Fans of RuPaul’s comedy-drama AJ and the Queen are begging Netflix to revive the show, which was axed last week after just one season.
AJ and the Queen followed drag queen Ruby Red, played by RuPaul, who goes on a tour of the United States with an 11-year-old called AJ in an RV after being duped out of her money by a love interest.
The drag icon announced on Twitter last week that the show had been axed by Netflix – but AJ and the Queen fans won’t go down without a fight.
A petition has been launched calling on Netflix to renew the show for a second season, and it has already been signed by more than 1,500 people.
AJ and the Queen fans want the ‘brilliant and fun’ show to be renewed for a second season.
Writing on Change.org, Hunter Murphy, who started the petition, praised the show for RuPaul’s “killer” drag performances.
“The show showed a story of a mother who loses her daughter while struggling with addiction. Ruby subsequently takes the child under her wing, and help her to understand many important life lessons,” the petition reads.
“Please, Netflix, renew this show for a second season!” they add.
I got Netflix just to watch this show! I’ll prob cancel my account if they are cancelling AJ and the Queen.
The petition has amassed more than 1,500 signatures in just two days, with many signatories expressing their support for the RuPaul vehicle in the comments.
One fan said they want to see a second season of the show and called the first “brilliant and fun”.
Another added: “I got Netflix just to watch this show! I’ll prob cancel my account if they are cancelling AJ and the Queen.”
Somebody else said it was “a heartwarming and funny queer show where you cared about the characters”.
They added: “The fan response should show Netflix that this is true – and they should listen to their customers on this.”
RuPaul confirmed that the short-lived show had been axed last week.
RuPaul announced that AJ and the Queen had been cancelled on Twitter last week, less than two months after the first season hit Netflix.
“End of the road for AJ and the Queen,” RuPaul tweeted.
“Netflix has decided to not extend our road trip across America. Thank you for all the love and support. We’re so very proud of the work.”
The series was created, written and executive produced by RuPaul and Michael Patrick King of Sex and the City fame.
While the series was plagued by poor reviews from critics, it amassed a fan following, with many people taking to Twitter to express their disappointment that the show would not be returning.
Fan campaigns to “save” shows have been surprisingly successful in the past. Last year, One Day at a Time, which broke new ground for LGBT+ and Latinx representation on-screen, was revived by Pop TV when Netflix called it quits.
In 2018, NBC picked up Brooklyn Nine-Nine when Fox announced that the show would end after its fifth season.