This article was published on 10/11 and republished on 10/13.
Netflix’s show quality has been up and down as of late, with its current #1 show, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, reviewing disastrously among critics and audiences alike, a 19% and 55% respectively. But now a new show has hit Netflix with a much better score and just a few percentage points away from perfect. It’s also about as far from Ed Gein as you can get.
That would be Boots, the military series with a unique concept. Here’s the synopsis:
“Bullied gay teen Cameron joins the Marine Corps with his best friend despite risks. In boot camp they experience profound personal change amid danger, as their platoon confronts both literal and figurative landmines.”
Boots currently has a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes with a similarly high 85% audience score. It’s premiered at #5 on Netflix and we’ll see if it goes higher as other shows fall. It’s not a miniseries, and it may be easier for it to come back as a lower budget series starring close to no stars that most people will recognize.
It’s led by Miles Heizer, who some Netflix fans will recognize across four seasons of 13 Reasons Why, where he played Alex Standall. The biggest name is Vera Farmiga of The Conjuring fame, though I’m not sure how big her part is in the series as his mother. Probably decent. It was created by Andy Parker, a writer on the well-liked Pantheon series on AMC, which ran for two seasons.
It certainly seems promising and is one of those series where it seems like Netflix got it right, greenlighting a relatively unknown cast for what sounds like an interesting concept. Now it could have a mini hit on its hands. Boots came out two days ago, so numbers are still rolling in, but again, a show like this has a lower bar for success than Netflix’s hugely budgeted series, and they are often the ones that can run for the longest amount of time.
The show is a relatively easy watch, just eight 40 or so minute episodes, and no, it’s not one of those Netflix series that gets split in half with two release dates. That never happens with season 1 of anything, given that Netflix wants to establish an audience first. Then, it depends on the size of the series whether it does that for following seasons, whether it’s You or Wednesday.
I’m certainly going to give Boots a shot, and you may want to as well.
Update (10/13): Checking back in to see how Boots is performing after a few days, word of mouth does seem to be spreading about the comedy. It has now risen to #3 on the Netflix top 10 chart. Interestingly, it has not changed at all from its 91% and 85% critic and audience score respectively, despite more reviews coming in. And now it is officially “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes with enough total reviews in to give it that badge. There are only two negative ones total.
I’ve started the show, and I think it’s pretty great. Miles Heizer is giving a very good performance, and is certainly given more material to work with here than he had in 13 Reasons Why, where he was relegated to a supporting character. As a lead here, in the context of this show, the part really seems to suit him. That said, I am only three episodes in so I don’t know how things progress from here and if it will stick the landing or not.
It is too early for Netflix to greenlight season 2 yet, but the way things are going, I would not at all be surprised if it landed renewal within the month. The show is designed for further seasons and it’s a concept that lends itself to continue the journey of the characters. Netflix enjoys its stealth, low-budget hits, and rising this high in the ranks behind only a big show like Ed Gein and a recurring reality series is a good accomplishment.
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