Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Beautiful, emotionally deep drag docuseries charms.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
NightGowns
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
When NIGHTGOWNS' impresario Sasha Velour won the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, the Brooklyn drag show "Nightgowns" that she'd been producing since 2015 got famous along with her. In this series, Velour transforms "Nightgowns" into a full-blown stage show, working to turn her small, humble series into a spectacle worthy of a Broadway theater while she and her carefully chosen ensemble of diverse and talented performers struggle to feel worthy of their new cultural prominence.
Is It Any Good?
Eye-catching and surprisingly deep, this docuseries about a long-running Brooklyn drag show digs underneath the makeup and outrageous costumes to entertain compelling questions about gender and the power of art. In NightGowns, Velour frames drag as "a transformation, not a disguise." Performers create acts that focus on gender's relationship to emotion, community, and mental health. Velour's numbers, which start and end the show, are artful performances that allow her to express herself and, the root of all powerful art, to form connections with other people.
The fact that Velour does all this while lip-synching to Stevie Nicks in flowing gold silk rather than writing a novel or painting a portrait is unimportant. Messages can be communicated with many artistic mediums. And the message of NightGowns is ultimately that elaborate costumes and performances, as cool as they can be to watch (and these drag performances are indeed inspired), are the expressions of fragile, hopeful humans who wish to be accepted as they are, as well as applauded for what they can do onstage.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the performers in NightGowns challenge LGBTQ+ stereotypes. How do they use their art to challenge what some people think about drag queens?
Over the years, notable actors like Milton Berle, Tony Curtis, Tom Hanks, and Robin Williams have famously performed in drag in films and on television. Do you think their characters and performances are looked at differently than the ones here? If so, why?
How do Sasha and other performers demonstrate courage and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths to have?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 6, 2020
- Cast : Sasha Velour
- Networks : Quibi , Roku Channel
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Activism , Arts
- Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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