The Pentagon called it “woke garbage.” Viewership then doubled.
That is the short version of how Netflix’s Boots got noticed. The series premiered on October 9, 2025, and follows Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer), a gay teenager from Louisiana hiding who he is as he follows his best friend, Ray McAffey (Liam Oh), into the Marines. The year is 1990, and the military excludes gay people from service. Boot camp under Sergeant Sullivan (Max Parker), a drill instructor who takes a special interest in Cameron, is hard enough without that secret.
From memoir to series
Andy Parker created the show and adapted The Pink Marine, Greg Cope White’s memoir of his own time as a closeted recruit. White is a writer and executive producer on the series and served six years in the Corps, rising to sergeant. Norman Lear, who mentored him, is among the executive producers. Parker has described the pitch as “Full Metal Jacket told by David Sedaris.”
The series takes liberties. White was a Texan, not a Louisianan, and his book is set in 1979 at Parris Island. The show moves the story to 1990. Eight episodes follow Cameron’s platoon, each giving time to different recruits, and they build to a final test called “The Crucible.”
Vera Farmiga, Ana Ayora, Blake Burt, Cedrick Cooper, Dominic Goodman, Nicholas Logan, Kieron Moore, Angus O’Brien and Rico Paris round out the main cast. Production started in summer 2023, stopped after a week because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, and wrapped in August 2024.
Reviews and backlash
Critics were mostly kind. Rotten Tomatoes reported a 90% approval rating from 40 reviews, and Metacritic gave it 73 out of 100. USA Today’s Kelly Lawler called it “a sweet and funny new dramedy” and “the hidden gem TV show of the year.”
Not everyone agreed. Nandini Balial of RogerEbert.com argued the show was “an oversimplification of what military life was and is actually like for queer service members, despite the creators’ best intentions.”
The loudest objection came from the top of the Defense Department. Secretary Pete Hegseth was openly critical, and one of his spokespersons used the “woke garbage” line. Conservatives complained as well.
Netflix canceled the show after one season, on December 12, 2025.
