"Malcolm in the Middle" (2000) TV series 2000-2006

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Creator:

Linwood Boomer

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

9 January 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A gifted young teen tries to survive with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.

Plot Keywords:

Talk To Camera | Boy | Actor Talks To Audience | Stupidity | Neurosis

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Golden Globes. Another 39 wins & 82 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Oct. 13	2:00 PM	FX	Reese's Job	#3.9
Mon. Oct. 13	2:30 PM	FX	Lois' Makeover	#3.10

Cast

Bryan Cranston	...	Hal (151 episodes, 2000-2006)
Justin Berfield	...	Reese / ... (151 episodes, 2000-2006)
Erik Per Sullivan	...	Dewey (151 episodes, 2000-2006)
Jane Kaczmarek	...	Lois (150 episodes, 2000-2006)
Christopher Masterson	...	Francis (150 episodes, 2000-2006)
Frankie Muniz	...	Malcolm (150 episodes, 2000-2006)

Also Known As:

Fighting in Underpants (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:TV-14 (one episode) | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:Livre | Singapore:PG | USA:TV-PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Satin City Productions

Trivia:

Scenes from The Brain from Planet Arous (1957) can be seen during the opening credits.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the episode when Francis runs away from military school, he and his father are talking in the van. There is a pair of headlights behind them following very close, but when seen from outside, the car is driving down the rain soaked road with no car behind them.

Quotes:

Hal: That's melba toast. If you can't make a sandwich out of that, you're just not trying hard enough.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Firehouse Dog (2007)

Soundtrack:

Spiralling Shape

Consistently funny and original

When this show first debuted right after THE SIMPSONS, I incorrectly thought it was just a live action knock-off of the Simpson family. While there are some similarities, the show managed to carve out a unique niche for itself due to the show's wonderful ability to tell two or three stories simultaneously and interweave them so well. Plus the humor involving this very dysfunctional family managed to be unique enough that I honestly can't say it was like any other show on television. Excellent writing, casting and enough bizarre plot twists to keep you interested, it's not surprising this show lasted seven seasons. In fact, considering how FOX moved the show around so much, it's a testament to the quality of the show that this didn't kill it--as so often happens when they move shows around.