The classic “Brady Bunch” television show is being revamped for a special episode involving television personalities from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Described by “Today” as “the wholesome suburban family meets drag queen crossover we never knew we needed,” the special Paramount+ event will be named “Dragging the Classics: The Brady Bunch” and was announced on Wednesday.
According to “Today,” “Five of the original ‘Brady’ kids (Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland, Eve Plumb and Susan Olsen) will be joining ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ favorites to re-create the episode ‘Will the Real Jan Brady Please Stand Up?’”
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the “special promises to ‘make and break pop culture history’ as it reunites The Brady Bunch original cast members alongside RuPaul’s Drag Race favorites as they recreate the 1971 episode…The event will use ‘state-of-the-art technology to transport the cast into the original Brady house.’”
The show is meant to be a celebration of “Pride” month when LGBTQ+ rights and issues take center-stage in the United States via corporate promotions and entertainment events during the month of June.
A few of the original stars will make an appearance in the special, but some will be supplemented by others from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Deadline reported:
Set to drop Wednesday, June 30 exclusively on Paramount+, Dragging The Classics: The Brady Bunch will see Barry Williams, Christopher Knight and Mike Lookinland play Mike Brady, Peter Brady and Bobby Brady, respectively. Eve Plumb and Susan Olsen will also return as Lucy and Margie, respectively.
Filling the gaps are Drag Race superstars. All Stars 5 winner Shea Couleé will appear as Marcia Brady, Drag Race season six winner Bianca Del Rio as Carol Brady, Ben DeLaCreme as Greg Brady and Kylie Sonique Love as Jan Brady. Additional participating Drag Race queens are Nina West as Alice and Kandy Muse as Cindy Brady.
The special will also feature appearances from RuPaul as Wig Attendant and Michelle Visage as Helen.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” is a reality competition show that involves “queens” dressing in drag. This is not the first “wholesome” television show to be infiltrated with gay rights topics, and not even the first to be in a show geared at children and families.
As The Daily Wire reported, shows on Nickelodeon have recently taken up LGBTQ themes and incorporated queer issues into shows aimed at children. “[B]oth Nickelodeon and its preschool-targeted network, Nick Jr., have released videos championing ‘trans,’ ‘queer,’ and ‘pansexual’ inclusion,” The Daily Wire noted.
The network potentially took a ratings hit, however, as parents might not be eager to allow their children to hear about sexual orientation issues through television at a young age.
“Pirates and Princesses, a popular entertainment site specializing in Disney-related news, reports Nickelodeon YouTube videos were ‘downvoted to such a degree that they’ve now hidden the ratio.’ The site also says the network has seen a major decline in viewers since it began overtly pushing the LGBTQ agenda to its young viewers,” per The Daily Wire.
Disney recently took a similar step to expand its content, “following in competitor Nickelodeon’s footsteps and planning an LGBTQ virtual concert for children in honor of Pride month. Like Nick Jr.’s ‘Blues Clues and You’ drag queen parade, the event will be hosted by Andrew Levitt, whose stage name is Nina West, as well as perennial kid-favorite Kermit the Frog,” The Daily Wire reported.