When making your Fourth of July plans, consider this:

Anything you choose probably will top what Matt Dallas was doing last year: He spent much of July Fourth naked in the woods in Canada.

"It was pretty uncomfortable," Dallas acknowledges.

He did have a reason to be there. He was filming the first scene of "Kyle XY," an amiable series that premieres Monday on ABC Family. July Fourth isn't a big holiday in Canada, anyway.

Now the show is ready to debut. It has a 10-week summer run.

In many ways, its start is identical to "John Doe," the 2002 cult favorite on Fox: Naked guy wakes up in the wilderness. He doesn't seem to know who he is or how he got there; as it turns out, he knows a lot of other things.

This one, however, has a teen-and-family twist. The guy is supposed to be 16; a kindly psychologist (Marguerite MacIntyre) takes him home and names him Kyle. He bonds with her son and teen daughter, fights bullies and falls for the girl next door.

Beyond that, all we know is that he doesn't have a belly button.

"When I read the script, I was going back and forth," says Dallas, 23. "It was, 'Is he an alien? Not really. I don't know.' I thought, 'Man, this could be really good.' "

When he got the job, he asked the producers to show him the plan for what was ahead.

"They wouldn't even let me see it," he says. "Kyle doesn't know what's going on. It was probably best for me to experience the same thing."

This show isn't about familiar situations or familiar people. Its stars aren't huge names, either. MacIntyre starred in the ABC summer show "The Days"; April Matson, who plays her daughter, was one of the teens in Fox's "Quintuplets." Others, including Dallas, have done less.

Yes, the name "Matt Dallas," suitable for any marquee, is real. It helps explain why there's a restaurant called Dallas House, in Phoenix.

That's a family business he grew up in, giving him a logical day job while auditioning: "I'm an awesome waiter," Dallas says with a laugh.

He found his real passion, however, at 12. That was when he was Gander in "The Ugly Duckling," at a community theater.

"From the first audition, I knew 'This is what I do. This is my niche — something I can do,' " Dallas says.

He moved to Los Angeles at 18. "I'd never done laundry. It was really a shock for me. It was, 'Oh my gosh, I've got to be an adult.' "

He was busy as a model, less busy as an actor. His few roles bear such descriptions as "teenager No. 1" and "monkey dancer No.1."

Then he hit the jackpot with "Kyle XY." He could dig into undefined turf. Except for an uncomfortable July Fourth, it's been a pleasant job.