Malcolm In The Middle Reboot: Everything We Know So Far

The reruns of Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle" practically served as my favorite type of procrastination when I was in college well over 15 years ago. Between studying sessions (or, rather, to avoid them), I quickly fell in love with Linwood Boomer's sitcom, which was about four horrendously naughty and mischievous brothers — Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), Reese (Justin Berfield), Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), and Francis (Christopher Masterson) — and their quirky and often wild parents, Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Lois Wilkerson (Jane Kaczmarek).

Although the show may have seemed like your typical silly and innocent family comedy from the aughts, its writers and actors constantly pushed the series' brilliant and witty humor to the limits of its TV-PG 12 rating. There was endless bullying, emotional manipulation, unorthodox parenting, family dysfunction, and a whiff of violence along with other atrocities in every other episode. I think it's fair to say the series was ahead of its time, as far as family sitcoms went in the 2000s. It's no coincidence that Bryan Cranston sharpened much of his acting chops on this show before he got the role of a lifetime in Vince Gilligan's "Breaking Bad" as Walter White. In fact, thanks to Hal, the contrast between his comedic and dramatic range seemed even more impressive.

Thus, as a long-time fan, I was ecstatic to learn not too long ago that the series is getting a revival (or more like a reunion) almost 20 years after the show ended. Here's everything we know about it so far.

The whole appeal of a revival, as we've seen with other series like "The X Files," "Justified: City Primeval," or "Arrested Development," is to bring back as many of the original characters and cast members as possible. This isn't always easy for multiple reasons (scheduling issues, retirements, unfortunate deaths), but luckily, most of the original actors of "Malcolm in the Middle" were actually delighted and, more importantly, available to reprise their roles for a reunion. Bryan Cranston (who, by far, has become the busiest and most successful cast member since the show ended) will happily return as the boys' father, Hal. He even shared his excitement in an interview with IndieWire, saying: 

"Seeing the family was the best part. It's been 20 years since we said goodbye, and now we're seeing the family again and each person. All the boys were around the same age, now, that I was when I started 25 years ago. They've got kids of their own. It's just great to see."

Frankie Muniz, now 39, is also returning as the titular Malcolm alongside two of his original TV brothers, Justin Berfield as Reese and Christopher Masterson as Francis. Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey, is being replaced by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark, while Jamie (the youngest son of the family born in the season 4 finale) will be portrayed by Anthony Timpano. (In the original show, Jamie was played by James and Lukas Rodriguez as a toddler.) At 69, Jane Kaczmarek will also reprise her role, thankfully, as the firm-handed and sharp-witted Lois.

Newcomers will include Kiana Madeira (the "Fear Street" trilogy) as Malcolm's girlfriend Tristan, Vaughan Murrae ("I Like Movies") as Kelly, the newest addition to the Wilkersons, and Keeley Karsten ("The Fabelmans") as Leah, Malcolm's self-sufficient, remarkably intelligent, and highly sensitive daughter.

As disappointed as "Malcolm in the Middle" fans undoubtedly are that Erik Per Sullivan declined to reappear as Dewey in the revival, the reasons for his refusal are pretty understandable. After all, Per Sullivan has been practically done with acting since the show finished in 2006. Following the series, he starred in an under-the-radar indie dramedy titled "MO" and later on had a small role in Joel Schumacher's mediocre crime drama "Twelve." Since 2010, however, he hasn't added any acting credits to his name whatsoever. Hence, it's not much of a surprise that he declined to come back for the revival despite the fact that most of his former co-stars cherished the opportunity to return.

Thankfully, Per Sullivan's TV mom, Jane Kaczmarek, had nothing but good things to say about him during an interview with Malcolm France, stating:

"He's very well. He did 'Malcolm' for seven years, he started at seven, he ended at 14. He wasn't interested in acting at all. He goes to school at a very prestigious American university that he's asked us all to be quiet about, and he loves Charles Dickens. He's doing graduate work in Victorian literature."

She also noted that she actually admires Per Sullivan for making a choice after realizing that show business wasn't for him and taking on a very different kind of life. "I think he's a very grateful kid," she added.

To clarify, the untitled revival of "Malcolm in the Middle" won't be a classic reboot but, rather, a continuation that takes place two decades after the ending of the OG series. It'll really be a reunion for "Malcolm" fans as much as for the actors to learn what their characters have been up to since they became adults and went on to have a life on their own after leaving the family home. What's truly exciting about this is that we only ever knew Malcolm and his siblings (except Francis) as children and teenagers during the seven seasons we spent watching them from 2000 to 2006. Now, we actually get the chance to see how they all turned out as grownups and whether they retained most of the personality traits, quirks, and trademark characteristics they had as kids. Naturally, we'll also get to witness how Hal and Lois treat them now, having become grandparents and pensioners themselves.

Much of the details regarding the plot are being kept under wraps, but so far we know the premise will revolve around Hal and Lois's 40th wedding anniversary (via Variety). The couple is throwing a big party, and, per usual, they demand the presence of their offspring, particularly Malcolm and his girlfriend (who quickly get sucked into the chaos that this event is turning into). Personally, I can't wait to find out how heated and ridiculous things get between the Wilkersons this time around.

Series creator Linwood Boomer hasn't done a lot of work since "Malcolm" — he was a producer on "The Mindy Project," wrote a 2009 TV movie nobody heard of, and appeared in a small role in "Santa Clarita Diet" — but he's fully back at the helm as writer and executive producer on the revival. This is excellent news for fans, and frankly, it's great to see how excited the original cast members are about working with Boomer again. It's just the right thing to do when it comes to such a beloved and particular show as "Malcolm."

The revival will be a limited series consisting of four episodes that will stream on Disney+ at some point in 2025 (an official premiere date hasn't been announced yet). Ken Kwapis — who helmed "A Walk in the Woods" along with 13 episodes of the American "Office" — will direct all of the episodes, while Bryan Cranston, Tracy Katsky, Gail Berman, Arnon Milchan, and Natalie Lehmann serve as executive producers.

Fortunately, we probably won't have to wait too long to see what Boomer has cooked up because shooting officially wrapped in mid-May 2025. Reflecting on the final days on set, actor Justin Berfield posted to Instagram, "We're so lucky that we got to come back to these characters after 20 years and see where they've been. I had so much fun getting to go back to my old life as an actor." Frankie Muniz also shared on Instagram that "This experience was straight-up incredible — like stepping back into Malcolm's wild world but with all the love and chaos cranked to 11." Well, let's hope that we'll have as much fun and a good time watching the final result as they did making it.