Why It’s Frustrating That Netflix Cancelled ‘Boots’

Netflix has made the decision to cancel its original series Boots after one season. The TV show was based on The Pink Marine written by Greg Cope White, and followed the story of a young gay man in the US Marine Corps. 

This coming-of-age story was a huge feat for the LGBTQ+ community, including gay writers such as Andy Parker and Dominic Colón, as well as a cast full of queer actors including Miles Heizer, Max Parker, Sachin Bhatt, Angus O’Brien and Jack Cameron Kay. 

Set in the 1990s, a time when being openly gay in the military was illegal, this story follows a young, closeted teen named Cameron Cope (played by Heizer), who joins the US Marine Corps with his friend Ray McAffey (played by Liam Oh). Despite the hostility that queer people faced at the time, the boys learn to embrace themselves and form lifelong bonds, all while trying to navigate the trials and tribulations of military boot camp.

Not only did this show do an amazing job of telling the unique stories of queer men, but it also gave a voice to other minorities on screen. Many Black, Hispanic and Asian actors were featured throughout the show and they were all given unique and nuanced storylines. It was an incredible example of good representation on TV. 

So there’s no surprise that people are outraged at Netflix’s decision to cancel Boots. Before the cancellation was announced, Heizer mentioned in an interview with Variety that he was super enthusiastic about the possibility of future seasons, and the opportunity to share even more queer stories in the military.

He said: “There are a lot of stories to tell, from more of Greg’s different experiences in the Marines to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, to when it was repealed.”

And he has a very valid point. It’s only in relatively recent years that queer and POC stories have started being taken seriously and told in authentic ways, and to keep that momentum going we need all the good representation we can get. Boots not only offered that quality representation through an authentic story, but it immediately became a huge hit with audiences upon its release in October of this year. Based on its popularity, it seemed very likely that the show would be renewed for a second season, but now people are wondering who Netflix was really pandering to when they decided to pull it. 

Recently, the Pentagon’s press secretary Kingsley Wilson publicly referred to the show as “woke garbage”, and berated Netflix for apparently producing these shows just to “satisfy an ideological agenda.” 

Speaking about the US military, Wilson added: “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, woman, gay or straight.”

His attempt at trying to paint the US military leadership as “neutral” or accepting in any way doesn’t really land well when he’s simultaneously slamming a piece of media that promotes diversity and shows us a glimpse of the experiences queer people in the military face. In order for queer people or POC to be comfortable and safe in the military (and in lots of other fields), we need to be open to learning about their stories and experiences, from today and the past. That’s why representation is so important on screen.

Shame on Netflix for cancelling the terrific series BOOTS, based on Greg Cope White’s wonderful memoir THE PINK MARINE, after a single season. The show was critically hailed and consistently appeared in the streamer’s Top Ten shows. A cowardly decision

— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) December 16, 2025

Many people are outraged at Netflix’s decision and believe that they are pandering to the agenda of the far-right, specifically the MAGA administration in the US. While the cast and writers behind the show have taken the news very gracefully, announcing their gratitude for the support the show received and the chance to represent queer stories, others online have been less kind, and can you blame them?

Writer Paul Rudnick wrote on X: “Shame on Netflix for cancelling the terrific series BOOTS, based on Greg Cope White’s wonderful memoir THE PINK MARINE, after a single season. The show was critically hailed and consistently appeared in the streamer’s Top Ten shows. A cowardly decision.”

Other watchers expressed their disappointment at Netflix’s habit of cancelling or removing great shows. One user wrote: “With Netflix y’all need to wait for season 2 of a show to be announced to start watching something.”

Fans are really not happy about this decision, and accompanied with the Warner Bros controversy, it doesn’t look like Netflix is in anyone’s good books right now.