Netflix Canceled 'Boots' Despite Outperforming Its Hits
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- "Boots" drew 30.7 million views, outpacing "Nobody Wants This" Season 2 (30.4 million) and "Emily in Paris" Season 5 (30.3 million) — yet Netflix omitted it from its engagement report while touting those two shows.
- The series was Norman Lear's final executive producing project before his 2023 death and earned a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score, with Variety calling it "a delightful, heartfelt watch."
- Netflix canceled the show citing financial reasons, a decision executive producer Brent Miller called "disappointing" and diplomatically described as "interesting" in its timing.
- The Pentagon had attacked "Boots" as "woke garbage" — a critique Miller dismissed as proof officials "really didn't watch the show" — raising speculation Netflix cut the show to avoid friction with the Trump administration.
- Sony tried and failed to find "Boots" a new home, just months before HBO Max struck gold with "Heated Rivalry," a similarly themed drama about young gay men.
- "Boots" has been submitted for Emmy consideration, with Miller hoping a nomination might convince Netflix to reverse course and greenlight a second season.
Why it matters: Netflix's own engagement numbers proved "Boots" outperformed its promoted comedies, yet the streamer killed it after the Pentagon's "woke garbage" attack — suggesting a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score and 30.7 million views weren't enough to insulate a show with LGBTQ+ military themes from political blowback. For Netflix, the episode underscores how currying favor with the Trump administration now appears to outweigh the metrics the company publicly celebrates.
