Malcolm in the Middle explained

Genre:	Sitcom Black comedy
Creator:	Linwood Boomer
Theme Music Composer:	John Flansburgh John Linnell
Opentheme:	"Boss of Me" by They Might Be Giants
Endtheme:	"Boss of Me" (instrumental)
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	7
Num Episodes:	151
List Episodes:	List of Malcolm in the Middle episodes
Camera:	Panavision single-camera
Runtime:	21–23 minutes
Network:	Fox

Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons consisting of 151 episodes.

The single-camera series is a black family comedy that follows a dysfunctional working class family and stars Frankie Muniz in the lead role as Malcolm, a child prodigy. The ensemble cast includes Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston as Malcolm's parents, Lois and Hal. Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield, and Erik Per Sullivan appear as Malcolm's brothers, Francis, Reese, and Dewey, respectively. Typical plots revolve around the family's dysfunctional relationships and inability to fit into society, with Malcolm regularly making asides to the camera to comment on their failures. Another brother, Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez), was introduced as the fifth son of Hal and Lois at the end of season four. The show was notable for its pop punk influences and portrayal of 2000s youth culture.

Malcolm in the Middle was produced by Satin City and Regency Television in association with Fox Television Studios. The show has been syndicated worldwide, and received widespread critical acclaim and proved a popular draw for Fox. It is placed on several lists of the greatest TV and sitcom series of all time.^{[1] [2]} It has won a Peabody Award, seven Emmy Awards, one Grammy Award and seven Golden Globe nominations.

Premise

The series revolves around a boy named Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), who is revealed in the first episode to be a genius with an IQ of 165, which places him in a class for gifted students (also known as "Krelboynes"), originally taught by Caroline Miller (Catherine Lloyd Burns). He is the third-born child in a comically dysfunctional family of four (later five) boys,^{[3] [4]} of Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and Hal (Bryan Cranston). As of the first season, their delinquent oldest child Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson) has been sent away to military school; while his brothers Reese (Justin Berfield), Malcolm, and Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) remain at home with their parents. With Francis away, Malcolm becomes the middle child of the family. In season four, the character Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez) was added to the show as the fifth son of Hal and Lois. The show's early seasons centered on Malcolm dealing with the rigors of being an intellectual and enduring the eccentricities of family life.

Later seasons expanded the show's scope by exploring the family's interactions with their extended family, friends and colleagues in more depth, including Lois' tyrannical mother (Cloris Leachman); Craig Feldspar (David Anthony Higgins), Lois' hapless coworker at the Lucky Aide drugstore; Malcolm's best friend Stevie Kenarban (Craig Lamar Traylor) (who is both a wheelchair user and highly asthmatic), and Stevie's dad Abe (Gary Anthony Williams); as well as a series of continuing subplots detailing Francis' misadventures at the military academy, from which he subsequently disenrolls to work in an Alaskan logging camp, before finally landing a job on a dude ranch run by an eccentric German couple.

The series differed significantly from the standard TV sitcom presentation commonplace at the time. Malcolm routinely broke the fourth wall by both narrating in voice-over and talking directly to the viewer on camera. The distinctive look and sound of the series relied heavily on elaborate post-production, including fast-cut editing, sound effects, musical inserts, the extensive use of locations, and the unusual camera styles, compositions and effects (e.g. overhead, tracking, hand-held and crane shots, and the frequent use of a wide-angle lens for both close-ups and ensemble scenes) that would be generally impractical or impossible to achieve in a standard studio-based video multi-camera sitcom production.^{[5] [6]} The show employed neither a laugh track (which was standard in other TV sitcoms) nor a live studio audience.^{[7] [8] [9]} Emulating the style of hour-long dramas, this half-hour show was shot on film instead of on video.^{[10] [11] [12]}

Another distinctive aspect of the show is that the cold open of every episode is unrelated to the main story. Exceptions were episodes which were the conclusions of "two-parters"; each part two episode opened with a recap of its part one episode.

The family's surname is never mentioned directly in the series. Linwood Boomer's script for the pilot episode originally included the surname Wilkerson, but it was later removed because he did not want to put "any specific ethnic label on the characters".^[13] The surname appeared in early drafts of promotional material and also on Francis' Marlin Academy uniform in the pilot. In the last episode of the series, "Graduation", Francis drops his ID badge from his new office job, which lists his name as "Francis Nolastname". Also, in that same episode, the principal announces Malcolm as the speaker, mouthing "Nolastname" as his voice is drowned out by microphone feedback. A publicist for Fox said that "officially the family's last name should be considered a mystery".^[13]

Characters

See main article: List of Malcolm in the Middle characters.

