With voguing competition series Legendary, David Collins aimed to evolve the brand he’d created over the years with acclaimed reality series like Queer Eye, providing “transformation through information, told with comedy that has heart.”
Debuting on HBO Max in May—as one of the centerpiece shows to launch the streaming service—Legendary takes a deep dive into the world of ball culture, spotlighting various voguing teams, as they compete in fashion and dance challenges, with a $100,000 prize on the line.
Over the years, with Queer Eye, three-time Emmy winner Collins has enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQ community. And with Legendary, the EP’s goal was to place “this beautiful, bright spotlight” on a community that is even more marganizaled.
For Collins, the inspiration behind the series came after he was invited to a ball in West Hollywood. “Renata [Lombardo] and Shant [Tutunjian] are executive producers on the show, and they’re the ones that came to the table and said, ‘Hey, let’s go check this out,’” the Scout Productions co-founder says. “They had forewarned me that, ‘It’s not a big ball, but we really want you to come.’”
When Collins got to the ball, he learned that what his colleagues had told him was true. “There was probably 100 people at best,” he recalls. “It was folding tables and bright overhead lighting, nothing club-like or cool about it.”
Nonetheless, at this ball, he ended up having the time of his life…