Netflix has decided not to move forward with a second season of Boots, the military coming-of-age comedy-drama and the final project from legendary producer Norman Lear. The cancellation comes more than two months after the eight-episode first season debuted on the streaming platform.
Despite strong critical reception—earning a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and viewers—and respectable viewership numbers, Netflix opted not to continue the series. The show had internal support, and discussions between Netflix and studio Sony Pictures Television examined long-term audience engagement before the decision. Sony had even extended contracts in August for key cast members, including Miles Heizer, Liam Oh, Kieron Moore, Dominic Goodman, Angus O’Brien, Blake Burt, and Rico Paris, in hopes of securing a second season. However, Netflix’s exclusivity terms make it difficult for outside studios to shop a canceled series elsewhere.
Created by Andy Parker and inspired by Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine, Boots follows closeted recruit Cameron Cope (Heizer) and his straight best friend Ray McAffey (Oh) as they join a diverse group of U.S. Marine Corps recruits in 1990, when being gay in the military was illegal. The ensemble navigates the literal and figurative challenges of boot camp, forming unlikely bonds and discovering their true selves under intense pressure.
The series faced a delayed production timeline. Greenlit in May 2023 while Lear, a decorated World War II veteran, was still alive, filming began that summer but paused for a week due to Hollywood strikes. Production resumed in March 2024 and wrapped in August, after Lear passed away in December 2023 at 101. Scheduling delays stretched into the new presidential administration, coinciding with changing public discourse on the series’s subject matter.
Boots gained attention for its timely themes and cultural impact, averaging 9.4 million views in its first full week after the Pentagon criticized it as “woke garbage.” The series spent four weeks in Netflix’s Top 10, peaking at number two. The ensemble cast also includes Max Parker, Vera Farmiga, Cedrick Cooper, Ana Ayora, and Nicholas Logan. Jennifer Cecil served as showrunner and executive producer, with Andy Parker as co-showrunner, while Lear and Brent Miller, along with Rachel Davidson, Scott Hornbacher, and Peter Hoar, also executive-produced.
The cancellation ends Boots’ journey, coming after Netflix recently renewed Tyler Perry’s Beauty In Black for a third and final season and the Season 3 renewal of Nobody Wants This.