I am sure you all know that Netflix tends to cancel the best shows that have ever happened to them. Well, guess what, ladies and gents, they did it again.
“Boots” is a show on Netflix that was released in October 2025. It follows a closeted gay man named Cameron Cope, who has just graduated from high school and wants a change. He spontaneously joins the Marines with his best friend, Ray McAffey, who is the only one who knows about Cameron being gay.
The show takes place in 1990, when being gay in the military was a crime. If you were caught, you could get kicked out or even arrested. In 1994, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. As long as it was kept a secret, then you were safe. In 2011, it eventually became legal to be gay.
“Boots” did incredibly when it was first released on Netflix. It reached Number 2 on their weekly Top 10 list and accumulated just over 9.4 million views within the first two weeks. By the end of 2025, the show had over 30 million views. It is rated 90% on Rotten Tomatoes by both critics and standard viewers.
After hearing all of that, is anyone else confused as to why this absolute masterpiece got canceled? Because I sure am! The numbers were great, everyone was on board with making another season, but we were left on a big cliffhanger.
Maybe it got canceled because we are at war with Iran, or it was because of the show ending with the US going to war with Iran, which could cause some sort of conflict. No one really knows why it got canceled, but I have not heard of anyone being happy about it.
Everyone I have shown “Boots” to loved it. I really wish it had not been canceled. It truly is a great show. So much representation for queer people in the military, and the show is enjoyable for everyone. It is funny, serious and it really keeps your eyes glued to the screen.
My favorite scene from the entire season would be when Ochoa won a phone call home after being a shooting expert in the practice shooting range. He had the highest score, and he was not even expecting it. He then calls his wife, Gloria, that night and discovers that she has been cheating on him while he has been away at boot camp. He was so happy the entire show up until that call. He even told Cameron that he thought his wife was pregnant and that he had a child on the way.
The man who answered Gloria’s phone set Ochoa off, and Gloria hung up on him. He then walks out of the duty hut and walks towards his bed. Sergeant Howitt goes up to Ochoa and makes a joke that she is cheating on him. Ochoa then proceeded to say, “Fuck you, Howitt.” He then knocked the popcorn bucket out of his hand, which is when Howitt responds with incentivized training, but Ochoa overdoes it.
Howitt orders him multiple times to stop, which he does not do. Cameron then approaches and says that Ochoa is sick, and Ochoa yells at him to stay back. He then yells, “Is that what you want? Is this what it takes?” He then drops dead to the floor. Later on, we find out that Ochoa had a heart condition that he did not disclose to the Corps.
So much was set up for a season two, and we did not get it. I rewatch this show from time to time and reminisce on what could have been.