FiftyNinth
Jun 23, 2006 @ 12:36 am
Okay, I just downloaded the pilot episode of the new ABC Family series KYLE XY, which is posted on iTunes. From
ABC Family's show webpage:
A teenage boy is found wandering alone. He has no name. He has no past. As innocent as a newborn, he doesn't speak and he seems to look at the world as if for the first time. With no place else to take him, the police send him to juvenile hall where he's given the name Kyle. It's obvious that Kyle isn't like the other kids, but when it's discovered that he has no bellybutton, an administrator begins to realize just how different Kyle might be. He calls in Nicole Trager, a kind-hearted social worker, to help with the case. Sensing something special about Kyle, Nicole takes him home, much to the chagrin of her husband, teenage daughter and boisterous young son.
Settling into the Trager's busy household isn't easy. There is so much Kyle doesn't know, and yet he demonstrates amazing abilities no one can explain. His talents are just the tip of the mystery, and the questions are just starting to grow: Who is Kyle? Where did he come from? Who is the man watching him?
Every day, Kyle encounters something new... music, a pretty neighbor, a wild party, danger, lies, jealousy, humor, touch, trust, love. And each day, the Tragers think they are getting to know him. But the mystery surrounding Kyle is just beginning.
I was a huge fan of the old STARMAN series, and this seems to be right up the same alley. To add to the pleasure, Matt Dallas (Kyle) is
pretty and Marguerite MacIntyre (Nicole) is one of my favorite musical theatre performers.
The show premieres on ABC Family on Monday, 6/26, at 8, but it's free to download on iTunes until 6/29.
One note: What's the deal with ABC Family anyway? It's not the prudish channel that used to be Christian Broadcasting Network. This episode features nudity, underage drinking, strong hints of sexual activity and masturbation, etc. I'm cool with all of that, but surprised nonetheless.
PS: This show is going for the LOST approach, and the website has a "Who is Kyle KX?" "Clue Tracker's Room." They're going for the series mythology and fan theory base.
xtremesage
Jun 23, 2006 @ 12:45 am
What are his mysterious powers?
FiftyNinth
Jun 23, 2006 @ 12:54 am
I'll spoiler this since the show hasn't aired yet.
So far we've basically seen that he uses an abnormal amount of his brain, has some kind of savant ability with computers, and learns to speak in a single day. He has lightning fast reflexes, even managing to disarm a cop. He's also good at finding porn that his foster mom has hidden!I dug around the website a little bit. They have links to other
websites -- again, shades of LOST -- but this one seems to be "coming soon." I enjoyed playing with the "Who Is Kyle XY?" Q&A. I am kinda mortified to be hooked so quickly on an ABC Family show, but then again it IS pushing my STARMAN and PHOENIX buttons from my youth.
sef
Jun 23, 2006 @ 12:56 am
Really? It pushes my John Doe buttons... :)
The 2nd Evil
Jun 23, 2006 @ 1:22 am
This show first caught my attention when I saw it mentioned in TV. The preview has me intrigued.
That tetris type game (XY Challenge) is rather fun.
ETA: If the show's anything like the clue tracker, I'm going to love this.
Look inside the trash can. There's a crumpled uip piece of paper with a code decoder written on it. Use that to decode the message on the cell phone the message is this: Meet Me At The Tree At 3:30 AM. I spoiler blocked because I have a feeling that it'll end up being important in the series.
lidja
Jun 23, 2006 @ 3:08 am
Well, that was an interesting pilot. Matt Dallas reminds me of John Shea. Definitely John Doe only instead of having the basic knowledge he has to learn everything. It does make him more dependent on the family that way. We do have an appearence by Dr. Frazier from Stargate SG1 and Krychek (Nicholas Lea) from The X-Files. The monologue might get boring after a while, but he does have a nice voice.
The 2nd Evil
Jun 23, 2006 @ 4:02 am
I never saw John Doe, so the comparisions are lost on me. But I did download the pilot and loved it.
I don't know if this was intentional or not, but I thought Kyle sounded a little mumbly when he talked, which made sense considering he had never talked before. I loved all the family interactions, especially the end when the entire family fixed Kyle's dinner plate for him. And we've got the first bit of mystery arc as well with the brain percentage thing and the man in the truck
Too bad that the chances of this getting recaped lie somewhere between slim and none.
Ulkis
Jun 23, 2006 @ 1:38 pm
Does anyone else automatically confuse this with a Superman promo? (At least I do when I only hear the commercial and am not looking at the TV.)
