Sixteen years have passed since viewers last checked in on the Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), Reese (Justin Berfield), Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), and Francis (their mentor in chaos) siblings as they got into mischief each and every week on Malcolm in the Middle (Christopher Kennedy Masterson). Fans enjoyed seeing the Wilkerson family, headed by mom Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and dad Hal (Stephen Root) (Bryan Cranston). The show was a comedy that spoke to many people the way Roseanne did, by depicting the absurdity of everyday life for a middle-class family struggling to make ends meet. Fans of Malcolm in the Middle have been waiting for any hints that the series will be making a comeback in the wake of reboots of other sitcoms from the era, such as That ’70s Show.
In an interview with Fox News, Muniz said that a resurrection is possible in the future and that Cranston would be overseeing it. According to the actor of Agent Cody Banks, “Bryan Cranston is extremely into the concept,” adding that “he’s kind of heading creating the screenplay and getting things moving.” Muniz said he “would be down 100%” if anything came of it. If Cranston, who played the goofy Hal before becoming the ruthless meth-slinging monarch Walter White on Breaking Bad, can come up with a good screenplay and plot idea, it’s a good indicator that two of the actors are eager to get back to work. After filming on Malcolm wrapped, Muniz did what many young performers in Hollywood have found impossible and disappeared from public view.
He used to be a racing car driver, but eventually, he settled in at the drum kit and began travelling frequently with a band. After admitting that he “didn’t really watch the programme while it was aired,” he and his wife sat down and watched every episode again for the interview. We [viewed] every one of the 151 episodes. Wow, that’s what we were producing, I thought, and I’d love to hear what the family’s been up to since then. The rest of the on-screen Boomer clan has gone on to pursue other acting possibilities beyond Linwood Boomer’s series.
Berfield also retired from acting and is now the Chief Creative Officer of Virgin Produced, the film, television, and entertainment part of the Virgin Group. Kaczmarek has acted in episodes of The Big Bang Theory and the film Killing Eleanor. After his work on Malcolm, Sullivan appeared in a few independent films, the most notable of which was Joel Schumacher’s Twelve. Masterson followed Muniz in switching careers, becoming a DJ in addition to performing in independent films including I’d Like to Be Alone Now and the spoof of the Power Rangers on Funny or Die, Mystic Cosmic Patrol. Also, there’s Cranston, whose career took off with the success of Breaking Bad.
He has since appeared in Your Honor on Showtime and provided his voice for animated series like Family Guy and Robot Chicken. We’ll gladly welcome whatever tidbits of news we can receive on a Malcolm revival, no matter how flimsy they may seem at this point. The fact that Cranston has already begun writing a script suggests that significant developments are imminent.