Long before fourth-wall-breaking characters became all the rage and mockumentaries made characters talking to the camera a mainstay, a FOX sitcom back in the early aughts popularized the trend. Malcolm in the Middle, a single-camera sitcom starring child actor Frankie Muniz in the titular role and a pre-Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston as his father Hal, premiered on January 9, 2000, just at the start of the new millennium.
Variety has reported that the original creator, Linwood Boomer, will return to helm the series. The official plot of the new Malcolm in the Middle series details that Malcolm, now a father to a little girl, has been invited to attend his parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. The opportunity to revisit many of the series’ entertaining characters after all these years should be fun for a large audience.
Malcolm in the Middle Series Recap
For the select few who haven’t watched the groundbreaking sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle follows the life of the bright Malcolm Wilkerson, a child prodigy with extraordinary intellect who lives in a lower-middle-class household with an older and younger brother and two working parents. When a few of his teachers take note of his above-average intelligence, he’s considered for a move from his normal classes to ones for wiser students.
Although he’s seen as a nerd and geekish for how much he can compute and solve easily, he behaves similarly to Matt Damon’s lead role in the 1997 coming-of-age tale Good Will Hunting as he’s prone to fighting classmates and his brothers regularly and has sudden outbursts when he doesn’t get his way.
During the duration of Malcolm in the Middle’s seven seasons, Malcolm’s misadventures with his friends and family reveal he isn’t the only gifted member of the Wilkerson family. His second older brother, Reese, discovers a love for cooking and is the lead cook as he arranges a Thanksgiving dinner for the immediate and extended family.
Dewey, the youngest brother (at the time), also shows a knack for piano playing, as he can be seen playing pieces in a store and even constructing his own out of objects lying around the house. The show’s praise and longevity were partly due to its realistic depiction of everyday American families. The Wilkerson family’s friends also feature diverse characters cast in realized roles, as many are depicted in everyday roles, including practicing doctors and dentists.
Where Are the Cast of MitM Now?
As mentioned, Bryan Cranston became a household name after the FOX single-cam sitcom ended. His follow-up performance was as the high school chemistry teacher turned crystal meth kingpin Walter White in the neo-western crime series Breaking Bad. His iconic performance revitalized his career almost overnight.
Cranston received six Primetime Emmy Awards for portraying White, who went by Heisenberg in the criminal underworld of Alberqueue, New Mexico. The 68-year-old is still acting to this day and recently received more praise for his role in the Showtime thriller Your Honor as Judge Michael Desiato.
Frankie Muniz maintained a sporadic career since Malcolm in the Middle ended. Over the years, he would often make cameo appearances and small roles in many blockbusters and smaller films. He then went on to become a NASCAR stock car racer. While he is slated to appear in the Malcolm continuation, former child star Muniz has gone on record sharing he’ll be racing full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2025.
There isn’t much that’s been reported on other cast members, such as Justin Berfield, who played Reese, other than co-founding Virgin Produced, the official film and television production company under Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin umbrella brand.
Berfield serves as Produced’s Chief Creative Officer, so he may appear in the Disney Plus miniseries if the powers plan to include him. Erik Per Sullivan, who was cast as the young brother Dewey, has taken a large step back from the limelight since the series ended, so his appearance in the miniseries is more difficult to ascertain.
Continuing Malcolm in the Middle’s Story
The cast and creative talent behind Malcolm choosing now to pick up where the OG series left off must be for a good reason, as fans have been clamoring for more on the Wilkersons and their unique yet familiar adventures for decades. The talent of all involved with Malcolm in the Middle felt like lighting in a bottle.
The show resembles a visual time capsule of life before technological advancements. There is a good chance this will capture the essence of what made the original a timeless classic with enough modern layers and themes to expand upon fan-favorite characters and the world of the Wilkersons.
