Netflix's Boots, a beloved gay TV show set in the U.S. Marine Corps that was canceled after just one season, was perhaps the most confusing cancelation of any LGBTQ-centric TV show in 2025. Despite being the last project from the late, great Norman Lear and outperforming the viewership of other shows renewed for new seasons, Boots season 2 was not greenlit. Now, co-CEO Ted Sarandos has broken his silence about the show being canceled.
"There was some talk about Boots being canceled," Variety's Marc Malkin asked Sarandos while covering the Annual DGA Awards red carpet. "People were surprised it didn't get a second season, and people assumed it was because the Department of War went after it. Did that have anything to do with that decision?"
"Absolutely not," Sarandos replied. "These are all business decisions based on audience relative to the cost of the show. Do the people who push play watch it till the end? Do they give it a couple of thumbs up? Does it keep growing? All of those things. That decision is made every day."
The Netflix CEO added, "The beauty of why people get upset when you cancel a show is because they love them. That's the best part about our business, it's that people really love the product. And it's heartbreaking to cancel any show, ever, particularly a show that Norman Lear brought to me. It was his last show."
Malkin remarked, "I loved that show."
"I'm a fan," Sarandos agreed.
Variety's question about politics playing a role in the cancelation of Boots stems from a statement issued by Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson calling the series "woke garbage."
Based on the memoir The Pink Marine by Greg Cope White, Boots featured an exceptional cast of five out gay actors performing at their highest level — namely, Miles Heizer, Max Parker, Sachin Bhatt, Angus O'Brien, and Jack Cameron Kay.
Behind the scenes, the series was also filled with queer creators such as showrunner Andy Parker, writer Dominic Cólon, and director Peter Hoar, among others.
Alas, two months after premiering on Netflix and becoming a viral sensation, the streaming service announced that it wouldn't renew Boots for a second season. The choice was not only upsetting to fans, but also confusing, given how much social media buzz and engagement the show had created.
Boots is streaming on Netflix.
