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RuPaul's Drag Race: Every English language season from 2024 ranked

Behind on your Drag Race 2024 bingeing? Wondering where to start? Here's the tea, Christine.

Guides by Ashley V. Robinson, Popverse video producer

Published on Tue Dec 10 2024

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With over 20 television franchises that have successfully marketed the subversive art form of drag to the main stream, featuring 8 English-language series, and even more series to come in future, 29 Emmy Award wins over 15 years of productions, and RuPaul's Drag Con in Los Angeles, New York City, and London, England, it's safe to say "Drag Race" is a full-fledged phenomenon. In the wake of the success of RuPaul's Drag Race we've also seen other competition television franchises pop up from The Boulet Brothers' Dragula for horror fans to Camp Wanakiki which celebrates the light-hearted theatrical clown side of the art form. A glut of content can often be as baffling as a desert. Where to begin? How to start? What do I need to know? In 2024, alone, Drag Race aired (we're counting those that began or ended in the calendar year), 17 English language seasons.

If you're feeling overwhelmed you are not along. Don't let anyone gatekeep your interest whether you are brand new (welcome!), or a have been holding it down with me since the OG season 1 lens filter. Popverse is here to help and this is a list ranking the Drag Race seasons of 2024 from lowest to highest.

10. RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars season 1

When you start a season and can tell from the beginning Alyssa Edwards is going to win the mystery of the show and the fun of going on the journey is non-existence. Despite the fact Kween Kong was a top performer, Kitty Scott-Claus was forced into a villain edit, and all of the ESL queens were not given equal opportunity to compete in the structured challenges, there are a handful of iconic moments. The Nehelenia crying saga, Soa de Muse winning the Global Lip Sync Assassin and $50,000, Gala Varo finally showing her true punk rock untucked drag in the lip sync that sent her home are not to be missed.

When Global All Stars season 1 was airing Popverse's Ashley Victoria Robinson asks Lawrence Chaney (winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 2), and other Los Angeles drag queens and queer artists how they would react to being saddled with a villain edit. Watch the video to see for yourself.

9. RuPaul's Drag All Stars season 9

Aside from knowing the winner from the minute the cast is announced nothing has taken the wind out of the sails of a Drag Race season in any franchise than doing it "For charity!". There's been a trend in recent years to keep the entire cast together and not eliminate anyone until the third or fourth episode. All Star season 9 kept everyone ... the entire time. A reality competition show format excels by eliminations. I want to see people leave. Stakes give the queens something to care about an work toward. When you remove that you get All Stars season 9 where the most interesting thing that happened was Gottmik sulking because she's was the standout star she was in her original season. The most entertaining things to come out of the season are Angeria continuing to be the unfathomable mixture of beautiful and hilarious and the behind-the-scenes scuttlebutt culminating in a possible lawsuit.

8. RuPaul's Drag Race Live Untucked season 1

AKA, one big long commercial for the Las Vegas Show. That being snarked, I'm not mad about it! I've seen the Vegas show (please imagine me hopping from MagicCon: Las Vegas), down the strip to watch the resident queen (and Nick!), slay all evening. Untucked doesn't pretend to be anything other than produced drama in a Housewives-esque format. Lawrence Chaney, one of my faves, was added to the show. Latrice Royale kept nonsense in line. Coco Montrese has a crush on a dancer. I loved it. No notes.

Check out Ashley's pink carpet interview with Lawrence Chaney (winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 2), and other Los Angeles drag queens and queer artists about drag Hallowe'en costumers. There's a Batman reference! Watch the video right here!

7. Drag Race Down Under season 4

Drag Race Down Under is the cursed franchise of the RuPaul's Drag Race shared universe. I'm sorry. There have been tremendous competitors to emerge from Oz and NZ (Kween Kong, Art Simone, Anita Wiglet), while the show has blatantly ignored Courtney Act and [Wigs by] Vanity, in favour of competitors who have recently done Blackface. Season 4 has an uphill battle and is still pretty early in the season at the time of ranking. Michelle Visage has taken over hosting duty full time from RuPaul - and she's doing a great job! Joining Michelle on the judges panel are multiple drag queens - shock! Who have some of the best insight and commentary Drag Race has seen in years - stun! If you aren't sure Down Under is for you I'm begging you to watch Sasha Colby and Isis Avis Loren offer critique. Mark my words, Down Under season 4 is going to go down as an important evolutionary step.

6. RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs The World season 2

The long awaited second season of UK vs The World wrapped up early this year with some delightful international choices! Any time Arantxa Castilla-la-Mancha is on my television in any language I'm there immediately. Marina Summers slayed and got the highly coveted "robbed" edit, Choriza May was paid dust for how funny she was throughout (and held the unique honour of repping both Spain and the United Kingdom!), and Tia Kofi (a great name for drag), won not only the entire series, but earned the redemption arc from her debut season. The glow up was real and she embraced her talent with wide arms. My forever critique about international seasons is firmly in place throughout - "There are not enough ESL queens." - but the cast chemistry was one of the best.

5. Canada's Drag Race season 5

We're 5 episodes into Canada's Drag Race season 5 as I sit writing this article and it has already made an impact. Newfoundland-based drag queen Tara Nova has had an incredible showing while speaking truth to the struggles of performers living in a "drag desert" or don't have access to the same fund or resources of fellow competitors. The disparity between a famous social media queen and someone from a rural area has sparked important conversations about privilege even within a community often othered. As a Canadian, I'm living for the Newfoundland rep and the discussion this season has sparked about supporting local drag and local performers.

4. Drag Race UK season 6

Drag Race UK season 6 is fresh off the finale at the time of this article's inception. The top 4 (Kyran Thrax, La Voix, Marmalade, and Releasa Slaves), were all talented and unique. When cast members each bring a strong point of view and represent different aspect of their country's drag scene my head tingles. That's a compliment. What I love most about the UK Drag Race franchise is they celebrate queens who have been working for decades. La Voix and Dita Garbo are absolute legends of the United Kingdom's drag scene. Having them compete (and be runner up!), next to the up-and-coming generation shows a reverence the American franchise could learn from. Plus, there's Doctor Who runway! It's super creative!

3. RuPaul's Drag Race season 16

Villains are back, babyyyyyyyyy! Drag Race has suffered from fan criticism since season 9 showed up playing RuPaul's Best Friend Race. The cattiness and reading of early seasons before the fandom latched on to social media to launch attack campaigns at their least favourites (racism, transphobia, and misogyny on full display). Season 16 contestant Plane Jane came prepared to "Sisterrrrrr" her way to the top. She stirred the pot and had an epic package. PJ is the girl to hate. Mirage captured viewer hearts fumbling Cher's Dark Lady lip sync. Sapphira Cristál is positioned as our new Robbed Queen, the mother we all need, and is definitely being positioned for a return on a future All Stars season. The cast is stacked, the season snatches back moments from the early seasons that made Drag Race iconic, and the Megami talked about how great New York Comic Con is in her introductory interview!!

2. Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs The World season 2

"When you start a season and can tell from the beginning" Lemon "is going to win the mystery of the show and the fun of going on the journey is non-existence". Sound familiar? Sorry to be a broken record. I actually like Lemon and found her to be a pretty worthy winner of the show. I just wish the editing and production had hidden it a bit better. Alexis Michelle has an amazing showing this season truly coming to her own and, in all fairness, would have been as worthy a winner as Lemon. That's where the viewing gets good - when multiple competitors show immense skill. This year's season of Canada vs the World introduced the iconic, the amazing, the stunnique Golden Beaver! The Golden Beaver is one of the best devices in the show's history. Fight me. Lip sync for Your Life is superior to Lip Sync for Your Legacy. Try to change my mind. You can't. 2024 has been rife with All Stars seasons and new formats. Canada vs The World is the only season that nailed it.

1. Canada's Drag Race season 4

What a fun season this was! Venus, the series winner, is a Métis, Two-spirit, queen who doesn't tuck. Kitten Kaboodle won Miss Congeniality at the age of 57. While the flag ship American series has flourished and started all of this on its way it would be rare to see these types of winners straying from the RuPaul-perfected "Glamazon" mold. Host Brook Lynn Hytes has really come into her own and her own charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent shines bright throughout the season.

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Ashley V. Robinson: Ashley Victoria Robinson is a Canadian hobbit now living in the United States. She is a Popverse Video Producer. You may know her as the host of the Geek History Lesson podcast (alongside Jason Inman), and was even the face of Twitter marketing for podcasters.