• Lois (played by Jane Kaczmarek) is the family's wildly hot-headed and stubborn mother who is also an intelligent and decisive woman. Most of her bullishness comes from her constant battles throughout the series to keep her badly behaved, highly destructive boys in check, while maintaining a menial job at a Lucky Aide drugstore, as well as her own difficult upbringing with a tyrannical mother and an indifferent father. Though she is hard on her children for their constantly bad behavior, Lois can be just as petty and spiteful as them, e.g., going after a group of girls that humiliated Reese before his senior prom. Despite her constant aggressiveness, she is motherly^[14] and will defend her family fiercely, especially against neighbors and others who view them as poor trash; in one episode, she finds that Malcolm and Reese discovered their neighbor having an affair with her Hispanic gardener while they planned to frame her son for theft, but does not punish them for their actions as this counted as revenge against the woman, who despised Lois. Lois is disliked by both Hal's wealthy family and her own parents. She has a younger sister named Susan, who blames Lois for stealing Hal from her. Neighbors hate Lois and her sons and celebrate the weekends when they are gone. In the series finale, she discovered that she and Hal are expecting a sixth child.
• Hal (played by Bryan Cranston) is Lois' husband and father to Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey and Jamie. Hal is a well-meaning, loving, but inept and completely immature father, and completely dependent on Lois, whom he loves absolutely. He comes from a wealthy family that does not accept Lois as his wife and who wish that he had married Susan instead. Because his family is disrespectful towards Lois, he rarely mentions them and avoids his family. Hal loves his boys and will sometimes sneak them out for fun father–son activities behind Lois' back. Hal is an indecisive character who frequently picks up new hobbies for short periods of time, such as speed walking or painting, and is irresponsible with the money he earns from his office job. His indecisiveness was explored in "Living Will" from a childhood which he had a hard time making decisions for himself and because of this, he always deferred to Lois to make them for him. In the series finale, he discovers that he and Lois are expecting a sixth child. Hal has a high sex drive, as revealed in the episode "Forbidden Girlfriend", and it is mentioned in the episode "Poker 2" that he has sex 14 times per week. Hal's best friend is Abe Kenarban.
• Francis (played by Christopher Kennedy Masterson) is Hal and Lois' first son Born October 1984 . At the beginning of the series, he is attending military school in Alabama,^[15] run by the strict Commandant Spangler (Daniel von Bargen). It is shown that his parents enjoyed a promising middle-class, comfortable lifestyle before he was born and that he was such a difficult, destructive child that their dream soon ended. He has himself legally emancipated at the start of season three, leaves the school, and travels to Alaska.^[16] He finds work at a logging camp and later meets and marries Piama (Emy Coligado), a girl of Inuit heritage.^[17] When the camp closes, they move to the western United States and take jobs at a Wild West–themed hotel/ranch, run by kindly but eccentric Germans: Otto Mannkusser (played by Kenneth Mars) and his wife, Gretchen (played by Meagen Fay).^[18] Francis and his mother have a mutual love–hate war of wills, and his main motivation in life is to thwart or irk her (though, ironically, he marries a woman with the same personality as Lois). Although a juvenile delinquent, he is streetwise. Francis is seen less frequently after season five, becoming a recurring character and making only a small handful of appearances in season six and season seven, which is the show's final season. Francis' steady job disappears in season six due to legal issues until the series' finale, "Graduation", reveals that he already has a steady desk job sorting out computers. He admits to Hal that he likes his job, but also enjoys frustrating Lois by lying to her that he's unemployed.
• Reese (played by Justin Berfield) is Hal and Lois' second son Born April 1987 .^[19] The older brother of Malcolm, Dewey and Jamie, and younger brother of Francis, Reese is the most impulsive and physical of the boys.^[20] Lacking common sense, he is frequently outwitted and outspoken by other family members, and is gleefully violent. Despite being dimwitted, Reese is able to devise plans thoroughly (although most of his plans tend to backfire), and is masterful at the rare tasks which can pin his drifting focus, such as driving, or cooking and baking (he's revealed to be a culinary prodigy).^[21] In the series finale, he finally graduates from high school after intentionally failing many times before, obtains full employment as a high school custodian, and shares an apartment with Craig.
• Dewey (played by Erik Per Sullivan) is Hal and Lois' fourth son Born September 1994. He is the youngest child until the birth of Jamie, and often falls victim to his brothers' pranks.^[22] Starting in season 4, Dewey is shown to be very intelligent and musically gifted as he begins teaching himself to play the piano.^[23] He has a very high tolerance for pain due to years of physical and mental abuse from his brothers. Dewey often resorts to Machiavellian schemes to one-up his brothers and parents. Despite his intelligence, he is placed in a remedial class for slower students (or "Buseys") due to a misunderstanding.^[24] Dewey remains in the class and serves as their self-appointed teacher. By the seventh and final season of the show, the Busey class is no longer mentioned. He is the only sibling that eventually breaks the cycle of abusing the younger sibling, which ends up with him acting like a normal, lovable brother towards Jamie. In the series finale, he and Jamie are last seen hiding in the closet together after a prank, continuing their older brothers' tradition of incurring Lois' wrath.
• Caroline Miller (played by Catherine Lloyd Burns) Malcolm's teacher (seasons 1–2).
• Malcolm (played by Frankie Muniz) is the title character of the series. Malcolm is a genius with an IQ of 165 and a photographic memory.^{[25] [26]} He is placed in a class for gifted students (or "Krelboynes" as they are known at the school).^[27] His high intelligence, as well as feelings of not fitting in, and a large ego fueled by a cruel streak of snarkiness cause numerous problems for him over the course of the series. As the title suggests, Malcolm is initially the middle child of the three living at home; chronologically, he is Hal's and Lois' third son born March 1988. Despite his intelligence, Malcolm is just as immature and destructive as his brothers and is often the ringleader in some of their schemes. Throughout the show, Malcolm often strives for independence away from his controlling mother and often tries to have her see him as an equal. Due to his intelligence, Lois often makes decisions that she feels will benefit his education while keeping a close eye on him. It is revealed in the series finale that she does this so that he will one day become the President of the United States and use his position to help lower-class families like their own. His best friend is Stevie Kenarban. In the series finale, he graduates from high school and starts attending Harvard University by both scholarship and working various jobs, specifically as a janitor.

