About a year and half ago I came upon a little television series that aired on ABC Family. I have to admit that I was curious but never managed to tune in. Then I was sent a preview copy of the DVD and I started to watch it. I was amazed how fast it pulled me into the story and the characters. The series was ‘Kyle XY’. It is a family friend science fiction that has a deeper then expected story full of mysteries, intrigue and romance. It is perfect for the tween and teens but does something very rare now; the parents will readily get into it. The show is the definition of a sleeper hit. It built up its fan base slowly; mostly by word of mouth and internet chatter. The main reason is it is well crafted. There are several shows that I talk about after each episode; ‘Lost’, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ and ‘Heroes’ to name just a few. It didn’t take long until ‘Kyle XY’ was added to the agenda for intense discussion. It was actually easy since every episode contained more twists and turns that the usual teen faire. In short order it became the highest rated show on the ABC Family Network. It is part science fiction, part mystery and part soap opera and all the genres are perfectly blended together. This series would be a serious contender on any network and I could easily see it on the Sci-Fi Channel. The point here is quality wins out and this show has it. It is a little too intense at times for the youngest members of the household but it serves as a refreshing change from the typical over sexed teen oriented soap operas most kids are infatuated with. The series works on a level that reaches a wide spectrum of ages and you don’t often see that on television. After the initial season the fan base was loyal and craved more. The second season was split in two with the first part running from June 2007 until September, a total of 13 episodes. After a couple of months hiatus the series returned in January 2008 and played out the remaining ten episodes. This did allow for a mid season cliff hanger which has become extremely popular lately. You can watch all 23 episodes now with the DVD release through parent company Buena Vista.

The series was the brain child of Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. Previous the only credit for both were when they were teamed up to write the screenplays for ‘Final Destination 2’ and ‘The Butterfly Effect’. Here they really outdid themselves crating a show that is rich in texture and allows for amazing character development. The central character is the titular Kyle. The XY is a reference to his gender; a male human having one X and one Y chromosome. That gives a little hint to the secret of his origins. Kyle was not born a fact that is evident by his lack of a navel. He was created in a secret laboratory as part of an experiment to create a superior form of human being. In the first season he escaped from the lab and was eventually taken in by his social worker’s family. The Tragers are a typical American family with father Stephan (J. Mackye Gruber), mother Nicole (Marguerite MacIntyre) and two teenaged children, eldest Lori (April Matson) and her brother Josh (Jean-Luc Bilodeau). At the end of the last season Kyle discovered the person used to clone him, Adam Baylin (J. Eddie Peck). He is a genius who is able to tap into his mind to uncover almost super human abilities. Kyle has shown the same abilities such as a computer like mind and superhuman agility and precision. In this season Kyle tries to maintain a relationship with Adam but his mentor is assassinated. Kyle returns to the Tragers and they formally adopt him finally giving him what he wanted most; a true family. Protecting Kyle and helping to take over his training is Tom Foss (Nicholas Lea) who had worked in security for the company that created Kyle and is now a considered a rogue. It is an unease relationship between Kyle and Tom. Tom wants to concentrate on the training but Kyle also needs to have some semblance of a normal teen life. This includes his desire to be with his girlfriend Amanda Bloom (Kirsten Prout). Her mother initially forbids the relationship but the kindness of Kyle finally wins her over at least to some extent.

Adding to the difficulty this season is the introduction of Kyle’s female counterpart Jessi XX (Jaimie Alexander). She is somewhat advanced from Kyle but still is going through the stage of trying to learn to be human. At first she is a killer but after associating with Kyle and his friends and family begins to want a life independent from her controllers. A new company has replaced the old and it is even more deadly than the first. Much of the series is Kyle and Jessi trying to keep them mat bay and piece together who they are and why they were created. In the midst of all this there is ample time for romance. Lori has an on again off again relationship with her first season boyfriend Declan McDonough (Chris Olivero) who also happens to be Kyle’s best friend. Declan frequently gets pulled into the dangerous escapades of Kyle. Even little brother Josh gets a girlfriend here, Andy Jensen (Magda Apanowicz). She starts out as Josh’s video game buddy but sparks soon start to fly. She is also dying from cancer but at one point Kyle inadvertently puts her into remission showing his powers are growing fast.

What sets this series apart from the typical teen faire is how the writers balance two basic story lines. The first is the mystery surrounding Kyle and Jessi. The group that is after them are powerful, secretive and extremely dangerous; willing to stop at nothing. Then there is what grounds this series; the drama of high school life. The kids have to cope with being teenagers and even though they are forced into a mystery beyond their understanding they still have things like school dances and dating to contend with. This is a sheer stroke of genius as it allows the teens in the audience something to identify with readily. This season built upon the first very well managing to exceed it. The first season was a kind of super hero origins story. Now that that is firmly established they were free to plunge into clandestine plots and fleshing out the interesting characters. Kyle is the epitome of a nice guy. He is faithful, kind and quick to defend friends and family. With all the heinous characters in those dreadful teen soaps it is great to see characters that are actually good role models.

This is a series to get and watch as a family. The ABC Family network is leading the way with serious yet fun programming so take full advantage and get this set. Season three is about to start so this is a perfect time to catch up.

Posted 12/18/08