-spoilers from the first two chapters- I love this series! As a gay man my coming out of the closet to my family so many years ago (In a country not as progressive as the US) was very much like Kenny's was. His mother telling him to "try with a woman" or that "it is just a phase" is typical father homophobic response. Adding on top of that that the O'Neals are an actual conservative catholic family puts on top of that a pressure over Kenny with all the church morale. I love that the core of this show is about a gay boy born in a homophobic family being raised with religious century old rules, and trying to find himself in the world. The fact that it is loosely based on a real gay person's life is what makes it so real and allows for gay people to identity with the main character, and even more so, putting a comedic spin on all these situations is so good! I wish I had seen this show when those stuff were actually happening to me. It is not easy to cope with all the family and community pressure to go back to "being normal". Other shows have tried to make this but when they go the Drama way, like Desperate Housewives or Glee did, it is very good for people outside of that situation but for the actual gay kid it is more depressing for people on those situations. This show instead treats those things with humor and shows that deep down, Kenny's family still loves him, and at the end of the day they are beginning to accept him. It is an unexpected and welcome message that this first homophobic reaction from his parents is not the end of the world and that the rebuilding of the relationships with his family are not as hard as they seem to. All young men coming out as gay should watch at least the first three chapters of the show. It will teach these boys coming out that whatever they are going through, it will get better, which is the message of the It Get's Better campaign, whose founder is the person this show is based on.
By the way some reviews just jump to one star and homophobic remarks pretty much shows that this show is doing something right. Those religious conservative homophobic people are as ridiculous as Kenny's mother is and I applaud that a show is willing to show on regular TV that their speech of hate is something we must change with love and (as this show does) with laughs. Thar hatred for gay community is what drives so many gay young men to suicide. We need to change that.
Other reviewer said it could go without the imaginary bits but I'm saying otherwise, for me they are the best part of the show, specially that on on chapter 3, because those imaginary bits really compare how we think things are going to be in contrast to how things really are, and comparing with other shows and musicals where things seem more easy. In real life, those flashy things don't happen as much as we love to, but instead we have the little moments.
By the way some reviews just jump to one star and homophobic remarks pretty much shows that this show is doing something right. Those religious conservative homophobic people are as ridiculous as Kenny's mother is and I applaud that a show is willing to show on regular TV that their speech of hate is something we must change with love and (as this show does) with laughs. Thar hatred for gay community is what drives so many gay young men to suicide. We need to change that.
Other reviewer said it could go without the imaginary bits but I'm saying otherwise, for me they are the best part of the show, specially that on on chapter 3, because those imaginary bits really compare how we think things are going to be in contrast to how things really are, and comparing with other shows and musicals where things seem more easy. In real life, those flashy things don't happen as much as we love to, but instead we have the little moments.