Episodes

See main article: List of Malcolm in the Middle episodes.

Production

Development

The pilot's script was initially being developed by UPN until Regency Television became involved. It was planned for the 1998–99 television season but when UPN's enthusiasm for the project waned, Gail Berman managed to rescue the pilot by bringing the project to Fox. The show was then moved to the 1999–2000 cycle where it was picked up by Fox.^[28]

Opening title

The show's opening title features short clips from cult films or television shows, with in earlier seasons being edited together with clips from the pilot and early episodes of the show, Updated in season 4 to include clips from later seasons, set to the song "Boss of Me" by They Might Be Giants.

Filming

Much of the filming for Malcolm in the Middle was done on location^[29] in various parts of the thirty-mile zone around Los Angeles. A privately owned home, located in Studio City, California, was rented for upwards of $3,000 a day to film as the exterior of Malcolm's house.^[30] Rebuilt in 2011, the property is no longer recognizable due to its modern two-floor design. However, the house directly to the left of it is nearly identical to what it looked like during filming, still making it a frequent stop for fans of the show. Some high school scenes were filmed at Walter Reed Middle School, and the Lucky Aide was represented by a Drug Emporium at 6020 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood. In "Stock Car Races", when Hal and the boys are entering a race track, the billboard behind the entrance displays the place as Irwindale Speedway, a real race track in Southern California. The last episode in the first season ("Water Park") was filmed at a water park called Wild Rivers located in Irvine, California. Though palm trees and desert scenery are seen in shots of the local region and town throughout the show, indicating a location in the Western United States, it is never revealed which state the show is set in (except for Francis' whereabouts in early seasons, such as his military school in Alabama and his job in Alaska).

Studio filming for Malcolm in the Middle took place on Stage 21 at CBS Studio Center in Studio City, which included the interior of the home and the back yard.^[31] The middle school play yard was at the northern point of the CBS studio property at the end of Radford Avenue. It was redressed as the high school courtyard starting in season 4 and was demolished in 2006–2007.

Hallmarks of the series' filming and structure, many of which heavily influenced later programs, included the following:

• A cold open presenting one or more family members in an absurd situation that has little or nothing to do with the main plot of the episode.
• A split-second whip pan as a transition from one scene to another.
• Frequent pieces to camera delivered by Malcolm.^[32]
• An abrupt cut to black at the end of each segment, accompanied by the sound of a slamming door.

During the final two seasons, Christopher Masterson reduced his on-screen time in favor of writing and directing some episodes.

Music

The show's theme song, "Boss of Me", was written and recorded by the alternative rock group They Might Be Giants.^[33] The song won the "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media" award at the 2002 Grammy Awards.^[34] The band also performed nearly all of the incidental music for the show in its first two seasons.^[35]

Mood-setting music is sprinkled throughout the series, in lieu of audience laughter, in a way that resembles feature film more than other TV sitcoms. Some examples of this highly varied music include ABBA, Basement Jaxx, Sum 41, Kenny Rogers, Lemon Jelly, Lords of Acid, The Getaway People, En Vogue, Electric Light Orchestra, Fatboy Slim, Phil Collins, Claude Debussy, Tears for Fears, Slade, Quiet Riot, Queen, and Citizen King, whose song "Better Days" is played at the end of both the pilot episode and the series finale. The Southern California pop-punk band Lit have many of their songs featured in several episodes. Lit songs that were never released as singles were also used.

A soundtrack, Music from Malcolm in the Middle, was released on November 21, 2000.^[36]

Broadcast and syndication

The show entered barter syndication in the fall of 2004 one month before the sixth season premiered on Fox and was later aired on FX in the fall of 2007 until the fall of 2011.^[37]

The show was launched on Nick at Nite on July 5, 2009, at 8:00 pm with an all night marathon.^[38] However, the episodes were either skipped over or heavily edited due to content that was too strong for the network's standards. When Nick at Nite pulled Malcolm it began airing on TeenNick^[39] from November 26, 2010, and continued until December 2010. The show returned to TeenNick's line-up on July 18, 2011.

On September 26, 2011, Malcolm in the Middle began airing on IFC.^[40] On March 5, 2018, the series began airing on Fuse.

On April 11, 2019, it was originally revealed that the show would be available on Disney+,^{[41] [42]} Disney's direct-to-consumer streaming service, at launch on November 12, 2019. However, the show was not available on launch day for unknown reasons.^[43] In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney sent a survey out to Disney+ consumers asking if they would like content on the site such as Malcolm in the Middle and other "mature" shows such as Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Modern Family.^[44] The series is currently available to watch on Hulu.

In the United Kingdom, the series originally aired on Sky1 from September 3, 2000, later also airing on Sky2 before finally leaving all Sky channels in December 2010. It also aired on free-to-air BBC Two from April 6, 2001, to March 7, 2009. From January 3, 2011, it aired on Fiver (now 5*) at 6:00 pm and again at about 7:30 pm, later moving to a weekly slot at 3:15pm on Saturday afternoons. Repeats continued until January 18, 2014. Comedy Central UK and Ireland picked up the show in November 2015 and aired until 2018. Nickelodeon UK also began showing the series in 2018. 4Music started showing two episodes daily at 6.00pm and 6.30pm, from 6 July 2020. As of December 2021, the series is available on Disney+ in the UK.In Kenya, the show used to air on NTV between 2003-2005. The TV Show used to air on Thursdays 7:30 pm.

