Will Not Return for Season 2

BOOTS. (L to R) Liam Oh as Ray McAffey and Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope in Episode 108 of Boots. Cr. Patti Perret/Netflix © 2024

Unfortunately for fans of Boots, we won’t get to see Cameron Cope in action just as he earned his place in the Marine Corps, as Netflix has cancelled the series after only one season. Here’s everything we know about the cancellation.

The story so far has stayed quite close to Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine, turning the world of 1990s boot camp into a nuanced coming-of-age drama about survival, identity, and friendship. If the series returns, it will have to move beyond the memoir and show what comes after graduation, and what it meant to serve as a closeted gay Marine at the dawn of the Gulf War.

Will Netflix Renew Boots for a Season 2?

Official Renewal Status: Cancelled

A second season of Boots would have taken the series into original territory, as Greg Cope White’s memoir ended with boot camp graduation. There had evidently been plans from the production team for a second season, as Sony had “extended” the option of many of the series’ cast members. 

Miles Heizer had publicly expressed his interest in a second season, thanks to an interview with Decider:

I would do literally anything for Season 2. I think that would be very interesting to explore in Season 2, especially for Cameron, who really was just running away from his family and wanted to be with his best friend. Suddenly realizing this is a very serious decision.

Unfortunately, fans won’t be getting a second season of Boots, as Deadline confirms the cancellation and reports it was not a “straightforward” decision. The series, which earned the respect of critics and audiences, had strong internal support, and Netflix had held conversations with Sony Pictures Television, but ultimately decided not to renew it.

How well did Boots perform on Netflix?

The series spent four weeks on the global top ten list, reaching 2nd place. In total, the series amassed 23.9 million views and over 140 million viewing hours. 

Here’s how season 1 stacks up against a bunch of other show premieres from the past few years:

We’ll have more to cover on the viewership front in the weeks to come!

What to Expect From Boot Season 2

Where Boots Left Us

Boots ended its first season with Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer) surviving the grind of Marine boot camp in 1990, hiding his sexuality while clinging to a private mantra: lock it up. Over eight episodes, he endured brutal training, brief camaraderie, and tragedy, including the death of a fellow recruit. He rose to squad leader, was humiliated, earned a wary mentorship from Sergeant Sullivan (Max Parker), and forged a fragile brotherhood with Ray, Nash, Santos, and the Bowman twins.

Everything was built to the Crucible, a 54-hour final test. Cameron and Ray pushed each other and their platoon across the finish line. Just as Cameron was about to graduate, his mother revealed a paperwork error that could void his enlistment. Offered a way out, he chose to stay, determined to claim his place without losing his identity. The season closed with the platoon celebrating as news broke that Iraq had invaded Kuwait and U.S. forces were preparing for war.

BOOTS. (L to R) Blake Burt as John Bowman, Zach Roerig as Knox, and Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope in Episode 101 of Boots. Cr. Alfonso “Pompo” Bresciani/Netflix © 2023

Where Season 2 Could Go

Season 1 was closely tied to Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine and to the real structure of Marine training. The final scene, U.S. troops preparing to deploy to Saudi Arabia, signals a shift from boot camp to the wider military.

In the early 1990s, new Marines didn’t go straight from Parris Island to war. After graduation, they attended the School of Infantry, full infantry training or a shorter combat skills course, and then their MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) school before joining permanent units. A second season could either follow this step-by-step path or use a time jump to move closer to the Gulf War build-up.

A time jump would also let the writers place the story nearer to the 1992 Gulf War combat phase and the political changes that followed. By 1993 the U.S. adopted the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which officially barred openly gay service members but prohibited the military from asking about sexual orientation. It was meant as a compromise, but still forced LGBTQ troops to stay closeted and risk discharge if discovered. Moving the timeline forward could bring these shifting rules directly into Cameron’s story, showing how a gay Marine had to navigate new “protection” that was, in practice, another form of silence.

It would also open space to expand the canvas beyond one platoon, showing Marines at different bases and how the institution treated women and recruits of color once they left the closed world of boot camp. Season 1 only hinted at these realities, Captain Fajardo’s struggle for respect, and glimpses of other training companies, but stayed centered on Cameron’s class. Broadening the scope would feel natural.

BOOTS. (L to R) Vera Farmiga as Barb Cope and Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope in Episode 108 of Boots. Cr. Alfonso “Pompo” Bresciani/Netflix © 2023

Is Sullivan’s Story Over?

Sergeant Sullivan remains one of Boots’ most compelling figures. A decorated Recon Marine hardened by years of hiding, he spent the season pushing Cameron to survive what once broke him. But the finale left him at rock bottom:

• NCIS reopened its investigation into his past relationship with Major Wilkinson.
• He learned Wilkinson was charged under the military’s ban on gay service members.
• Shaken, he got drunk, called Captain Fajardo in despair, and assaulted a civilian outside a bar, an act that triggered felony charges and likely a dishonorable discharge.

On screen, that feels like an exit. Yet Captain Fajardo urged him to fight the charges, leaving a narrative door cracked open. Bringing Sullivan back would give Cameron a mentor as he faces the wider Marine Corps, and let the show continue exploring what closeting and institutional homophobia cost an otherwise brilliant Marine.

Are you sad that Boots has been cancelled at Netflix after only one season? Let us know in the comments below!