Netflix has canceled Boots after one season. The gay coming-of-age military drama received critical acclaim after its October debut, and fans were eager to see more from the series, especially after its final moments that were open-ended enough to keep the story going. The streamer has opted not to continue with the series, which was Norman Lear‘s last project before he died. After the Pentagon harshly criticized the show for having what it called an “ideological agenda,” the creator of Boots shared his thoughts on the show’s quick cultural impact with TV Insider.
Here, we’re breaking down everything you need to know.
Why did Netflix cancel Boots?
Based on Gregory Cope White’s The Pink Marine, Boots stars Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope, a closeted gay teen who joins the United States Marine Corps on a whim after high school graduation. He thinks that joining alongside his best friend, Ray (Liam Oh), will make it better. Cameron also massively underestimates how difficult boot camp would be. Reality hits him like a ton of bricks, especially after Sgt. Sullivan (Max Parker) puts extra pressure on the young recruit. In the early 1990s, when Boots is set, it’s still illegal to be gay in the military. Sullivan is being investigated for an alleged same-sex relationship, and he can sense that Cameron is queer, too. He tries to make Cameron quit by making his training harder, but Cameron rises to the occasion throughout the season and proves to himself and his commanding officers that he has what it takes to be a Marine.
The strong ensemble features its own dramatic turns as the story reveals the reasons for joining for each member of the squadron, as well as what happens to them during training. There are some comedic and downright tragic turns, and the season ends with the other boot dropping as the Gulf War begins.
Boots‘ cancellation was first reported by Deadline on December 15, two months after Season 1 came out in full. In addition to good reviews and positive fan reactions on social media, Boots reportedly had internal support at Netflix. The streamer and Sony Pictures Television (the studio that made the show) had discussions about continuing the series. These talks prompted Sony TV to extend the contract options for select stars, including series lead Heizer, Oh, Kieron Moore, Dominic Goodman, Angus O’Brien, Blake Burt, and Rico Paris. Parker’s character, Sgt. Sullivan, may not have returned in a second season, given how his plot ended in the first.
Extending the options for select cast members was a hopeful sign for the show’s future. Vera Farmiga, who plays Cameron’s frazzled mother, had a one-year deal for Boots with no option to extend, but the series was reportedly considering ways for her character to come back in a second season.
The 1990s-set military drama debuted on Netflix on Thursday, October 9, and it spent four weeks in the Netflix Top 10 after the premiere, peaking at No. 2. It brought in 9.4 million views during its first full week on Netflix, doubling its viewership total from premiere week, per Deadline.
What did the Pentagon say about Boots?
Netflix
Heizer had expressed interest in making more Boots, and the show has gotten a lot of attention. Unfortunately, some of it was negative. The Pentagon issued a statement slamming the series for depicting what life was like for gay people in the military in the 1990s (oh, the horror). Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told Entertainment Weekly that Netflix was pushing an “ideological agenda.”
“Under President Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, the U.S. military is getting back to restoring the warrior ethos,” Wilson’s statement said. “Our standards across the board are elite, uniform, and sex neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being doesn’t care if you’re a man, a woman, gay, or straight.” Trump issued an executive order during the first month of his second term that says transgender and nonbinary people are banned from military service. The Supreme Court later upheld the discriminatory policy in May, thus beginning the ban, which comes with few exceptions.
The creator of Boots responded to the Pentagon’s statement to TV Insider in late October.
“I can’t speak to the controversy or what the Pentagon thinks about the show,” creator and co-showrunner Andy Parker said. “For me, what is exciting to see is just how many people are responding to the show. That level of response and connection has been incredible. And to be honest with you, not something that I anticipated. I knew the show would find an audience. I think it has a voice and an emotion and an appeal to people’s humanity that I think people are really hungry for right now. But I truly did not expect this kind of response.”
Parker hoped that Boots‘ message of unity would ring true for all viewers.
“Yeah, it’s about a gay kid who joins the military in 1990. That is the headline that I think some people are impulsively reacting to,” he said. “But I think what is underneath that story is this universal story [about] all of these other guys that Cameron meets along the way of transformation, experiencing obstacles and finding connections with people you didn’t think you would have. There’s a hopeful message in that there about our resilience and our opportunity as a country to find a connection again.”
Fans on Reddit wanted more from this story, and they feared that Netflix would capitulate to the pressure from the Pentagon’s public statement. There’s no confirmation that that pressure is what prompted this cancellation.
“Boots has easily been one of my favorite Netflix shows of 2025 (honestly, maybe my favorite overall),” they posted on Reddit. “They definitely left us on a cliffhanger, and I’m curious if anyone else thinks Netflix will renew it for another season? I really hope they do. There’s still so much to explore with the characters, and I’d love to see more of Cam’s journey as a gay man in the Marines. His character development has been one of the most interesting parts of the show.”
“That said, Netflix can be unpredictable when it comes to renewals (I’m still not over Mindhunter, The Society, and 1899 being canceled),” the comment continued. “Plus, with the Pentagon’s criticism of the show, I worry Netflix might shy away from continuing it. Still, Boots was genuinely excellent and absolutely deserves a season 2. What do you all think?”
“I’m obsessed. I love this show and sobbed at the last episode. We need a second season,” one reply said.
Another said that it was a realistic portrayal of ’90s military life, but they think the story is enough as is.
“Loved the show, joined the army in ‘94, and brought back a lot of memories. By FAR the best real depiction of the military imo,” they wrote. “I don’t think it needs a second season, especially if it was based on a standalone book.”
One viewer watched it with their son and hopes that Netflix doesn’t “bow down to the current administration” by canceling it after one season.
“My teenage son and I watched it in two evenings. We both enjoyed it. I think it was a really valuable lesson for him to understand what gay people have to go through in the military,” they wrote. “We live in a pretty conservative area, so I try to expose him to diverse lifestyles and viewpoints to counteract the MAGA morals of some of his classmates. I hope Netflix doesn’t bow down to the current administration like Disney has.”
Boots was the last project from the late Lear. Production was delayed by the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and then it wrapped filming in August 2024. It would be over a year before the series finally premiered on the streamer.
Boots, Season 1 Available Now, Netflix
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