Home media

Only the first season of Malcolm in the Middle has been released on DVD. In the U.S., season two was set to be released in the fall of 2003, but was cancelled due to high costs of music clearances.^[45]

Name	Format	Region 1	Region 2/B	Region 4	French release date	Ep #	of discs	Extras and notes
The Complete First Season	DVD		^[46]	September 4, 2013^[47]	March 4, 2014^[48]	16	3	Extended pilot episode, A Stroke of Genius featurette, commentary on select episodes, gag reel, deleted scenes, alternate show openings, bloopers, Dewey's Day Job featurette.
The Complete Second Season		N/A	^[49]	September 4, 2013^[50]	April 8, 2014	25	4	Still Gallery
The Complete Third Season		^[51]	September 4, 2013^[52]	N/A	22	3	A Still Gallery is listed but is absent from the actual DVDs
The Complete Fourth Season		^[53]	September 4, 2013^[54]	22	3	A Still Gallery is listed but is absent from the actual DVDs
The Complete Fifth Season		^[55]	September 4, 2013^[56]	22	3
The Complete Sixth Season		^[57]	September 4, 2013^[58]	22	3
The Complete Seventh Season		^[59]	^[60]	22	3
The Complete Collection Box Set		^[61]	^[62]	151	22	Extended pilot episode, A Stroke of Genius featurette, commentary on select episodes, gag reel, deleted scenes, alternate show openings, bloopers, Dewey's Day Job featurette, Season 2 Still Gallery.
The Complete Series	SD on Blu-ray	September 13, 2019 https://www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk/2019/05/02/german-blu-rays-of-malcolm-in-the-middle-malcolm-mittendrin-released-in-sept-2019/	N/A		5

In February 2012, it was announced that Fabulous Films would be releasing the first season of the show in the UK in April, as well as releasing each subsequent season the following month, ending with a complete series set near Christmas 2012.^[63] However, in late March 2012, several retailers had removed the release date from their websites; this was later revealed to be because of "technical issues with the Masters" and that the release date had been pushed back to June.^[64] Other seasons will now follow on either a monthly or bi-monthly basis.^[65]

All the UK DVD releases are intact as originally aired with no cuts, with the original music, with the exception of one season three episode "Company Picnic" which was originally aired as a one-hour special, before being re-edited and split into two parts for syndication. The DVD presents the syndicated version.

All seven seasons as well as the complete series set were released in Australia in September 2013. The complete series set altered the separate seven season sets to fit into four volumes. A collector's edition boxset which has the seasons split up instead of volumes was released subsequently in 2014. It features everything from the four-volume set and includes a bonus T-shirt. This set is exclusive to Australia.

In May 2019, Turbine Medien announced the first ever Blu-ray release of the complete series in Germany, that was released in September 2019. The release however, was in Standard Definition, in similar fashion to the PAL DVD releases.^[66]

Legacy

The show is often regarded as influential as a family sitcom that was not filmed in front of a live studio audience and did not feature a laugh track, in addition to being praised for its single-camera filming style which would later be used in The Bernie Mac Show, The Office, Everybody Hates Chris, 30 Rock, and Arrested Development.^{[12] [67] [68]}

In the 2017 film The Disaster Artist, Bryan Cranston appeared as himself, offering one of the protagonists a guest role on an episode of Malcolm in the Middle.^[69]

The series served as inspiration for episode 6 of the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe television miniseries WandaVision, and the intro of WandaVision show in show also parodies Malcolm in the Middle.^{[70] [71]} In episode 8 of the series, a DVD box of the first season can be seen among DVDs of other shows. Later in that same episode, the main characters are watching season seven's second episode "Health Insurance".^[72]

There is an alternate ending to Breaking Bad released on the complete series DVD box set, where Hal (whose actor Cranston plays Walter White in Breaking Bad) wakes up from a dream, revealing the entirety of Breaking Bad to be a bad dream in Malcolm in the Middle that Hal had after eating deep-fried Twinkies. This is a parody of the ending to the show Newhart.

The series is referenced heavily in the fifth episode of the sixteenth season of the sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia — "" — which features Cranston guest-starring as himself. Throughout the episode, the gang recognizes Cranston for his work on Malcolm and mistake his Breaking Bad co-star Aaron Paul to be Malcolm himself. The characters Dennis and Frank Reynolds also praise the show, with Frank saying it "changed the game".

Reception

Critical response

Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the show's first season a score of 88 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[73]

Ratings

Despite the critical acclaim, its success was not assured with audiences generally rejecting single-camera, live action comedies at the time. However, the show achieved Fox's biggest ratings for a premiere since The Simpsons in 1990 with an audience of more than 23 million for the debut episode and Fox's biggest rating for a show aired directly after The Simpsons.^[74] 26 million watched the second episode.^[75]

Fox shuffled the show's air time repeatedly to make room for other shows. On January 13, 2006, Fox announced that the show would be moving to 7:00 pm on Sundays effective January 29, 2006.^[76] The 151st and final episode of the series aired at 8:30 pm ET/PT (the show's original timeslot) on May 14, 2006,^[77] and was watched by 7.4 million.^[78]

