The narration throws the show off balance.

Basically, by having the main character narrate the events, it almost makes the viewer feel like you're watching a show that was set a ways back in the past (i.e. The Wonder Years, The Goldbergs, etc.).

This is compounded by the fact that the attitude of the show--a gay teenager--is treated to be far more shocking than it really is in 2016. While I'm sure even today there are some major obstacles to being gay and in high school, the show makes it feel like Kenny is the first teen in history to ever come out. You just have a feeling this is more like the attitudes 20-30 years ago than in an era where attitudes towards gay people are a lot more open.

It takes a contemporary reference--i.e. Pretty Little Liars--to snap the viewer back to present day, and at that point, you wonder why Kenny's narrating a show in present day as if it's a retrospective of his life from an adult. Unless it's one of those "How I Met Your Mother" deals, but I just don't see how it works.

Honestly, I think this show would have worked a lot better if they set it back in the past (and it would still make sense since it's a semi-autobiographical take on the show's creator, who grew up in the 60s and 70s). Setting it present day when it feels like a much older era and having it narrated as such just throws off the viewer.