Netflix just released its semi-annual What We Watched report, covering viewership data from July-December 2025, and it provides some insight into the streamer’s surprise cancellation decisions on freshman dramas Boots and The Waterfront. Of them, the former premiered during that window, the latter just outside it.
Based on the numbers, the axing of Boots, the last show from legendary producer Norman Lear, remains a head-scratcher.
The military coming-of-age comedy-drama, which garnered equally strong 90% on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and viewers, was No. 23 on the list of most-watched series during the July-December period with 30.7M views from its October 9 release through the end of 2025.
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That is a very respectable showing, with Boots drawing larger audiences than several high-profile series released around the same time.
That includes Season 2 of top comedy Nobody Wants This, which debuted October 23. It was No. 24 on the list with 30.4M in its first 10 weeks vs. 30.7M for Boots over 12 weeks. Season 2 of the Kristen Bell-Adam Brody rom-com, which was renewed for a third season two weeks after its release, was down from the 56.8M views Season 1 garnered from its September 26, 2024 premiere through end of 2024. (The difference of less than four weeks in the two seasons’ data windows cannot close the 36M view gap between them.)
Big-budget fantasy drama The Witcher, already renewed for a fifth and final season, ranked No. 29 with 25.4M views for Season 4, which dropped October 10.
Season 3 of The Diplomat, which had received an early Season 4 renewal, was even lower at No. 41 with 20.8M. Its release came just a week after Boots, Oct. 16. The political thriller’s delivery was on par with Season 2, which posted 20.2M views from October 31-December 31, 2024.
Additionally, Boots outperformed two major series that had debuted earlier in the fall, drawing viewership over a longer period in the report: limited series Black Rabbit, starring Jason Bateman and Jude Law, which amassed 24.6M viewers following its September 30 release, for No. 32, and Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black Season 2 Part 1 (24.2M, No. 33), launched September 11. In December, the latter was renewed for a third and final season.
Boots was the highest ranked series on Netflix’s What We Watched July-December 2025 report that has been canceled following its run. The second highest-rated was The Waterfront. (There are a couple of shows between them on the list whose fate is TBD, including House of Guinness and The Abandons.)
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Kevin Williamson’s The Waterfront ranked No. 47 with 19.3M views. Released June 19, it also logged 21M in its first 11 days of release, which fell into the previous Netflix reporting window for a 40.3M total over slightly more than six months, also a very respectable delivery but at a higher price point than Boots given the crime drama’s well known stars and big set pieces.
Both Boots and The Waterfront come from outside studios, Sony Pictures TV and Universal Television, respectively, while the vast majority of series mentioned above are Netflix productions.
It is unclear whether that played a role. (Other renewed Netflix series such as Untamed and The Hunting Wives also are outside productions.)
With potent viewership — now confirmed by Netflix’s report — strong reviews and a popular culture impact, Boots had made a strong case for renewal. (The dramedy had spent four weeks in Netflix’s Top 10 for English series, peaking at No. 2, and averaged a strong 9.4 million views during its first full week, doubling its total from its debut week, after the Pentagon brought attention to the series, calling it “woke garbage.”)
To help the series’ chances, Sony TV in August extended the options on several key cast members, including Miles Heizer, Liam Oh, Kieron Moore, Dominic Goodman, Angus O’Brien, Blake Burt and Rico Paris.
It is a conundrum why Netflix ultimately opted not to renew Boots, with completion rate, which is not made public, and Season 2 creative direction among the possibilities.
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Created by Andy Parker based on Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine, Boots is set in the tough world of the U.S. Marine Corps in 1990, when being gay in the military was illegal. It follows directionless, closeted Cameron Cope (Heizer) and his straight best friend Ray McAffey (Oh) as they join a diverse group of recruits.
Greenlighted in 2023 and impacted by the Hollywood strikes, Boots was completed before the 2024 presidential election which brought on very different government views on the series’ subject matter.