Season	Season premiere	Season finale	TV season	Timeslot	Ranking	Viewers (in millions)
1	January 9, 2000	May 21, 2000	1999–2000	Sundays at 8:30	18^[79]	15.2
2	November 5, 2000	May 20, 2001	2000–01	Sundays (Episodes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9-25) Wednesdays at 8:30 (Episodes 2, 4, 6, 8)	22^[80]	14.5
3	November 11, 2001	May 12, 2002	2001–02	Sundays (Episodes 1, 3, 5-22) Wednesdays at 8:30 (Episodes 2, 4)	25^[81]	13.0
4	November 3, 2002	May 18, 2003	2002–03	Sundays at 9:00	43^[82]	10.7
5	November 2, 2003	May 23, 2004	2003–04		71^[83]	8.4
6	November 7, 2004	May 15, 2005	2004–05	Sundays at 7:30	99^[84]	5.6
7	September 30, 2005	May 14, 2006	2005–06	Fridays at 8:30 (Episodes 1–11) Sundays at 7:00 (Episodes 12–21) Sunday at 8:30 (Episode 22)	127^[85]	3.8

Awards and nominations

See main article: List of awards and nominations received by Malcolm in the Middle. Jane Kaczmarek and Cloris Leachman were nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award every year they appeared on the show, as leading and guest actress, respectively.^{[86] [87]} Leachman won in 2002 and 2006.^[87] Frankie Muniz was nominated once for lead actor, and Bryan Cranston three times for supporting actor. The show won a total of seven Emmys during its six-year run^[88] and a Peabody Award.^[89] Kaczmarek was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, Muniz was nominated twice, and Cranston was nominated once.

Adaptation

Russian channel STS made a shot-for-shot adaptation called Супер Макс (Super Max) that comprises 1 season so far.^[90]

Possible revival

In 2016, Bryan Cranston openly expressed interest in doing a reunion.^[91] In 2021, Frankie Muniz, while speaking on Steve-O's podcast, revealed that Cranston was writing a script for a movie reunion and that the entire cast was ready to return except for one hold out, though he kept the identity confidential. In December 2023 it was suggested that the hold out was the creator of the show, Linwood Boomer, during Muniz's appearance on Mayim Bialik's^[92] podcast.^[93]

