seems like a great starting place.
posted by Garm at 1:24 PM on July 18, 2018

Season 4 is a good gateway to the rest of the series and when it started to become more mainstream so more of the later-season queens will reference mostly just as far back as that. Plus, the All Stars 1 Season pulled mostly from seasons 1-3, and All Stars 2 and 3 from 4-9, so you'll know more of the queens' schticks that way.

I keep wanting to say that __ is my favourite season of queens but I love them all. Okay maybe Season 5 is my favourite. No, 6.
posted by urbanlenny at 1:29 PM on July 18, 2018

Best answer: Also, consider a WOW Presents Plus subscription instead of buying a season so you can watch ALL THE SEASONS (they have all 10 on there, plus Untucked). It's $3.99 for one month, versus like $20 per season on iTunes. I subscribe to a similar service in Canada (OutTV) and it's awesome.
posted by urbanlenny at 1:34 PM on July 18, 2018 [6 favorites]

Season 4 and then just keep going from there.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 1:55 PM on July 18, 2018

Season 4, then 5 (my personal favorite, but better if you've seen 4 first), then the rest. There are a few great moments in 1-3, but they're more fun to watch after you've seen everything else.
posted by picopebbles at 1:59 PM on July 18, 2018

Season 6 is my favorite season, but if you have access to all the seasons I would just say start at Season 1 in all its soft focus glory and move forward chronologically.
posted by Julnyes at 2:20 PM on July 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

Season 4. I started with Season 5 but wish I had seen 4 first. (I saw it eventually, natch.)
posted by supercres at 2:47 PM on July 18, 2018

Get the WoW subscription and watch it from the beginning!!

I stopped watching regularly a few years ago, and now only read recaps or pop back in for super hyped episodes or finales. I agree seasons 4+ had a lot to offer, but I've discovered when I think of what I love about Drag Race, it's often something rooted in the initial seasons.

Once you are totally caught up, if you really want to dig in and savor how Drag Race is crafted, dig into podcast ep #10 Whimsically Volatile by fmr contestant Brian McCook/Katya and DJ Craig MacNeil. It's the most delightful and thorough explanation of what happens behind the scenes available!
posted by jbenben at 5:04 PM on July 18, 2018

Season 2 is when it really started being the show it is. It's still my favorite.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:17 PM on July 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

Season 6 is the best, but they are all fantastic.
posted by pazazygeek at 5:32 PM on July 18, 2018

Season 4! They're all wonderful in their own way. They all have a different flavor of challenges, queens, and chemistry. But season 4 got the show into a particular groove, and starting building the legacy of the series in earnest.
posted by missmary6 at 6:52 PM on July 18, 2018

Response by poster: The subscription sounds like a perfect solution! Now I don’t have to choose!
posted by ocherdraco at 6:03 AM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Excellent choice. There are a lot of things in the later seasons that will only make sense if you watch Seasons 2 and 3, but Season 1 has its own special charm.

I now vote that you watch them all in order, including All-Stars Seasons (All Stars 1 comes after Season 4, All Stars 2 after Season 8, All Stars 3 after Season 9), including Untucked.
posted by urbanlenny at 12:20 PM on July 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Oh boo. Untucked is available on WOW in the US, but not the show itself. But there’s still plenty of other ways for me to watch.
posted by ocherdraco at 7:08 PM on July 20, 2018