ShadowMaat
Jun 23, 2006 @ 3:33 pm
Isn't that why they have
recap auctions? ;) Help a charity AND get the show/ep of your choice recapped.
Nikki125
Jun 23, 2006 @ 4:00 pm
I never thought I would say this about a show on ABC Family, but this sounds like it might be pretty good. It does seem like a John Doe meets Superman type of show, so it should be something I would like.
FiftyNinth
Jun 23, 2006 @ 10:06 pm
I certainly recommend the iTunes download, while it's still free. And of course, there's the chance for viral buzz, since you can tell your friends to download. (Worked wonders for CONVICTION a few months ago... er, maybe not.)
Anyhow, I enjoyed this far more than I expected to.
ottergreen
Jun 24, 2006 @ 11:39 pm
I am so glad this show was free on itunes, because I'd never have watched it otherwise. But I really liked it. Mostly, I think, because I was taken in by the pretty of Kyle. Will definitely be keeping up with this show, as long as he keeps working on that adorable wink of his.
EMOjunky
Jun 25, 2006 @ 11:24 am
For anyone who may not know - I believe the guy who plays Kyle was on one episode of Entourage in the second season. He's on the episode where Eric has to try and get a copy of Queen's Boulevard from the director to show to James Cameron. The director won't give it to him so he goes to Scott Wick's house (I think he's the producer or something) but anyway - at his house - a young guy (Matt Dallas) answers the door and Eric thinks it Scott Wick's son (cause Scott is fairly old) but Matt Dallas (Kyle) has a hilarious line about how Scott isnt his Dad - he's his Daddy!
Just thought I'd mention it - and he is very pretty! If anyone had an inkling about where they'd seen that guy before - this is it!
Queenrikki
Jun 25, 2006 @ 3:42 pm
I downloaded the pilot from Itunes and I must say I rather liked it. I mean, I had a problem with some of the acting mostly, I was intrigued. I love these sorts of shows. I have to say there's something about the actor that plays Kyle that's...well, unreal. I just want to walk up to him and poke him to see that he is real and not, in fact, some sort of computer generated image. He's really pretty (though not in a girly sort of way). I don't mean that in a bad way, though. I think it actually works for where the show seems to be heading (though Ic ould be wrong)
ShadowMaat
Jun 25, 2006 @ 4:29 pm
I downloaded it from itunes and liked it, but I still can't shake the feeling that it's just John Doe Jr. There are definite differences, of course, but I think they may head in similar directions.
So what was the deal with the girl washing up on the beach in that news piece? What part is she supposed to play in things?
Also, the voice over thing is going to get really old really fast. It was already getting on my nerves halfway through the pilot. I hope they phase it out soon.
CaliforniaSun
Jun 25, 2006 @ 6:44 pm
I'm annoyed. I was excited to read that it was free on iTunes, but when I went to download it, it told me I couldn't since I live in Canada and I need an American account. Does anyone know any other way?
lidja
Jun 25, 2006 @ 8:30 pm
Yes, unfortunately iTunes limits TV show downloads to the US only. I guess you'll have to wait until the show is broadcast on Monday and see if there is a copy floating around.
ottergreen
Jun 25, 2006 @ 10:17 pm
Yes, unfortunately iTunes limits TV show downloads to the US only. I guess you'll have to wait until the show is broadcast on Monday and see if there is a copy floating around.
Say I take my American laptop with its American itunes subscription to Europe-- can I still download tv shows there? I am going to be studying in France all next year and I was depending on watching Lost this way... :(
Does anyone know the name of Kyle's piano player girl? She looks familiar but I can't place where I've seen her before.
Jolie Blanc
Jun 26, 2006 @ 12:35 am
Ottergreen, I know for a fact that you can take your American iTunes subscription and use it overseas, because I live in Japan and download US TV regularly.
Picked up the free preview of Kyle XY last night and quite enjoyed it, actually. It's a little hokey, but the performances were solid and the main actor is quite the hottie.
Plus, there was a Teryl Rothery sighting! (Dr. Janet Frasier from Stargate: SG1, who played the annoying neighbor with the piano-playing daughter.)
Anyway, it's not bad for summer TV. I'll probably keep watching it.
CaliforniaSun
Jun 26, 2006 @ 12:51 am
Yes, unfortunately iTunes limits TV show downloads to the US only. I guess you'll have to wait until the show is broadcast on Monday and see if there is a copy floating around.
