Genre

Kyle XY is a quirky series that began about a year ago on the ABC Family Channel. Owned by Walt Disney, you can imagine the kinds of programs one can find there. It’s pretty much a safe haven for kids and their parents to be able to watch things together. That’s why I was a little bit surprised when I watched Kyle XY for the first time on these DVD’s. Certainly the show is pretty much family friendly, but not to the squeaky clean Disney image I’ve come to expect. There are a couple teenage make-out scenes in the pi...ot that seemed awkwardly out of place, at least to my expectations. Certainly these scenes were quite tame, particularly in the post NYPD Blue television universe, but I was still a bit surprised. The overall science fiction theme is also a bit edgy. There is a Smallville/X-Files flavor here. The violence level is toned down from those other shows considerably. That’s not to say there isn’t a bit of danger element pervading the entire series. With the exception of Matt Dallas, who plays the titular Kyle, the cast is considerably weak in its acting chops. Dallas is, however, a bit of a standout here. The young actor seems to have a considerable insight into the nature of his character. He does an absolutely stupendous job of demonstrating the naiveté and innocence of Kyle. Perhaps this performance stands out because of the really bad acting by the rest of Kyle’s adopted family. Bruce Thomas, playing Dad, is horrid. Maybe that’s to be expected when your movie resume includes the two Legally Blonde films. Another rare performance is to be found in Nicholas Lea as the enigmatic Foss. Lea, of course, is best known as the sometimes ally, sometimes bad guy Krycek from the aforementioned X-Files.

The premise for Kyle XY starts very much like the John Doe series and continues to parallel that failed series. Kyle shows up naked in the woods with no memory of who he is. Taken in by a social caseworker and her family, Kyle begins to exhibit strange abilities. He doesn’t require sleep, although in an attempt to be more normal he does give it a try using a bathtub for a bed. He has extremely acute hearing and unusual physical strength. While his memory might be fuzzy, his mental capabilities are off the charts. Oh, and he’s missing a belly button. Most of the shows find Kyle trying to find out who or what he is. A mysterious stranger, Foss, is watching him closely and eventually reveals himself as a possible friend. The show tries to get a lot of mileage out of the Trager family’s learning to deal with Kyle and his emerging oddities. The season ends with Kyle leaving the Tragers to meet his possible creator.