Netflix cancels military drama 'Boots' after one season despite strong reviews and ratings

Netflix has chosen not to commission a second season of Boots, bringing the military coming-of-age comedy-drama to an end after a single eight-episode run on the streaming platform.

The decision comes more than two months after the series launched and was not described as a straightforward cancellation.

The show, which marked the final project from legendary producer Norman Lear, was well reviewed and recorded a 90 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and audiences. It also achieved respectable viewing figures and generated wider cultural discussion following its release.

According to sources familiar with the process, Boots had internal backing at Netflix, with discussions held between the streamer and Sony Pictures Television while long-term viewing data was assessed. In an effort to improve the programme’s prospects, Sony extended options on several principal cast members earlier this year, including Miles Heizer, Liam Oh and Kieron Moore.

However, Netflix’s exclusivity terms make it virtually impossible for cancelled series to be shopped elsewhere.

Created by Andy Parker and inspired by Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine, Boots follows Cameron Cope, a closeted recruit navigating life in the US Marine Corps in 1990, when being gay in the military was illegal. The series explores friendship, identity and survival within the pressures of boot camp.

The production faced a prolonged journey to screen. It was greenlit in May 2023 and began filming that summer before being halted by the Hollywood strikes. Production resumed in March 2024 and wrapped in August, months after Lear’s death in December 2023 at the age of 101.

Following its debut, the series averaged 9.4 million views during its first full week and spent four weeks in Netflix’s Top 10, peaking at number two. Attention intensified after the Pentagon criticised the show as “woke garbage”, a comment that coincided with a spike in viewership.

The cancellation concludes a notable chapter in Lear’s television legacy.