That really sucks. I would not have bought my iPod video if I had known that. I'm really not impressed with Apple. Does anyone know where I can email them? Or if TV shows will be available to download in Canada soon? Thanks.
lidja
Jun 26, 2006 @ 2:36 am
Unfortunately its a rights issue. When Apple negotiated with the networks they only included the US marketplace. All others have to be negotiated separately. The best answer you can hope for, is that they are negotiating with the Canadien networks. The closest I could find to a complaint form was the a
form allowing you to send an email to the iTunes support team. Maybe someone else can find a better avenue for contacting them.
As it is, most of the TV shows on iTunes are produced/distributed by the same company that airs them. The rights issue is what stopped
Invasion from showing up on iTunes since its produced/distributed by NBC/Universal but airs on ABC, so if the Canadien iTunes store starts selling TV shows you might start out with the shows produced by Canadien networks first.
BuddhaBelly
Jun 26, 2006 @ 3:42 am
I dl the pilot and I liked it alot. I hope it catches on and they keep it up b/c there are way suckier shows on ABC Family. I agree with whoever said the acting was well done. I really believed them especially the guy who plays Kyle. He does the lost two year old thing really well and it does help that he has great green eyes and a killer smile
CaliforniaSun
Jun 26, 2006 @ 11:19 am
lidja, thanks for your help. I really wish I had known all this before spending so much money on my iPod Video. I'll try emailing them and see what they say.
ShadowMaat
Jun 26, 2006 @ 12:41 pm
Any chance you could simply open a US account? Not like the account itself costs anything, right? You can even get a generic email address somewhere if you don't want to have both go to the one.
Or if it catches you, well... if you're going to the US any time soon you can start up a US account while you're on a US IP, right? Beat the system. LOL!
As for Kyle... It's interesting. I'll keep watching, but like I said, that voiceover is SUPER annoying and the whole "wow, this is a strange world" thing gets tiresome. Get down to the heart of the matter and keep the cutesy cultural stuff to a minimum.
LibbySarah
Jun 26, 2006 @ 7:54 pm
Kyle/Matt: Dude's got really soulful eyes... *melts*
Also, Krycheck still looks good!
Hee. Was I the only one who thought the "take a shot" was referring to the magazine?
It's funny as hell and it's totally not kid-appropriate. I love it.
nixiechick
Jun 26, 2006 @ 8:23 pm
I'm really surprised with this show. I usually am not into the whole sci-fi thing, but this was really good. Matt Dallas is adorable and has really got the "aw shucks" thing down pat. The acting was great by everyone, although the daughter was not as good as the rest. ABC Family is pushing the "family friendly" envelope with this, but I think that it will do great. I know I'll be watching again. The Kyle asking for juice scene was one of the funniest things I've seen on TV in weeks.
Lovesick Ass
Jun 26, 2006 @ 8:23 pm
I really liked it. I'll keep watching.
You can tell this was shot in Vancouver. I recognized actors from The X-Files and Dark Angel.
Alienhead04
Jun 26, 2006 @ 8:24 pm
That was an interesting pilot.
That guy is so, so pretty. It's like he's almost too pretty for my eyes. That's enough of a reason to keep watching for me.
SugarcultAddict
Jun 26, 2006 @ 8:34 pm
No navel, but what will he contemplate?
This is gonna be my Summer show, I needed something to tide me over, and well I loved it. I thought it had a good blend of everything, and well I think it's only going to get better from here. I liked what the rest of the season preview offered as well. I missed the first 20 minutes or so, so I will be back later with a more detailed account. :)
I thought that was Krycheck! He always plays characters like this don't he, where he's kind of stalking around lol.
naneki78
Jun 26, 2006 @ 8:50 pm
Navel or not, he brings the pretty. I really liked this show. Loved the human-centric humor, and loved seeing "Legally Blonde's" UPS guy.
I don't know what it is about shows filmed in Canada, but you can always tell. Perhaps the grass IS always greener?
ShadowMaat
Jun 26, 2006 @ 8:52 pm
I once figured out a movie was filmed in Vancouver because I recognized the trees. I started to worry about myself, then... ;)
Nailbiter
Jun 26, 2006 @ 9:16 pm
I'm so surprised I like this show. I've never seen anything on ABC Family before, and stupid me, I always thought it would show, well, family shows. And I always thought "family show" meant "does not have implied masturbation and underage sex, and blatant underage drinking."
But anyway. This was really good. I for one like the voiceovers, because they're so well written and poignant. And how else would we get inside Kyle's head anyway? Plus, his voice is as pretty to listen to as his face is pretty to look at.
I never saw John Doe, but more than anyone else Kyle reminds me of Valentine Michael Smith from Stranger in a Strange Land. So strange. So very very strange to find this show on this channel.
