Miles Heizer Responds to Netflix’s Cancellation of Queer Military Drama 'Boots'

Netflix has decided not to renew the queer military drama "Boots" for a second season, ending the series just two months after its debut on the platform. The eight-episode show, which premiered in 2025, followed a closeted gay teenager who joins the United States Marines in the 1990s, at a time when being openly gay in the military was still illegal.

Based on former U.S. Marine Greg Cope White’s memoir "The Pink Marine", Boots was created by Andy Parker and starred Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope, alongside a cast that included Max Parker and Liam Oh. The series was also notable as the final television project executive produced by veteran producer Norman Lear before his death in 2023.

Miles Heizer addressed the cancellation in an Instagram post on 2025-12-17, telling followers he was “sad to report that Boots isn’t being renewed for a second season.” He thanked viewers “for the overwhelming love and support they gave this show,” adding that the response “truly shattered my expectations.”

Heizer used his statement to situate Boots within a broader LGBTQ+ lineage, explicitly thanking “the LGBTQ+ community that came before me, who fought for a world where a show like this could get made.” He reflected on growing up “so afraid of what being gay would mean” for his life and described feeling “uplifted and supported” by the reception to the series.

Heizer acknowledged his emotions directly, saying he was “pretty disappointed we won’t be returning” but emphasizing that the friendships formed on set and even being labelled “woke garbage” by the Pentagon were things he would “cherish for the rest of life.” He closed by calling his involvement in the series a “privilege” and saying he was “eternally grateful” for the opportunity.

The cancellation prompted immediate criticism from fans, writers and LGBTQ+ audiences, especially because Boots had performed strongly on the platform. According to reported internal figures, the series debuted with 9.4 million views in its first week, and its audience doubled in the second week. Boots went on to spend four weeks in Netflix’s global top 10, reaching as high as number two. Commentator Paul Rudnick criticised the decision on X/Twitter , calling it “cowardly” and noting that the show was “critically hailed” and “consistently appeared in the streamer’s Top Ten shows.”

Reporting by Deadline, cited by LGBTQ+ outlets, indicated that Boots’ cancellation was not a “straightforward” decision, noting that the series had “internal support” at Netflix and that the company held discussions with studio Sony Pictures while analyzing long-tail viewership data before opting not to renew. Netflix had not issued a detailed public explanation at the time of these reports.

Controversy around the show intensified after statements from the United States Department of Defense. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson described Boots as “woke garbage” in comments to Entertainment Weekly, citing concerns about what he framed as an ideological agenda. The remarks referenced the series’ focus on a gay teenager entering the Marines and argued that the military “will not compromise our standards to satisfy an ideological agenda.”

Coverage in LGBTQ+ media underscored that Boots is set in the early 1990s, before the introduction of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” when being openly gay in the U.S. military remained grounds for discharge and could place service members at risk. Commentators highlighted that the show contributed to a growing body of screen stories centring gay and queer service members, a population historically marginalized in both military policy and mainstream media narratives.

For many LGBTQ+ viewers, Boots’ cancellation has raised concerns about the longevity of inclusive storytelling on major platforms, particularly when such projects foreground queer characters in institutional settings like the armed forces. Heizer’s public thanks to earlier generations of LGBTQ+ activists positioned the series as part of an ongoing cultural shift, even as its screen life ends after a single season.