diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/BarChartPanel.tsx b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/BarChartPanel.tsx
index 2289c9f2428..8820d009485 100755
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/BarChartPanel.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/BarChartPanel.tsx
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ export const BarChartPanel: React.FunctionComponent<Props> = ({ data, options, w
   }, [options]); // change every time the options object changes (while editing)
 
   const structureRev = useMemo(() => {
-    const f0 = info.viz;
+    const f0 = info.viz[0];
     const f1 = frame0Ref.current;
     if (!(f0 && f1 && compareDataFrameStructures(f0, f1, true))) {
       structureRef.current++;
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ export const BarChartPanel: React.FunctionComponent<Props> = ({ data, options, w
     }
   }, [height, options.xTickLabelRotation, options.xTickLabelMaxLength]);
 
-  if (!info.viz?.fields.length) {
+  if (!info.viz[0]?.fields.length) {
     return <PanelDataErrorView panelId={id} data={data} message={info.warn} needsNumberField={true} />;
   }
 
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ export const BarChartPanel: React.FunctionComponent<Props> = ({ data, options, w
       }
     }
 
-    return <PlotLegend data={[info.viz]} config={config} maxHeight="35%" maxWidth="60%" {...options.legend} />;
+    return <PlotLegend data={info.viz} config={config} maxHeight="35%" maxWidth="60%" {...options.legend} />;
   };
 
   const rawValue = (seriesIdx: number, valueIdx: number) => {
@@ -233,14 +233,14 @@ export const BarChartPanel: React.FunctionComponent<Props> = ({ data, options, w
       rawValue,
       getColor,
       fillOpacity,
-      allFrames: [info.viz],
+      allFrames: info.viz,
     });
   };
 
   return (
     <GraphNG
       theme={theme}
-      frames={[info.viz]}
+      frames={info.viz}
       prepConfig={prepConfig}
       propsToDiff={propsToDiff}
       preparePlotFrame={(f) => f[0]} // already processed in by the panel above!
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/module.tsx b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/module.tsx
index 3efced85fb8..3dc4e97dbbb 100755
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/module.tsx
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/module.tsx
@@ -69,9 +69,10 @@ export const plugin = new PanelPlugin<PanelOptions, BarChartFieldConfig>(BarChar
   .setPanelOptions((builder, context) => {
     const disp = prepareBarChartDisplayValues(context.data, config.theme2, context.options ?? ({} as any));
     let xaxisPlaceholder = 'First string or time field';
-    if (disp.viz?.fields?.length) {
-      const first = disp.viz.fields[0];
-      xaxisPlaceholder += ` (${getFieldDisplayName(first, disp.viz)})`;
+    const viz = disp.viz ? disp.viz[0] : undefined;
+    if (viz?.fields?.length) {
+      const first = viz.fields[0];
+      xaxisPlaceholder += ` (${getFieldDisplayName(first, viz)})`;
     }
 
     builder
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/types.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/types.ts
index ba8cb9f69b9..c91940d7c09 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/types.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/types.ts
@@ -7,8 +7,11 @@ export interface BarChartDisplayValues {
   /** All fields joined */
   aligned: DataFrame;
 
-  /** The fields we can display, first field is X axis */
-  viz: DataFrame;
+  /**
+   * The fields we can display, first field is X axis.
+   * This needs to be an array to avoid extra re-initialization in GraphNG
+   */
+  viz: [DataFrame];
 
   /** Potentialy color by a field value */
   colorByField?: Field;
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.test.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.test.ts
index 482c9c09f47..6fdfbbbd107 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.test.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.test.ts
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ describe('BarChart utils', () => {
       });
       const result = prepareBarChartDisplayValues([df], createTheme(), { stacking: StackingMode.None } as any);
 
-      const field = result.viz.fields[1];
+      const field = result.viz[0].fields[1];
       expect(field!.values.toArray()).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
       Array [
         -10,
@@ -209,19 +209,19 @@ describe('BarChart utils', () => {
 
       const resultAsc = prepareBarChartDisplayValues([frame], createTheme(), {
         legend: { sortBy: 'Min', sortDesc: false },
-      } as any);
-      expect(resultAsc.viz.fields[0].type).toBe(FieldType.string);
-      expect(resultAsc.viz.fields[1].name).toBe('a');
-      expect(resultAsc.viz.fields[2].name).toBe('c');
-      expect(resultAsc.viz.fields[3].name).toBe('b');
+      } as any).viz[0];
+      expect(resultAsc.fields[0].type).toBe(FieldType.string);
+      expect(resultAsc.fields[1].name).toBe('a');
+      expect(resultAsc.fields[2].name).toBe('c');
+      expect(resultAsc.fields[3].name).toBe('b');
 
       const resultDesc = prepareBarChartDisplayValues([frame], createTheme(), {
         legend: { sortBy: 'Min', sortDesc: true },
-      } as any);
-      expect(resultDesc.viz.fields[0].type).toBe(FieldType.string);
-      expect(resultDesc.viz.fields[1].name).toBe('b');
-      expect(resultDesc.viz.fields[2].name).toBe('c');
-      expect(resultDesc.viz.fields[3].name).toBe('a');
+      } as any).viz[0];
+      expect(resultDesc.fields[0].type).toBe(FieldType.string);
+      expect(resultDesc.fields[1].name).toBe('b');
+      expect(resultDesc.fields[2].name).toBe('c');
+      expect(resultDesc.fields[3].name).toBe('a');
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.ts b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.ts
index 0e33b97acf9..992138a0753 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.ts
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/barchart/utils.ts
@@ -434,10 +434,12 @@ export function prepareBarChartDisplayValues(
   return {
     aligned: frame,
     colorByField,
-    viz: {
-      length: firstField.values.length,
-      fields: fields, // ideally: fields.filter((f) => !Boolean(f.config.custom?.hideFrom?.viz)),
-    },
+    viz: [
+      {
+        length: firstField.values.length,
+        fields: fields, // ideally: fields.filter((f) => !Boolean(f.config.custom?.hideFrom?.viz)),
+      },
+    ],
   };
 }