We're Here Season 2 - What We Know So Far
On June 5, 2020 — just a day after the last of its six episodes finished airing — HBO announced the renewal of "We're Here," its reality show focusing on bringing the drag-queen culture to small-town America, with a heartfelt statement. "'We're Here' is about spreading love and change through the transformative power of drag," the show's official Instagram account posted. "The queens and the communities that embrace them prove that love, compassion and a willingness to listen can spark change. The world needs that now more than ever. With that, we hope the renewal of 'We're Here' for a second season will play a small part in the ongoing fight for justice and equality."
That announcement proved that the reality show featuring former "RuPaul's Drag Race" contestants was making a difference. This was further solidified by the show's nominations for a Primetime Emmy and the Television Critics' Association Awards: it eventually won a Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program.
So when is the show — with its award-winning message of unity and all those feels surrounding the transformative and therapeutic power of drag — returning, and what will the new season look like? Here's what we know at this time.
When is release date for We're Here Season 2?
HBO has already confirmed that "We're Here" will return to television screens in October 2021. The network has not announced a specific date yet, however. This gives it some room to figure out where to slot all its returning shows for fall, as these include the 11th season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the third season of "Selena + Chef," the third season of "Succession" and the fifth season of "Insecure," all of which are expected to return during that same month, according to TV Insider.
Word has it that filming of the second season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did the coronavirus' appearance affect the final episode of the season, sending its stars home after their arrival in Spartanburg, South Carolina, but they also learned of the show's renewal via Zoom (via Entertainment Tonight). Still, that doesn't seem to have ultimately caused any issues, as a debut a little over a year after renewal is not unusual — unless the number of episodes has been reduced.
Who is in the cast of We're Here Season 2?
The cast of "We're Here" is small, consisting of the three drag queens — Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O'Hara, and Shangela Laquifa Wadley. The episodes also focus on the various "drag daughters" that these three train and make over from each town they visit, as well as the residents from those towns. These people don't carry over into other episodes.
Thankfully for fans, HBO confirmed in a June 2021 tweet that all three stars were returning, which showed the group of them together wearing fabulous football-inspired outfits. Beyond that, no information has been released regarding who else might be expected to appear in Season 2 — but they've got the important ones back and that's good to know.
The show is produced by Stephen Warren and Johnnie Ingram, along with Industrial Media's The Intellectual Property Corporation. Peter LoGreco is its director. The stars — Caldwell Tidicue (that would be Bob), David Huggard (otherwise known as Eureka), and D.J. Pierce (Shangela) — also act as consulting producers.
What is the plot of We're Here Season 2?
The reality series will likely stick with its successful format from the first season, which features the three performers coming to town and finding their protégés, giving them drag-worthy makeovers and then watching them put on performances, with personal reflection provided by a number of interviews throughout each episode. Beyond that, information is scarce. The costumes that the three main players wear in the June tweet indicate that football is involved somewhere — maybe they go to a place where the sport dominates the local culture? At the current time, though, this is just speculation.
Bob threw out some interesting and ambitious ideas when he spoke to Entertainment Tonight last year, including one where the drag queens would revisit Spartanburg, South Carolina, since they never quite finished their business there. She said, "I would love to go back and revisit the town of Spartanburg. I would love to go to my hometown and Shangela and Eureka's hometowns. I would love to go international. Imagine the people we could help in Johannesburg and all around the world."
Whether or not the cast goes to one of those places remains to be seen, but it's interesting to hear the possibilities being thrown around. In the meantime, if you need to catch up on the previous season, all six episodes are available to stream on HBO Max. The first episode is also available through the official website for "We're Here" on HBO.