Exclusive: Neil Patrick Harris and Husband David Burtka Dish on Drag Me to Dinner

Dear ones, dinner is being served. But keep your napkins handy. You may need them to cover your mouths from uproarious laughter. Or not. Either way, the new Hulu romp, Drag Me To Dinner, from creators/producers Neil Patrick Harris and husband David Burtka delivers a clever if not lighthearted take on reality show competitions. Where RuPaul offered a platform for drag queens to strut their stuff, here, Harris and Burtka rely on their LGBTQ+ friends to sashay themselves into the kitchen and dining room to pull off the ultimate soirée. Tasty? Indeed.

With episode titles like Big Bottom, Big Top, and Beach Blanket Bing-Ho, viewers can expect plenty of comedy as two pairs of drag queens compete in each episode to create the best meal and themed “party” — cocktails, decorations, and all. Drag sensation Bianca Del Rio is on board as one of the judges. Murray Hill steps into hosting duties. Haneefah Wood (Hello Tomorrow) adds some comedic zest as the queens vie for a fabulous grand prize.

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka shared more about the show with MovieWeb in an exclusive video interview. Note the highlights below.

A Fresh Take on Realty Shows

Real-life couple Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka had long been planning something like Drag Me to Dinner, which features a bevy of drag sensations like Jasmine Rice, Trinity the Tuck, Kiki Ball-Change, Morgan McMichaels, and many others.

“We’ve been trying to launch this since pre-pandemic,” noted Harris. “We’ve been fans of drag performers and the drag community. And David spent a lot of his time in his late teens and early 20s in the Lower East Side, hanging out with Queens. I was Hedwig on Broadway for a minute. So, we feel kinship to the performers. And if anything, we had seen a limited scope of Queens getting able to perform on TV on their own terms.”

He also mused about many competition shows where drag queens are eliminated and fearful that they would do something wrong, then not be on the show again. “We thought, wouldn’t it be great to create content where they had agency; where they were sort of co-producing and they knew that they could present themselves the way they wanted to be seen?” asked Harris rhetorically.

“We love drag and competition shows. For a big part of my life, I was in the lifestyle food world with my own Food Network show and hosted a lot,” added Burtka, “so, it seemed like a really good matchup to bring together in one huge ball of craziness. Chaotic fun.”

“Drag queens are very watchable,” Harris quickly noted before Burkta quipped: “Well, good drag queens. The comedy queens really are.”

Striking Comedy Gold with Great Queens

As Burtka noted in the video interview, he and Harris felt “lucky” to have attracted such great talent. “Hulu has been so kind in terms of whoever we brought to the table. They’d be like, ‘Yes, we love them. We trust you.’ Our dream team was Bianca, Haneefah, and Murray as the core. Then every queen we reached out to, they said yes.”

He went on to explain how he and Harris wanted a mix of well-known queens and girls viewers might not really know. “Jackie Beat and Sherry Vine have been around for ages, but because shows with drag don’t celebrate the older generation, we were able to get them, and I’m so glad that Jackie’s getting the recognition that she deserves.”

Throughout the reality show’s 10 episodes, the gals do everything from decorating a room to preparing meals. The latter generates plenty of laughs. Host Murray Hill delivers some great lines, too, such as, “This is a show where if you find a hair, it’s probably synthetic. So don’t swallow.” Or, “Trinity, where do you see yourself in five years?” To which drag star Trinity The Tuck muses, “Probably on my second husband… running away with the pool boy.”

But wait, there’s more. In one episode, Bianca Del Rio comments: “I thought this drink was offensive, then I saw your faces!” The barbs fly here, honey. Meanwhile, each set of queens get two hunky fellas to “help” them in their endeavors. A nice touch: Trivia and other homemaker tips.

“Most of our lives has have been spent creating content we think people will enjoy,” said Harris of he and Burtka. “With Drag Me To Dinner, we want people to have a laugh and enjoy themselves. Life is filled with so much swiping and chaos. I really thought it would be fun to sit back and enjoy a show where you can be with your friends. You’ll leave with your face hurting from smiling so much. It’s undeniable that drag queens make parties better. And we’re happy to show that.”

Catch Drag Me To Dinner exclusively on Hulu May 31.