Netflix has just canceled one of the best and most controversial series of 2025

Netflix chose not to continue with the Boots plot, canceling the series after just one season. The news about the end of the military drama was anticipated by the website Deadline on Monday (15). The decision was not seen as simple, as the production had internal support and delivered satisfactory audience ratings. However, it caused controversy.

The plot, which is based on the memoir The Pink Marine, by former Marine Greg Cope White, takes place in 1990. At that time, the presence of openly gay people in the United States army was illegal. The show follows Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer), a closeted and aimless teenager, who impulsively enlists in the Marine Corps with his straight best friend, Ray McAffey (Liam Oh).

They join a diverse group of recruits and must navigate the physical and social obstacles of boot camp in an extreme environment designed to test their limits.

In terms of reception, the Netflix series was widely praised. Boots reached the 90% approval rating, both from critics and the public, on the Rotten Tomatoes aggregator.

The production also had a good audience performance on the platform, remaining four weeks in the Top 10 of the streaming service and reaching its peak of second position. The show demonstrated its appeal by racking up an average of 9.4 million views in its first full week of availability, which was double its debut total.

Boots controversies

Despite its success among viewers and critics, the program generated a major controversy with the Pentagon, the US Department of Defense. The controversy arose when the series, focused on LGBTQIAPN+ themes, caught the attention of the government body. Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson issued a statement in which he criticized the streaming service for its “ideological agenda,” asserting that Netflix leadership consistently produces and distributes “woke trash” to its audience.

The spokesperson explained that under the administration of Donald Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth, the American military was focusing on “restoring the warrior spirit.” He emphasized that the military’s elite standards are “uniform and gender-neutral,” as the physical requirement does not care whether a person is “male, female, gay or straight.” However, Wilson made clear that authorities would not “compromise our standards to satisfy an ideological agenda.”

Boots ends its journey as an acclaimed drama, which managed to inspire and create emotional connections with the public, but which was interrupted, raising questions about the influence of external factors on Netflix’s cancellation policy. The company is in the midst of a process, which depends on political approval, to complete the purchase of Warner Bros.