Boots creator Andy Parker credits the United States government calling the series "woke garbage" for its Netflix success. The military comedy-drama follows Miles Heizer as Cameron Cope, a closeted gay teenager in the 1990s who joins his best friend in the US Marine Corps. Boots is based on a true story, the memoir The Pink Marine by Greg Cope White.
Despite incredibly positive critic reviews for Boots, the show has been criticized by the US government for its themes. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been openly critical of the show, with Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson calling the series "woke garbage" in a critical statement. Since then, its viewership has skyrocketed, becoming another hit for the streaming platform.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Parker credited Wilson's statement about Boots for its rise up Netflix's streaming charts. The series creator explained how the approach to LGBTQ+ military members in the show wasn't overtly political, wanting to approach the politics involved "in a nuanced way." He also said he doubted the Pentagon viewed the series based on Wilson's statement:
I guess we have to give some credit to the Pentagon there, don’t we?
I certainly never set out to make anything that was propaganda and I really reject the idea that it is. The fact that we seem to be situated between these two different sides is evidence of how the show wants to approach these really thorny, interesting questions. [Boots] is trying to navigate this in a nuanced way that isn’t so overtly strident in its attacks or in its politics. I think it’s after something more subtle,” said Parker.
I would be very surprised if the Pentagon actually watched the show. The premise itself instigates or incites some kind of reaction or assumptions. What I would invite people to do is to watch the show, and see how they feel about the questions the show is trying to provoke.
Parker went on to describe how the show was trying to showcase a realistic view of the military, with a focus on the humanity Cameron and his fellow recruits had. The creative did liken Cameron's story to the political prejudice transgender service members are facing now, explaining the kinds of questions the show is asking about the military overall:
We were on an emotional mission. There’s politics involved in all of these questions—what’s happening to trans people now, and the policies that are being inflicted on trans service members now. What our show shines the light on is, what is the cost of that? What’s the cost to the people who are affected by those policies? What is the cost to the institution itself, when they have to inflict that on service members who want to serve honorably and with dignity?
Miles Heizer's Cam looking curiously with a black eye and holding his rifle in the forest in Boots
Following Wilson's comment on Boots, the show's audience doubled in its second week. It became the Number 2 most-watched English language TV show on the platform for the week of October 13 to October 19, 2025. This included drawing in 55.2 million hours watched from 9.2 million viewers, up from 27.5 million hours and 4.7 million viewers during its debut week.
Given the nuanced presentation of Boots coupled with its national criticism from the US government, it's not a surprise the show managed to gain more viewership. It's possible that, with more eyes now on the show, it'll become another big hit for Netflix. Whether it results in a renewal or not remains unknown, but its overall success seems guaranteed.
