Created by Andy Parker (Pantheon), Boots is a new coming-of-age military comedy, premiering on Netflix on October 9, 2025. Set in the 1990s, the story follows Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer), a secretly gay American teenager who enlists in the military with his heterosexual best friend Ray (Liam Oh).
As Cameron is subjected to intense bullying during boot camp, he overcomes a culture of bigotry, ignorance, and oppression, finds himself in the process, and makes lifelong friends. For anyone who has felt alone, isolated, picked on, or overlooked, Boots is a feel-good tale of uplifting friendship sure to brighten their day. It’s also a reminder to be yourself, no matter what, as it depicts an exclusionary military culture in the 1990s that looks foolishly outdated in 2025.
‘Boots’ Inspiration, Explained
Although Andy Parker created the series, Boots is based on the 2015 memoir The Pink Marine by Greg Cope White. Through the eyes of American teenager Cameron Cope, White recounts his time coming of age in the US Marine Corps in Parris Island, South Carolina, in the 1990s as a closeted gay teenager. Remember, being gay in the US military was illegal in the 1990s, a silly, hypocritical law that is the subject of incisive ridicule in Boots.
In the show, Cope joins the Marine Corps with his straight best friend, Ray McAffey, who is the son of a decorated soldier. A wayward soul who thought it would be fun to join a summer camp with his best friend, Cameron, had no idea how strict, regimented, and physically punishing his experience in the Marine Corps would be. But the struggles go beyond the physical. With the high stakes of being outed, Cameron must navigate the psychological unease of fitting in with the pack while remaining true to himself. A big-hearted tale of resilience and perseverance, Boots is a must-watch for Netflix subscribers.
As Cameron tries to keep his sexual orientation a secret, he meets new Marine recruits and is put through intense boot camp training. Surrounded by hypermasculine, alpha-male soldiers oozing machismo, Cameron overcomes alienating culture clash by transforming his slight physical frame into a hulking mass of muscles that he uses to defend himself from ignorant bullies. The more he sticks up for himself and proves his worth as a Devil Dog Marine, the more he finds his voice and feels a stronger sense of community and self-agency.
Who Stars in ‘Boots’?
Netflix
In addition to Heizer (13 Reasons Why, Parenthood) and Oh (Code 3), Boots boasts a solid supporting cast. For instance, Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Bates Motel) plays Cameron’s self-absorbed mother, Barbara Cope, in the military-themed drama. Max Parker (Emmerdale Farm) plays the elite recon drill Sergeant Bobby Sullivan, who sees a bit of himself in Cameron and becomes an unlikely ally.
As Cameron comes to realize that each Marine enters the Corps with their own baggage and background, despite the military’s attempt to make them a uniform outfit, he begins to feel more at home. Cameron and Ray become more comfortable around Captain Denise Fajardo (Ana Ayora), Staff Sergeant Marcus McKinnon (Cedrick Cooper), Sergeant Cary Wayne Howitt (Nicholas Logan), and soldiers Hicks (Angus O’Brien), Nash (Dominic Goodman), Slovacek (Kieron Moore), John Bowman (Blake Burt), Cody Bowman (Brandon Tyler Moore), and Santos (Rico Paris).
Who Writes & Directs ‘Boots’?
Netflix
Executive produced by TV legend Norman Lear, Boots is in good creative hands. The hour-long pilot episode, “The Pink Marine,” is written by Andy Parker (Imposters) and directed by Peter Hoar (The Last of Us, Doctor Who). Episode 2, “The Buddy System,” is written by Jonathan Caren (The Sinner) and directed by Phil Abraham (FUBAR, Hunters). Episode 3, “The Confidence Curse,” is written by Andrea Ciannavei (The Path) and directed by Abraham. Episode 4, “Sink or Swim,” is written by Greg Cope White (author of The Pink Marine) and directed by Silas Howard (Dickinson).
While retaining one writer/director for an entire season is the best way to maintain a consistent creative vision, Boots takes the opposite approach. By assigning a new writer and director per episode, Boots promises to remain fresh with each passing chapter, allowing a unique authorial voice and filmmaking talent to shine through.
To wit, episode 5, “Bullseye,” is written by Megan Ferrell Burke (Outlander) and directed by Howard. Episode 6, “The Things We Carry,” is written by Nick Jones Jr. (Casual) and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (Homecoming). Episode 7, “Love is a Battlefield,” is written by Dominic Colon (Task) and directed by Tanya Hamilton (Winning Time). Episode 8, “The Crucible,” is written by Parker and Ciannavei and directed by Alvarez.
While listing the talent involved may seem irrelevant, it’s anything but. Just as the show advocates for inclusion, it empowers a group of underrepresented voices in the entertainment industry, including gay (White), Black (Jones Jr.), female (Burke and Ciannavei), and Latino (Alvarez) creatives. Even Nick Jones Jr. draws from his real-life experience as a former US Marine to shape the story in Episode 6. The coming-of-age Netflix dramedy admirably practices what it preaches, which isn’t always the case.
‘Boots’ Is a Feel-Good Coming-Of-Age Tale
Ray and Cam jog in BootsNetflix
Although Boots is set in the 1990s, it’s made for today’s audience and couldn’t be more timely or topical. With the benefit of hindsight, the show depicts the folly of the US Marine Corps’s anti-gay policy that persisted until the grossly outdated Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy was repealed in 2011. A similar policy was implemented in 2016 to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military, which was also repealed in 2021.
Of course, gay and transgender soldiers are no less capable than anyone else, as has been proven for decades. The writers and directors of Boots know this so well that they use the 1990s timeframe to highlight the crass hypocrisy and unwarranted discrimination that have undermined the military’s own cause and weakened their ranks by excluding marginal groups. The show spotlights the archaic views of US military policy, doing so in a way that shows how far society has come since the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was implemented in 1993.
According to Parker via The New York Times:
“I think what we’re trying to do is shine a real light on the personal cost of these policies. We get to see what it does psychologically, spiritually, emotionally to people who have to distort themselves or lie or put themselves away or be shunned from an organization that they love and a country that they want to serve.”
While setting the show in the 1990s is a brilliant way of framing modern-day military culture, Boots remains humorous through its witty dialogue and fish-out-of-water premise. In the end, it’s an uplifting tale about a youngster finding their way, making genuine allies in an unlikely place, and finding the resilience to get up, time and again, when life knocks you down. Gay, straight, bi, or asexual, who can’t relate to that? Boots is available to stream now on Netflix.
Release Date
October 9, 2025
Network
Netflix
You can view the original article HERE.