Notes and References

1. The New Classics: TV. Entertainment Weekly. February 5, 2012. June 18, 2007. October 20, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121020093840/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C20207339%2C00.html. live.
2. Web site: Sepinwall. Alan. The 10 best shows in FOX network history. HitFix. HitFix, Inc.. February 3, 2014. April 18, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140122220757/http://www.hitfix.com/galleries/the-10-best-shows-in-fox-network-history#3. January 22, 2014. mdy-all.
3. Book: Roman, James W.. From Daytime to Primetime: The History of American Television Programs. February 3, 2014. 2005. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-313-31972-3. 119. June 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627120407/http://books.google.com/books?id=h8AqrjoCueUC&pg=PA119. live.
4. Book: Abbott, Jon. Irwin Allen Television Productions, 1964–1970: A Critical History of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. February 3, 2014. October 3, 2006. McFarland. 978-0-7864-8662-5. 139. June 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627120431/http://books.google.com/books?id=Gq-uf3wB-TcC&pg=PA139. live.
5. Book: Brown, Tom. Breaking the Fourth Wall: Direct Address in the Cinema. February 3, 2014. 2012. Edinburgh University Press. 978-0-7486-4425-4. 74. June 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627120414/http://books.google.com/books?id=HeLhLCfwCbUC&pg=PA74. live.
6. Book: Moore, Barbara. Prime-time Television: A Concise History. February 3, 2014. January 1, 2006. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-275-98142-6. 47. June 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627120409/http://books.google.com/books?id=XELSaXYkpMwC&pg=PA47. live.
7. News: Shuster. Fred. 'Malcolm' power no longer a babe in the woods, this breakthrough series hits its growth spurt.. January 14, 2018. Los Angeles Daily News. August 19, 2001. June 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180615111515/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/%60MALCOLM%27+POWER+NO+LONGER+A+BABE+IN+THE+WOODS,+THIS+BREAKTHROUGH...-a079092726. live.
8. Book: Berman, Garry. Best of the Britcoms: From Fawlty Towers to The Office. February 3, 2014. January 2011. Taylor Trade Publications. 978-1-58979-566-2. 18. June 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627120443/http://books.google.com/books?id=V-SLkIap93wC&pg=PR18. live.
9. News: Duffy. Mike. 'Malcolm in the Middle' rides to the rescue of the TV sitcom. February 4, 2014. Rome News-Tribune. April 26, 2000. May 12, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170512224719/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=20000426&id=rVMjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RDUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3217,5213050. live.
10. News: Shuster. Fred. 'Malcolm' Power No Longer a Babe in the Woods, This Breakthrough Series Hits Its Growth Spurt. November 30, 2014. Los Angeles Daily News. August 19, 2001. October 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151018015136/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/%60MALCOLM%27+POWER+NO+LONGER+A+BABE+IN+THE+WOODS,+THIS+BREAKTHROUGH...-a079092726. dead.
11. Tucker . Ken . Watching Ellie . December 6, 2023 . Entertainment Weekly . February 25, 2002 . "Malcolm in the Middle," now in its third season, opened up new stylistic possibilities in the shot-on-film sitcom genre..
12. News: Battaglio . Stephen . Single-camera sitcoms make a comeback . December 6, 2023 . . July 29, 2001 . 9G . Newspapers.com.
13. News: Michaels. Taylor. TV pipeline. January 14, 2018. Sun Journal. NewspaperArchive.com. February 2, 2003. 5. January 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180114183843/https://newspaperarchive.com/anonymous-clipping-feb-02-2003-520024/. live.
14. Web site: Jane Kaczmarek as Lois in Malcolm in the Middle. The Comedy Channel. Foxtel. February 4, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140226030652/http://www.thecomedychannel.com.au/shows/malcolm-in-the-middle/cast/jane-kaczmarek.html. February 26, 2014. mdy-all.
15. Book: Terrace, Vincent. Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. March 16, 2014. 2. November 6, 2008. McFarland. 978-0-7864-8641-0. 4064. June 30, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140630034712/http://books.google.com/books?id=YX_daEhlnbsC&pg=PT4064. live.
16. Emancipation. Malcolm in the Middle. Fox Network. November 14, 2001. 3. 2.
17. Hal's Birthday. Malcolm in the Middle. Fox Network. March 3, 2002. 3. 15.
18. Zoo. Malcolm in the Middle. Fox Network. November 3, 2002. 4. 1.
19. News: Wittler. Wendell. 'Malcolm in the Middle,' but Francis in the end. March 16, 2014. Today.com. May 15, 2006. March 16, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140316083825/http://www.today.com/id/12693308/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/malcolm-middle-francis-end/. live.
20. Web site: Justin Berfield as Reese in Malcolm in the Middle. The Comedy Channel. Foxtel. February 4, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140226030659/http://www.thecomedychannel.com.au/shows/malcolm-in-the-middle/cast/justin-berfield.html. February 26, 2014. mdy-all.
21. Reese Cooks. Malcolm in the Middle. Fox Network. March 4, 2001. 2. 18.
22. Web site: Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey in Malcolm in the Middle. The Comedy Channel. Foxtel. February 4, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140226030656/http://www.thecomedychannel.com.au/shows/malcolm-in-the-middle/cast/erik-per-sullivan.html. February 26, 2014. mdy-all.
23. Reese Joins the Army: Part 1. Malcolm in the Middle. Fox Network. May 16, 2004. 5. 21.
24. Dewey's Special Class. Malcolm in the Middle. Fox Network. May 2, 2004. 5. 18.
25. Book: Epstein, Robert. Teen Two Point Zero. February 3, 2014. 2010. Linden Publishing. 978-1-61035-101-0. 180. June 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627120421/http://books.google.com/books?id=OENf1J45SS0C&pg=PA180. live.
26. Block Party. Malcolm in the Middle. Fox Network. January 4, 2004. 4. 8. I have a photographic memory.. 14:40.
27. Book: Kendall, Diana. Framing Class: Media Representations of Wealth and Poverty in America. February 3, 2014. April 16, 2011. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 978-1-4422-0225-2. 187. June 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627120500/http://books.google.com/books?id=N0MNrturrJkC&pg=PA187. live.
28. News: Freshman Contenders: 'Malcolm in the Middle' . Variety. July 3, 2021.
29. Book: Finer. Abby. Pearlman. Deborah. Starting Your Television Writing Career: The Warner Bros. Television Writers Workshop Guide. February 3, 2014. January 2004. Syracuse University Press. 978-0-8156-0831-8. 234. June 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627120434/http://books.google.com/books?id=Z46yeRpalUYC&pg=PA234. live.
30. News: Johnson. Tricia. As seen on TV!. February 4, 2014. Entertainment Weekly. July 5, 2001. They pay about $3,000 to $4,000 a day.. February 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222061308/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,165987,00.html. dead.
31. Book: Alleman, Richard. Hollywood: The Movie Lover's Guide: The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie L.A.. February 4, 2014. March 6, 2013. Crown Publishing Group. 978-0-8041-3777-5. 424–426. June 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627133514/http://books.google.com/books?id=OPRKEpwjfLQC&pg=PA426. live.
