Rapid Insights: ‘Boots’ Blends Brotherhood, Identity, and Boot Camp into a Bold New Teen Genre

Who’s been adding this new dramedy to their queue? 
We’re seeing an audience that is gender balanced (52% men), and is mostly aged 35+ (74%). This profile is more male and older than other teen coming-of-age stories that wrestle with identity and transformation (e.g., Love Victor, Sex Education, Atypical, Heartstopper, 13 Reasons Why, It’s a Sin, Euphoria), which tend to skew much more toward women (59-77%) and often to those under 35.

Why have so many viewers been tuning in? 
For the best friend bond at its center. Boots focuses on sensitive teen Cameron (Fish Out of Water, 138) and his military-minded best friend Ray, who jointly decide to enlist in the Marines after high school graduation. Shipped off to the grueling world of boot camp, the pair join the newest batch of motley recruits and quickly learn that it’s sink or swim among the uber-disciplined world of basic training and its physical and mental gauntlets. Using humor to survive the harshness (Buddy Comedy, 145), the pair overcome challenges both to their friendship and their senses of self as their seemingly brutal experiences mold them into the men they will ultimately become (Coming of Age, 160). Audiences are watching for the show’s thoughtful, nuanced portrayal of Male Friendship (130) and how it morphs as boys grow up.

What’s making this series so bingeworthy? 
Cameron’s unique POV. Cameron is gay, and Boots takes place three years before the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, when being outed within your unit meant immediate discharge and abject disgrace. Though he knew the risks, he still enlisted hoping the Marines would offer a new direction for his life, but as he survives each new day of boot camp, he realizes just how hard it is to conceal such an essential piece of his identity from the men that surround him every second of every day. Cameron’s role as an LGBTQIA+ Protagonist (142) deepens and enriches his story and makes audiences lean forward to see how things will ultimately turn out for this conflicted young man.

What will help push Boots to a second season? 
The setting. The show’s 1990s (128) time period and military milieu–both on and off the battlefield (Military Operation,122)–offer a rich vein to be mined for future seasons’ storytelling and could easily incorporate new storylines for Cameron, Ray, and the rest of their unit. Additionally, unlike with Boots, military-related themes tend to be paired with action-forward drivers like Battle Action, Criminal Investigation, and Espionage; the fact that Boots’ Marine component is instead paired with a touching coming-of-age story will continue to make this show stand out as unique.

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