One of the most popular new Netflix original series has officially managed to turn the chatter surrounding it into some exciting ratings success. Following the premiere of the military comedy-drama series Boots on Oct. 9, the show has doubled its viewership in its second week.
Boots debuted at No. 6 on Netflix' Global Top 10 English TV Shows ranking for the week of Oct. 6 through Oct. 12. The show attracted 4.7 million views, which translates to 27.5 million hours viewed, in its first four days of release. However, due to positive critical reception and fervent word-of-mouth on social media, the series defied the odds in week 2 and silenced its haters.
Even though Boots wasn't able to best Monster: The Ed Gein Story's 9.5 million views, the comedy-drama sizably grew in its first full week of release. Hitting No. 2 on the most popular shows ranking, the series increased its viewership to 9.4 million views and 55.2 million hours viewed. For those keep track at home, yes, that's double its debut and then some. That's a great achievement!
Boots on Netflix doubles viewership after government backlash
Honestly, it's all uphill from here for Boots, as the series could reasonably to continue to grow in its third week or, at the very least, stabilize as subscribers continue to discover the show on Netflix. In its third week, Boots will have to contend with Emmy nominees: The Diplomat season 3's first full week of release as well as the opening frame of Nobody Wants This season 2.
But the fan conversation surrounding Boots has been steadily rising, and it's been fueled by the cast and viewers' connection to the show's queer storytelling. Upon release, the show and Netflix's "ideological agenda" was slammed by the Pentagon, as press secretary Kinglsey Williams provided a statement to Entertainment Weekly about the government's reaction to the show:
"Under President Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth, the U.S. military is getting back to restoring the warrior ethos. Our standards across the board are elite, uniform, and sex neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being doesn't care if you're a man, a woman, gay, or straight," he wrote. Williams called out the streaming service in particular, saying Netflix "produces and feeds woke garbage to their audience and children."
It's worth noting that Boots earned an age rating of TV-MA from Netflix, which means that it's intended to be watched by mature audiences and not children. The series, which is based on the memoir The Pink Marine by Greg Cope White and explores his real-life experiences, contains heightened language and nudity and isn't appropriate for viewers under 17, per Netflix.
If Boots continues to achieve success with its ratings, there's no doubt that Netflix won't bow to those criticisms and will consider renewing the show that has been Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a stellar and near-perfect 91% rating. Those hoping to see Miles Heizer, Max Parker, Kieron Moore, and the rest of cast back for season 2 should keep streaming and spreading the word!