YayCoffee
Jun 26, 2006 @ 9:18 pm
So, I was surprised to like it as much as I did. I watched it because of enduring a month of Who is. Kyle XY? commercials while watching Boy Meets World (shaddup) every day. I just needed to know... well, who WAS Kyle XY, y'know?
He's pretty, that's for sure.
It's got the makings of a good mystery, and I am pretty excited to have something new to watch in the summer, when there is NOTHING ON.
naneki78
Jun 26, 2006 @ 9:57 pm
I once figured out a movie was filmed in Vancouver because I recognized the trees.
*giggles*
Czech Angel
Jun 26, 2006 @ 10:07 pm
I thought that was Krycheck! He always plays characters like this don't he, where he's kind of stalking around lol.
I was thinking the same thing! :) I wasn't going to watch it at first. But then I had nothing to do and nothing else was on so...
I'm surprised that I liked it so much. It definitely wasn't what I expected from ABC Family and Matt Dallas (Kyle) is absolutely adorable. True, there are hokey elements to it and it's not that original, but I can live with it.
Plus, I really like the family minus the daughter (she's going to have to grow on me). I love the mom especially and her bond with Kyle.
And I just love that that the reason the son finally warmed up to Kyle was because he found his porn for him.
Clockstomper24
Jun 26, 2006 @ 10:23 pm
Pretty good for an ABC/Disney show, but almost a direct rip off of John Doe. Everything from the naked-in-the-woods thing to the crying at the piano tune was taken directly from the JD pilot.
katygrl
Jun 26, 2006 @ 11:39 pm
No, no. The naked in the wood thing was SG1. Daniel Jackson came back to human form, nekkid. And it was very good.
I tuned in, not knowing exactly what to expect. I was pleasantly suprised to see Janet and Comrade Krycheck and the kids weren't awful, either.
Can you be mildly skeeved and intrigued at the same time?
sef
Jun 26, 2006 @ 11:46 pm
That wasn't bad. I'll take the "John Doe" thing as a shout-out.
I approve of the actor: he moved very clumsily... too bad that didn't correspond with the actual plot at times.
The typing on the computer really annoyed me. Not unexpected, though.
Yeah, I'll keep watching. I like that he's narrating it; there's possibly some clues there (or I may have too much The 4400 on the brain).
The 2nd Evil
Jun 27, 2006 @ 12:41 am
I just noticed something. When Kyle and Josh were lying in the adjacent beds talking to each other, Kyle was coping Joh's movements.
First with the arm crossing, then rolling to the right.
That's kinda cute.
Standoffish
Jun 27, 2006 @ 1:06 am
Kyle never did anything aggressive this episode, even though he seemed to have some badass skills - he let the snake go, he didn't fight back in juvy, he never touched the cop in their altercation. I wonder if that's a weakness to be exploited later on.
And I just love that that the reason the son finally warmed up to Kyle was because he found his porn for him.
Except Mom had already found the porn. Once your mom has found your favorite porn mag, it loses all of its allure. Then it just becomes...yecchh.
Nikki125
Jun 27, 2006 @ 1:18 am
I really liked this show a lot. I laughed quite a number of times and I am actually interested in finding out Kyle's story. Except for the kid who plays the son, I thought it was well-acted by the rest, especially Matt Dallas. He's a cute enough kid, but his look is kind of other-worldly, which of course works for this role, but I found his face a little distracting. Anyway, it was a good first ep. I could have done without the goo and the vomit, but I will definitely watch next week.
Pretty good for an ABC/Disney show, but almost a direct rip off of John Doe. Everything from the naked-in-the-woods thing to the crying at the piano tune was taken directly from the JD pilot.
That wasn't bad. I'll take the "John Doe" thing as a shout-out.
Yeah, I took it as a homage, so it didn't bother me much. However, that first shot of Kyle did bug me a little because IIRC, Kyle was laying in the same exact position as John Doe was when he woke up in the woods. I must say that Dominic Purcell's tush is much cuter than Matt Dallas', though.
ElleEstTrois
Jun 27, 2006 @ 1:59 am
...that first shot of Kyle...laying in the same exact position as John Doe was when he woke up in the woods...I took it as a homage
Precisely my thought. That shot had me thinking I was watching the wrong show except for the voice-over.
I thought it was cute. And I was quite pleasantly surprised about the forthrightness on the ABC Family Channel. Normally, I have a knee-jerk reaction to the work "family" in anything because, politically, "family" often = "we hate gays" or "sex is evil," etc. Thanks, ABC Family for proving me wrong. I like my eyes opened.
