Boots, a new series co-run by Film alum Andy Parker '11 and based on Greg Cope Wire’s memoir The Pink Marine, has just come out on Netflix and has held a spot in the top 10 most watched television shows since its premiere on October 9, 2025.
The show takes place in 1990 at a US Marine Corps boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina, when it was illegal for LGBTQ people to serve in the military. The show follows Cameron Cope, a young, closeted gay man on his journey to and through bootcamp alongside his friend Ray. Throughout the series, Cope is subject to intense physical and emotional strain, his friendship with Ray and his identity tested under the pressures of hiding his true self, military hierarchy, love, and loss.
"There was a personal connection to the idea of a gay kid running off to join the Marines and not really understanding what that was going to do for him, or where that was going to ultimately lead him," Parker told Vanity Fair. "It felt like this was the road not taken. This is a path I could have gone on. How would I have done?"
Parker wrote the first episode and co-wrote the final episode of the series. He has also created and produced for the comic drama Imposters and worked on the production of animated TV series, Pantheon. Besides Netflix, Parker has also developed shows for Hulu, AMC, CBS, and HBO.
Watch the trailer for Boots below.