32. News: Bland . Simon . Malcolm in the Middle at 20: 'Everybody calls them dysfunctional – but it was a realistic family' . December 6, 2023 . . September 3, 2020.
33. CMJ New Music Monthly. CMJ New Music. February 3, 2014. November 2002. 63. 1074-6978. June 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627120505/http://books.google.com/books?id=LyoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA63. live.
34. News: They Might Be Giants Tell Kids 'No!'. February 4, 2014. Billboard. May 25, 2002. October 5, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141005132616/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/75673/they-might-be-giants-tell-kids-no. live.
35. News: Kelly. John. Middle Tones. February 4, 2014. Sun-Sentinel. January 23, 2001. February 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222033150/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2001-01-23/lifestyle/0101220333_1_john-flansburgh-theme-song-particle-man. live.
36. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle SoundTrack. SoundTrackNet. 2001. February 22, 2008. March 1, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080301235228/http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=2648. live.
37. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle: FX has the MALCOLM . September 4, 2007 . August 19, 2014 . August 20, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140820054300/http://www.tv.com/shows/malcolm-in-the-middle/forums/fx-has-the-malcolm-353-846879/ . live .
38. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle Now Airing on 'Nick at Nite'. July 6, 2009. August 19, 2014. August 20, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140820112518/http://www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk/2009/07/06/malcolm-in-the-middle-now-airing-on-nick-at-nite/. live.
39. Web site: BET Schedules Season 4 of The Game, New Original Sitcom; Malcolm in the Middle Moves to TeenNick . October 27, 2010 . July 4, 2013 . August 24, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130824120304/http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2010/10/bet-schedules-season-4-of-game-new.html . live .
40. Web site: IFC Acquires Malcolm in the Middle; NBC Cancels Playboy Club, Picks-Up Up All Night, Whitney. Sitcoms Online. October 5, 2011. August 19, 2014. July 8, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140708081400/http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2011/10/ifc-acquires-malcolm-in-middle-nbc.html. live.
41. Web site: Your Complete Guide to Disney+ Entertainment. April 11, 2019. April 12, 2019. April 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190419001600/https://d23.com/complete-guide-disney-entertainment/. dead.
42. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle . Disney+ . April 22, 2022.
43. Web site: Disney+ Users Frustrated Malcolm in the Middle Is Missing. Comicbook.com. November 12, 2019. November 12, 2019. November 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191113052525/https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/2019/11/13/disney-malcolm-in-the-middle-fans-upset-series-not-available/. live.
44. Web site: Disney Plus Surveys Users About Adding More Mature Content. Screen Geek. Conway. Matt. March 30, 2020. March 31, 2020. August 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200819113905/https://www.screengeek.net/2020/03/30/disney-plus-mature-content-survey/. live.
45. News: Lambert. David. Malcolm in the Middle – Season 2 (plus Other Shows) Hamstrung by Music Clearances. February 4, 2014. TVShowsOnDVD.com. November 30, 2003. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222131402/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Malcolm-Middle/870. February 22, 2014. mdy-all.
46. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle – Season 1. Amazon.co.uk. April 26, 2012. September 24, 2012. August 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200819113851/https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0073V2GIS/. live.
47. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle – Season 1. JB Hi-Fi. February 4, 2014. September 4, 2013. February 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222020235/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/dvd/dvd-genres/tv/malcolm-in-the-middle-season-1/689238. live.
48. Web site: La saison 1 de Malcolm sortira en DVD en mars 2014 – Malcolm France. September 6, 2015. October 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151018015136/http://malcolm-france.com/news.php?id=371. live.
49. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle: The Complete Second Season. Amazon.co.uk. February 5, 2014. November 19, 2012. August 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200819113851/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Malcolm-Middle-Season-2-DVD/dp/B009G248AG/ref=sr_1_4?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1348602141&sr=1-4. live.
50. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle – Season 2. JB Hi-Fi. February 4, 2014. September 4, 2013. August 11, 2013. https://archive.today/20130811141750/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/dvd/dvd-genres/tv/malcolm-in-the-middle-season-2/689284. live.
51. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle: The Complete Third Season DVD. February 4, 2013 . Amazon.co.uk. September 6, 2015. August 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200819113853/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Malcolm-In-The-Middle-Complete/dp/B00ARZ1NUE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1360321456&sr=8-2. live.
52. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle – Season 3. JB Hi-Fi. February 4, 2014. September 4, 2013. August 11, 2013. https://archive.today/20130811141743/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/dvd/dvd-genres/tv/malcolm-in-the-middle-season-3/689286. live.
53. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle: The Complete Fourth Season DVD. March 11, 2013 . Amazon.co.uk. September 6, 2015. August 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200819113854/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Malcolm-In-The-Middle-Complete/dp/B00ARZ1NT0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1360321456&sr=8-4. live.
54. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle – Season 4. JB Hi-Fi. February 4, 2014. September 4, 2013. August 11, 2013. https://archive.today/20130811141829/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/dvd/dvd-genres/tv/malcolm-in-the-middle-season-4/689239. live.
55. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle: The Complete Fifth Season DVD. April 29, 2013 . Amazon.co.uk. September 6, 2015. August 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200819113857/https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BY4MUQS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE. live.
56. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle – Season 5. JB Hi-Fi. February 4, 2014. September 4, 2013. October 15, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131015100509/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/dvd/dvd-genres/tv/malcolm-in-the-middle-season-5/689247. live.
57. Web site: Fabulous Films. FabulousFilms.com. September 6, 2015. September 8, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150908024816/http://www.fabulousfilms.com/products/128. live.
58. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle – Season 6. JB Hi-Fi. February 4, 2014. September 4, 2013. October 15, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131015100437/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/dvd/dvd-genres/tv/malcolm-in-the-middle-season-6/689279. live.
