Netflix’s latest series Boots takes viewers straight into Marine boot camp with heart, humor, and a fresh perspective. The show follows Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer) and his straight best friend Ray McAffey (Liam Oh) as they search for meaning and direction. For Cameron, it’s a complicated mission: being gay in a world that doesn’t exactly welcome it. Ray, meanwhile, is the son of a decorated Marine and determined to live up to the family name.
Together, they navigate the highs and lows of training alongside a diverse platoon of recruits, each struggling with identity, expectation, and survival. Boots balances sharp humor and quiet emotion, showing how friendship and resilience can thrive even under the toughest conditions.
Since its premiere, Boots has quickly won over fans and critics alike, scoring an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. With that kind of reception, everyone’s wondering: will there be a season 2?
The cast seems to be onboard to continue. Kieron Moore, who plays Nicholas Slovacek, told Us Weekly, “I think we only scratch the surface for Slovacek ahead of season 2. If we get to go again, it’d be a really wonderful story to explore him a little bit more.” Heizer also shared his enthusiasm with Variety, adding “There are a lot of stories to tell. I would do it for 10 seasons if they let us.”
Is ‘Boots’ based on a true story?
According to Time magazine, Boots takes loose inspiration from Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine. White served in the Marines as a closeted gay man during an era when military policy forbade open homosexuality. The Netflix series pulls from that perspective, but takes creative liberties with its supporting characters and timeline.
Set in the early ’90s, Boots captures the tension of that moment while building a world of its own. It centers on military life just before the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era. As Entertainment Weekly reports, the show doesn’t strictly follow the book’s events. Instead, it reshaping them into new storylines and conflicts. The result is a series that feels grounded in reality but is free to take its own narrative risks.
Where was ‘Boots’ filmed?
While Boots is set in South Carolina, the series was actually filmed primarily in New Orleans. The city serves as the perfect stand-in for Marine life on Parris Island. According to Sportskeeda, the city’s mix of diverse architecture and surrounding landscapes helped the crew recreate the look and feel of a real Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Many of the intense boot-camp training scenes and military backdrops were filmed in local facilities and open fields around New Orleans, chosen for their versatility and affordability.
Louisiana’s strong film infrastructure and generous tax incentives also made it an easy choice for the production team. With thoughtful set design and sharp cinematography, Boots transformed the Crescent City into the Marines’ iconic training grounds, proving why New Orleans has become a go-to location for major film and TV projects.
What happened to Ochoa?
One of the standout storylines in Boots belongs to Eduardo Ochoa, a recruit in Cameron and Ray’s platoon. As boot camp intensifies, Ochoa struggles to keep up both in training and in his personal life. The pressure mounts, and by the later episodes, Ochoa’s performance falters under stress. His journey becomes a focal point for themes of loyalty, identity, and fragility within the ranks.
Ochoa’s breaking point comes after a painful revelation about his partner that he can’t handle. According to Soap Central, that personal crisis, coupled with health issues, causes Ochoa’s death during brutal physical training which leaves his fellow recruits grief-stricken. His death becomes a key emotional pivot. It forces Cameron, Ray and the rest of the platoon to confront not only the harsh realities of military life but also the unspoken pain they each carry. Rather than play his death for shock value, Boots turns it into a moment of reckoning. HIs death becomes a reminder of how silence, stigma and pressure can weigh heavy on even the strongest people.
Why is Sullivan being investigated?
Sergeant Liam Sullivan (Max Parker) carries a complicated hidden past in Boots. He mentors Cameron and the recruits while wrestling with his own secret. According to The Direct, early in the season he receives a cryptic letter signed only “W,” hinting at an unresolved part of his past. That message sets off a quiet investigation into his background, with higher-ups questioning whether he may have crossed a line or hidden something important.
As pressure builds, Sullivan’s calm exterior begins to crack. His struggle mirrors Cameron’s in many ways as both men face consequences for secrets they guard in a system that demands absolute discipline and conformity. By the finale, Decider reports that Sullivan surrenders his radio and disappears — or perhaps walks into the unknown — leaving both recruits and viewers unsure where he’ll land.
His disappearance adds another emotional layer to Boots, showing how secrecy and silence can shape not only recruits, but the leaders who train them.
Will there be a season two of ‘Boots’?
As of now, Netflix hasn’t officially renewed Boots for a second season. However, the question of renewal is one on avid viewers minds. Cast and crew comments suggest there’s reason to hope. Heizer expressed excitement about continuing Cameron’s story, and Moore suggested that there’s plenty more to explore with his character. The first season also leaves some threads unresolved. Decider notes that looming U.S. military involvement in Iraq and several characters’ fates left hanging could be setting up potential storylines for a return. Ultimately, whether Boots gets another season will likely depend on viewership numbers and Netflix rankings. If the series is renewed, production could aim for a 2026 or 2027 release.
Frequently Asked Questions
What year is Netflix’s Boots set in?
Boots places its story in the early 1990s, just before the implementation of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” That timing allows the series to dramatize tensions around military policy and the Gulf War backdrop.
Is ‘Boots’ on Netflix worth watching?
If you’re into character-driven dramedies in unexpected settings, Boots is worth a watch on Netflix. The series has been praised for its strong performances and thoughtful exploration of masculinity, identity, and queerness in a military world. While it isn’t a fully historically accurate or deeply critical look at military life with some reviewers noting the tone occasionally misses the mark, it leans into emotional arcs and drama, making for a compelling, character-focused story.