That Mattie's a cutie doesn't hurt--at all. Wouldn't Matt have made a great young Clark Kent?
I definitely keep tuning in. Since it's summer and view-worthy shows are sparse. I love a mystery. I bet he's
a clone and girl-washed-ashore is his clone counterpart.
LibbySarah
Jun 27, 2006 @ 5:41 am
Wouldn't Matt have made a great young Clark Kent?
Thank you! I started thinking that, too.
I agree with a lot of you who've been saying they were surprised about this show being on ABC "Family" -- as soon as Kyle walked up to the couple going at it in the tent I was all, "Wait...what??" And it didn't stop there. But it's nice to see something sort of push the envelope a little.
Lastly, is it wrong that I was going to have this be my summer WB's
Tarzan?
Quickbeam
Jun 27, 2006 @ 6:05 am
I believe the guy who plays Kyle was on one episode of Entourage in the second season.
Thanks,
EMOJunky! The character is so different than the boytoy he played on Entourage but as soon as I saw him I recognized those eyes.
I really enjoyed the show. This is the first time I've watched anything on the Family Channel or whatever it's called.
Gates
Jun 27, 2006 @ 9:03 am
April Matson looks like a little Stockard Channing. I couldn't place who the girl looked like until she made a scowl, and BOOM! Jed Bartlett's wife. Except younger.
Bitterswete
Jun 27, 2006 @ 9:06 am
ABC Family has actually been pushing the envelope for quite a while. I remember the original movies they did back in the day being about as edgy as cotton balls. But I recently caught a movie they did called Celeste In the City starring Majandra Delfino (Maria from Roswell) as a young, "homely" writer who moves to New York and gets made over by her openly gay cousin (played by Nicholas Brendon) and some of his openly gay friends. That was made two years ago.
I think ABCF is trying to be more mature and edgy to attract more teens. Which makes sense considering the shows they've decided to syndicate. (Boy Meets World. Gilmore Girls. Smallville.)
Now, as for Kyle XY, I liked it. It didn't blow me away, but it didn't really have to. I enjoyed it way more than I expected, and that's enough for me.
Now, I'm eager to see Fallen, the show about the teen who finds out he's half angel.
And does anyone know who's playing the young half angel on Fallen? He looked familiar.
Lovesick Ass
Jun 27, 2006 @ 10:11 am
Paul Wesley. He played Lucas Luthor on
Smallville.
So Kyle must not be the only one. The news blurb said a girl washed ashore with no memory.
sorority
Jun 27, 2006 @ 11:07 am
I haven't seen this here yet and I only found it through a thread on the IMDB board for the show. There's a fake blog
here that seems to belong to the show and if you follow the link back you end up on a fake website
here.
Those websites aren't
really a spoiler, but if you look at them you'll probably know right away where Kyle probably comes from and what might have happened to him.
I find the picture right on the first page of the second website kind of creepy. They are just so...wholesome.
SugarcultAddict
Jun 27, 2006 @ 12:00 pm
Krycek is probably the blog guy.
Some of these things seem almost too obvious, I hope they are setting us up by giving us all these things to look at while something deeper is happening in the background. I'll totally be ignoring the obvious clues and looking for the less obvious clues.
I really liked the part where he walked into the house and said "My first thought was, that there were tiny people living in wall" and started talking about how he thought that people got tiny as time went on and how he hoped that "this woman" would someday hold him. Then being distressed about finding out that people didn't get smaller but bigger, and wondering why he was never small.
I'm afraid to get to attached to this show, because sometimes shows like this are Lucy with the Football, and I'm Charlie Brown running to kick it and just when I think It's gonna make it, they snap it away.
chic_girl85
Jun 27, 2006 @ 2:37 pm
I haven't seen this here yet and I only found it through a thread on the IMDB board for the show. There's a fake blog here that seems to belong to the show and if you follow the link back you end up on a fake website here.
Those websites aren't really a spoiler, but if you look at them you'll probably know right away where Kyle probably comes from and what might have happened to him.
Wow someone really needs to tell the "Mada Corp" to fix their map. They have Romania in Norway. :)
And forget the picture, I find this vaguely creepy:
Creating the perfect product again and again is not only our goal, it is our legacy.Yeek! This show is gonna rock if they can do a mystery right without having it turn into a
Lost bore-fest where nothing really ever gets solved. I get kind of a
Dark Angel mixed with
John Doe vibe off of this show. Should be interesting.
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