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HBO Max renews ballroom competition series ‘Legendary’ for a second season

Kyle Jackson

HBO Max has renewed the reality competition series Legendary, which shines the spotlight on queer ballroom culture, for another season. Get ready to be served even more face, body and vogueing! 

Ballroom legend Leiomy Maldonado, fashion stylist Law Roach, actress Jameela Jamil and rapper Megan Thee Stallion are set to return as judges, with Dashaun Wesley reprising his role as ballroom MC.

The news comes as the final two episodes drop on the streamer today. The current season takes place in New York, the home of ballroom culture, but will make its way across the country to Los Angeles for its sophomore run.

Legendary celebrates ballroom culture as a subculture that served as a safe haven for the LGBTQ community, primarily for Black and Latinx people, who were disowned at home or made outcasts by society. Ballroom culture first gained widespread attention after the success of Jennie Livingston’s 1990 documentary film Paris is Burning, and Madonna’s 1990 smash-hit single “Vogue”. 

The series brings the culture back to the masses as we see families or “Houses” fashion and dance challenges including vogueing for the chance to snatch the trophy and win a cash prize.

In the first season, Legendary featured eight voguing houses: House of Balmain, House of Escada, House of Gucci, House of Lanvin, House of Ninja, House of Ebony, House of St. Laurent and House of West. Each house included five performers and a leader affectionately called the house mother.

The teams compete in a competition that documents a themed ball every episode from start to finish. Throughout each episode, we learn more about each House and their performers as they tell us their moving and inspirational backstories.

“Legendary was an HBO Max, day one premiere,” said Kevin Reilly, Chief Content Officer at HBO Max, President, TNT, TBS and truTV. “We knew we had something special and are proud that critics and audiences alike have embraced the series. Bringing this incredible world back for a second season furthers our commitment to high quality, compelling storytelling.”

“Our goal is to continue showcasing the exuberant and dynamic world of ballroom through the omnicultural stories of its most talented houses,” said Rob Eric, Scout Productions’ Chief Creative Officer and executive producer.

Kyle Jackson

Kyle Jackson (He/Him) is Senior Staff Writer at Gray Jones Media, and additionally works as a writer, editor and theatre artist/actor. A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, he studied at Dillard University, received a BA in Theatre from Morgan State University, an MS in Arts Administration from Drexel University, and completed the British American Drama Academy’s Midsummer in Oxford Programme in 2017. Having lived in Baltimore, the Washington, DC area, Philadelphia and New York City, he now resides and works in London, United Kingdom.

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