Four-Episode Malcolm In The Middle Reunion Announced For Disney+

Malcolm in the Middle is coming back, according to 20th Century Studios, who has greenlit a revival miniseries (think Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life) for Disney+. The description for the revival’s plot reads thusly: “Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and his daughter are drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party.”

Malcolm was a groundbreaking and innovative show when it premiered on Fox in the late 90s and influenced just about every other family comedy afterward for years to come. Its frenetic editing style would often reduce certain scenes to the bare minimum for quick laughs….for example, I recall one scene where Dewey was dancing with an old woman who looked too old to be dancing. There is suddenly a freeze-frame on the woman, you hear a record scratch, and the very next shot is an ambulance driving away. Just enough to get it.

The scene is also typical of the show’s dark sense of humor; most events and gags are built around the suffering of Malcolm’s family as they struggle in their lower-middle-class existences. They have horrible luck and can barely stand each other, let alone the uncaring world they inhabit. A Malcolm episode is good therapy after a rough day. It’s been there, man.

The announcement confirms the return of Muniz, Kaczmarek and Cranston, but no one else. There will be a lot of negotiation to nail down that large cast (hope they can get Piama back). Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey, retired from acting a long time ago…but there’s an easy out there; Atticus Shaffer, who starred in the very similar titled “The Middle,” is his spitting image. Just cast Shaffer and no one will know. Reports mention they are also still searching for an actress to play Malcolm’s wife. Isn’t Tanya Raymonde still available? Or did he not marry Cynthia? Am I the only one who shipped those two?

Life is still unfaiiiiiir all these years later, but at least Malcolm has one more chance to find appreciation. The revival currently has no release window.