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

User Rating:

8.4/10   

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:

Dysfunctional Family | School | Military School | Sitcom | Ranch

Awards:

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

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Nov. 4	8:00 PM	NIK	Hal Coaches	#3.16
Wed. Nov. 4	8:30 PM	NIK	Family Reunion	#4.3

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)
Craig Lamar Traylor	...	Stevie Kenarban / ... (61 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) | Canada:G (Quebec) (DVD rating) | Canada:PG (DVD rating) | 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:

Jane Kaczmarek in real life has given birth by way of Caesarian section three times. When it came time to simulate giving birth without a C-section in the episode Baby Part Two, Jane just imitated every other birth she had seen on television.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the end of Lois vs. Evil, Malcolm speaks to camera with several children moving in the background. One boy doesn't know where or when to move and he tries to speak to someone off camera. In the end he gives up, shrugs his shoulders and walks off.

Quotes:

Reese: Dewey. I finally found out why everybody's been giving you money. There's this kid who looks just like you and he's been doing chores for everybody. I knew that everybody must have an evil twin.
Dewey: He's my evil twin?
Reese: No, Dewey, this kid's a saint. You're his evil twin.
Dewey: But, I don't want to be an evil twin.
Reese: Dewey, shut up. This thing involves money and an evil twin. We got to find a way to make this pay off... Let's go watch soap operas.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Family Guy: I Take Thee, Quagmire (#4.21)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Smile

One of my favorite shows

As of late, Fox Television has been relying on gimmicky reality series like Joe Millionaire and Married by Amercia to gets its high ratings. But the show I enjoy the most in their weekly lineup has go to be the always funny Malcolm in the Middle. First off, the entire cast is just superb. Frankie Muniz is cute, likeable, and gives the show a solid foundation. Justin Berfield and Erik Sullivan do just as well as the older and younger siblings. Dewey cracks me up sometimes when he has to take care of the father or finds his dark side (my favorite episode that was centered around the little guy has to be when he and the dad built a Lego empire that Dewey ran as dictator). And you can't leave out the parents, who are just as off the wall and hilarious. Francis shows up every now and then, but I tend to enjoy his wife Piama more than anything else about his sub-stories. What surprises me is how young the three main boys looked in the first few episodes. Frankie was just this chubby-cheeked tyke and so was Reese, but now Just Berfield has definitely bulked up (check out his shirtless scenes during the one episode where he feuds with Malcolm; yowza!), and Frankie has developed a very mature, handsome face. I'm kind of eager to see Frankie's latest movie, Agent Cody Banks, if only because he stars in it. Sure, it may not be Shakespeare, but it looks like good fun. As for Malcolm, I hope it keeps going for seasons to come. It somehow manages to be consistantly funny and fresh. 4/4 stars.