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

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 | Dysfunctional Marriage | Friendship | Cult TV | Dance Dance Revolution

Awards:

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

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 21	7:00 AM	FX	The Grandparents	#2.15
Mon. July 21	7:30 AM	FX	Traffic Ticket	#2.16

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

Colour:

Colour

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:

The last name of the family has only twice been revealed on the show. It is Wilkerson, as revealed in the pilot as the name tag Francis wears on his school uniform. There was also a joke that appeared in the original pilot script. In that script, Malcolm was walking to school when a neighborhood kid came running up shouting, "Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm. I was talking to my parents last night - I was listening to them talk, and what's your last name?" "Wilkerson, why?" Malcolm replied. "Oh. Who are the Pariahs?" said the other kid. The joke was eventually cut, and the show's writers subsequently decided never to reveal the family's last name, but it would seem they forgot about Francis's name tag. In the company picnic episode, Hal also refers to them as 'the Wilkersons'.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the episode when Francis babysits, they clean the house. They realize it is now *too* clean and start blowing dirt out of a vacuum. As the camera backs up, the ceiling disappears, revealing the top of the set.

Quotes:

Lois: It's so nice to have a boy in the house who's not a rude little monster.
Reese: Hey, was that a shot at me?
Lois: Yes, honey. It was.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2002) (TV)

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.