“Malcolm in the Middle” is a nostalgic show that a lot of kids in the early 2000s grew to know and love. It’s a unique style of single-camera, no-laugh-track style that revolutionized TV culture and its distinct plots covering topics like LGBTQ issues and financial struggles for its time of release in the early 2000s made it even more unique and personable for viewers.
As of April 10, a a four-episode new reboot produced by Hulu and Disney+ has been released with the first 4 initial episodes available to watch.
For many, its original charm is what draws audiences to the show and its characters. So now, the real question is whether this same feeling is carried within the show?
Initially, off the first episode, it is immediately apparent that the script had some issues with flow, almost appearing a little cliché as Malcolm, played again by Frankie Muniz, is trying to patch up any plot holes viewers have questioned over the years. Positively, in the original show’s fashion, real, unique family dynamics continue to be addressed.
We see that Malcolm successfully manages a nonprofit food charity and is a single parent to his own daughter, Leah, played by Keeley Karsten, who happens to also be a child genius.
We also see Malcolm now has a sixth sibling, Kelly, played by Vaughan Murrae, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, continuing to touch on new LGBTQ topics in a well-written way.
Often in TV, writers will lazily just write in an already established character as LGBTQ in an attempt to promote representation, so it’s refreshing to see a new character with their own complex, dimensional feelings introduced.
Just like Malcolm’s battle of the wits in his own chaotic household, we see Leah dealing with the opposite spectrum’s struggles of an overbearing and sheltered home environment. The way this was executed, though, came off a little too robotic and overworked to make her sound like the girl version of Malcolm, with so much over-explaining.
In addition, certain parts, such as Hal’s dance number in the supermarket for his and Lois’ anniversary, seemed a bit too modernized, which can potentially make viewers uneasy about continuing to watch the reboot. However, this changes in the continued episodes.
As the show continues, the main plot is introduced as Malcolm is hit with the consequences of keeping his daughter isolated from his family out of fear that they will influence her negatively. Only to then be dragged back into their orbit when Hal and Lois, played again by Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party.
We also see appearances from old characters like Stevie, played again by Craig Lamar Traylor, who is happily married to his husband and has an infant son together, and fun little Easter eggs such as the “Nice is Good, Mean is Bad” song viewers may remember from the second episode of the first season in the original “Malcolm in the Middle”.
The long-awaited answer to the mystery of the family’s last name is also finally revealed on Jamie’s Coast Guard uniform as “Wilkerson.” As for the rest of Malcolm’s siblings, Francis and his wife are still together and living with his parents, preparing for their first child together, while Dewey is on the road as a successful musician on tour, and Reese is still… Reese.
Overall, the show does a fantastic job of constructing the internal emotions of all of the characters, especially Hal and his relationship with his children. The fear of the show becoming too modernized quickly changes, and the same silly antics that make the family so unique and fun to watch continue to make their way into the overall plot.
As Leah adapts and builds relationships with her extended family, and Malcolm learns to accept their role in his life rather than run from it, the reboot stays true to the charm and originality that made the original so beloved.
However, with only a four-episode run, it ultimately leaves viewers wanting more and anticipating what could come next, and whether the series will be allowed to fully explore these storylines and character developments in future episodes.
For any viewers looking to find that old nostalgia from this American classic TV show, expect a mix of familiar charm and updated storytelling, where the original still shines through, even as it adapts to a more modern lens.
