Boots

All in all, it's truly quite remarkable just how well Boots goes to set itself apart in the coming-of-age genre. Even despite its shortcomings, I was still engaged by the time episode 8 rolled around — which sets up a genuinely haunting season 2 with its ending.

Ultimately, "Boots" has all the makings of a great show: a solid concept, a great cast, and pedigree in the form of legendary producer Norman Lear. It soars above and beyond, though, because of its emotional yet funny approach to admittedly serious material.

The show is quiet but powerful, and may just be one of the best new series Netflix has produced in years.

Yes, Boots is in many ways similar to many “misfits in the military” comedies that have been a staple of TV for decades. But entertaining characters will always be the key to making a show in this genre work, and this show has plenty of them.

All the usual hallmarks of stories about Marines-in-training report for duty here: the obstacle course montages, the apoplectic drill sergeants, the shouts of “oorah!” But the show also burrows into the demanding day-to-day realities and sacrifices of military life in fresh, nuanced ways.

There aren’t many feel-good dramedies about a closeted man who finds himself by going through hell at Marine boot camp. In that category of one, the fun and buoyant Boots is the uncontested champion.

“Boots” is a delightful, heartfelt watch.

It's edgy, funny, and fresh, but what really makes it work is a combination of strong craftsmanship and narrative discipline that evokes every television show that has successfully stood the test of time.

Mr. Heizer makes Cam a sympathetic hero (he really is a hero), but he’s also given, apropos the Marine Corps, an able company of terrific supporting players.

“Boots” improves as it goes along and the plot veers into the odyssey of closeted servicemen who have to hide their love and live in fear of being revealed.

“Boots” isn’t a perfect show, but it’s a sweet story with its heart in the right place and plenty to say. I think Lear, who served in the Army Air Forces during World War II, would approve, and if it’s good enough for him, that’s really all you need to know.

Heizer is well cast as the lead, delivering a metamorphosis that feels both earnest and earned. But it’s also because the supporting characters in Boots aren’t one-dimensional, either. .... None of which is to say that Boots is perfect. It can be uneven in tone—sometimes twee, sometimes sober—and is occasionally too reliant on unnecessary voice-overs and hallucinations in which Cameron talks to versions of himself for lazy exposition purposes.

It’s a familiar story, well-told, even if my own regret at never having experienced the masculinity-shaping gauntlet of becoming a jarhead was very fleeting.

“Boots” is an entertaining watch with the potential for an even stronger second season that raises the stakes — even if it’s hard to stomach this endearing platoon heading to war.

This is a story with a lot of heart. But the ending comes too soon and leaves so much unresolved that the final beat doesn't quite persuade.