The TV Addict 

It’s one of the hottest tickets at Comic Con 2006 as a room filled with screaming fans welcome an incredibly photogenic panel of actors who happen to star in a series steeped in mystery and mythology.

No, this isn’t the panel for the ABC’s LOST. Rather, it’s the surprise hit of the summer, ABC Family’s KYLE XY.

As adoring fans in the audience implore the show’s teen dream Matt Dallas (Kyle) to “Show us your belly button!” — and yes, for the record, he has one — the rising star looks as surprised as anyone to be the center of so much attention.

Eventually, the enthusiastic fangirls in the crowd go from sustained shrieking to subdued giggling as the question-and-answer period gets under session. Unlike a media-only event, Comic Con is a great equlizer, allowing fans to step into Katie Couric’s sensible shoes and ask the tough questions. And it quickly becomes evident that those in attendance aren’t afraid to ask the tough questions.

“Isn’t KYLE XY just a rip-off of FOX’s dear, departed JOHN DOE?” asks the first person to take the mic.

“KYLE was actually developed in 2000, prior to JOHN DOE,” responds executive producer Julie Plec of the short-lived show launched in 2002. “Any similarities are merely coincidental.”

When another attendee asks if KYLE will provide real answers to the hero’s appearance or if the whole thing is being made up as the writers go along. Plec deftly handles this question, too, taking a none-too-subtle swat at one of her sister network’s biggest hits. “Unlike LOST, where it seems like they’re just making it up, we actually know what the secret of KYLE XY is. The key is that we started with the answer and worked our way backwards,” she explains. “We’re not going to wait until season five to answer the questions you’re dying to know, and then run out of stories to tell.” In fact, she goes on to reveal, “the answer to Kyle’s existence actually opens a completely new direction for the show. It’s not the end of the series… it’s just the beginning.”

But as the season’s all-too-brief first season of 10 episodes slowly winds down, one can’t help but wonder how many answers will really be provided during KYLE’s freshman run. “We’ll definitely find out the truth behind the mystery man in the truck and his link to Kyle,” previews the executive.

And what about that oddly missing belly button? Stay tuned…