59. Web site: Malcolm In The Middle – The Complete Seventh Season DVD. October 7, 2013 . Amazon.co.uk. September 6, 2015. September 13, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150913043053/http://www.amazon.co.uk/Malcolm-In-The-Middle-Complete/dp/B00E8GPPG6. live.
60. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle: Season 7. EzyDVD. September 2, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150910054827/http://www.ezydvd.com.au/DVD/malcolm-in-the-middle-season-7/dp/6143209. September 10, 2015. mdy-all.
61. Web site: Malcolm In The Middle: The Complete Collection Box Set – Seasons 1–7 DVD. October 7, 2013 . Amazon.co.uk. September 6, 2015. September 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150921044615/http://www.amazon.co.uk/Malcolm-In-The-Middle-Collection/dp/B00E8GPPGQ. live.
62. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle: The Complete Series. EzyDVD. September 2, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130924125317/http://www.ezydvd.com.au/DVD/malcolm-in-the-middle-the-complete-series/dp/6143210. September 24, 2013. mdy-all.
63. Web site: EXCLUSIVE: Malcolm in the Middle Seasons 1–7 Coming to DVD Starting April 2012! . February 4, 2012 . February 1, 2012 . February 9, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120209200902/http://www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk/2012/02/01/exclusive-malcolm-in-the-middle-seasons-1-7-coming-to-dvd-starting-april-2012 . live .
64. Web site: Wesley Mead – Has MITM S1 been delayed? Play have removed the.... Facebook. February 5, 2014. March 26, 2012. October 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151018015137/https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfilms/posts/10150773464933755. live.
65. Web site: I heard that all seven seasons of MITM are... – Alexandre Salcedo. Facebook. February 5, 2014. April 2, 2012. October 18, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151018015136/https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfilms/posts/10150787121798755. live.
66. Web site: German Blu-rays of Malcolm in the Middle (Malcolm Mittendrin) released in Sept 2019! . June 12, 2019 . May 2, 2019 . August 19, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200819113859/https://www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk/2019/05/02/german-blu-rays-of-malcolm-in-the-middle-malcolm-mittendrin-released-in-sept-2019/ . live .
67. Web site: The 'Malcolm' Sensibility; New Sitcom's Early Success May Spawn Host of Imitators . The New York Times . Weinraub . Bernard . January 24, 2000 . August 25, 2021 . subscription.
68. Web site: 20 Years Later And How Malcolm In The Middle Revolutionized The Sitcom . Gooba Stomp . Ricky . Fernandes da Conceição . February 12, 2021 . August 25, 2021 .
69. News: Martinelli . Marissa . Fact vs Fiction in The Disaster Artist . February 20, 2021 . Slate.
70. Web site: WandaVision: The Sitcom Influences of Episode 6 . Den of Geek . Bojalad . Alec . February 12, 2021 . August 25, 2021 .
71. 'WandaVision' Recap: Stuck in the Middle With You . Rolling Stone . Sepinwall . Alan . February 12, 2021 . August 25, 2021 .
72. Web site: 'WandaVision' Episode 8 Recap: Time to Look At Some Real Reruns . Collider . Miller . Liz Shannon . February 26, 2021 . August 25, 2021 .
73. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle: Season 1. Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc.. February 3, 2014. March 28, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140328162244/http://www.metacritic.com/tv/malcolm-in-the-middle. live.
74. Adalian. Josef . Schneider. Michael. Sitcom savior?. July 4, 2021. Variety. January 17, 2000. July 4, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170704045247/http://variety.com/2000/tv/news/sitcom-savior-1117760956/. live.
75. News: De Leon. Kris. 'Malcolm in the Middle' Airing on Nick at Nite. February 4, 2014. BuddyTV. July 5, 2009. June 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170625173028/http://www.buddytv.com/articles/malcolm-in-the-middle/malcolm-in-the-middle-airing-o-29773.aspx. live.
76. News: Malcolm sitcom axed over ratings. February 5, 2014. BBC News. January 18, 2006. February 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222030432/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4624688.stm. live.
77. News: Moore. Frazier. 'Malcolm' and '70s Show' overstayed welcome. June 17, 2014. Today.com. Associated Press. May 11, 2006. June 4, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150604131842/http://www.today.com/id/12745177/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/malcolm-s-show-overstayed-welcome/. live.
78. News: Keveney. Bill. 'House' raises its numbers. June 17, 2014. USA Today. May 17, 2006. June 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150621154349/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-05-16-nielsen-analysis_x.htm. live.
79. News: Top TV Shows For 1999–2000 Season. February 12, 2010. Variety. January 20, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120120065741/http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=chart_pass&charttype=chart_topshows99&dept=TV. live.
80. The Bitter End. Entertainment Weekly. June 1, 2001. 598. February 4, 2014. July 18, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120718141929/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,256435,00.html. live.
81. News: How did your favorite show rate? . February 4, 2014 . . May 28, 2002 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121013190555/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/2002/2002-05-28-year-end-chart.htm . October 13, 2012 .
82. Rank And File. Entertainment Weekly. June 6, 2003. 713. February 4, 2014. November 1, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131101051802/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,455439,00.html. live.
83. Web site: I. T. R. S. Ranking Report: 01 Thru 210. https://web.archive.org/web/20070930171419/http://www.abcmedianet.com/Web/progcal/dispDNR.aspx?id=060204_11. September 30, 2007. ABC Medianet. February 12, 2010.
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86. Web site: Jane Kaczmarek. Emmy Awards. Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences. February 4, 2014. February 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222054200/http://www.emmys.com/bios/jane-kaczmarek. live.
87. Web site: Cloris Leachman. Emmy Awards. Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences. February 4, 2014. February 28, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140228224643/http://www.emmys.com/bios/cloris-leachman. live.
88. Web site: Malcolm In The Middle. Emmy Awards. Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences. February 4, 2014. February 17, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140217234317/http://www.emmys.com/shows/malcolm-middle. live.
89. http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/malcolm-in-the-middle 60th Annual Peabody Awards
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91. Would Bryan Cranston Do a "Malcolm in the Middle" Reunion? E! Red Carpet & Award Shows. YouTube. E! Insider. June 22, 2016. October 2, 2022.
92. Web site: Malcolm in the Middle Revival is Being Discussed, Frankie Muniz Would 'Love' to be Involved . December 21, 2023 .
93. Frankie Muniz on a "Malcolm In The Middle" Reboot! Wild Ride! Clips. YouTube. Steve-O's Wild Ride! - Clips. December 26, 2021. October 2, 2022.