Malcolm

For “Malcolm in the Middle” fans and the Walt Disney Co., 151 episodes weren’t enough.

The beloved sitcom, which ran seven seasons on Fox in the early aughts, is returning for a four-episode arc on Hulu April 10. The reunion brings back such viewer favorites as Bryan Cranston as Hal, Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, Jane Kaczmarek as Lois, and a couple of Malcolm’s TV siblings.

The limited series — “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” — is set nearly 20 years after the original went off the air. Muniz’s character, Malcolm, is beckoned back to his dysfunctional family to help celebrate Hal and Lois’ 40th wedding anniversary.

Disney teased the trailer Monday.

Disney acquired the rights to 20th Century Fox studio programs after buying much of Rupert Murdoch’s entertainment assets in 2019. The deal gave Disney such blockbusters as “The Simpsons” and “Avatar.” Recently, the Burbank entertainment giant has dipped into the Fox vault to mine the trend of comfort food TV for millennials, boomers and Gen Z. Executives have watched nostalgic programming take off on streaming services, including Disney+ and Hulu.

The return of “Malcolm in the Middle” should draw viewers who have followed Cranston’s career even before his standout performance in AMC’s crime drama, “Breaking Bad.” Muniz also has remained popular in pop culture; he’s also a race car driver affiliated with Ford.

Jane Kaczmarek as Lois, Bryan Cranston as Hal, and Erik Per Sullivan who played Dewey in the original “Malcolm in the Middle” on Fox.

(FOX)

A recent study from National Research Group found that about 60% of all TV consumed is library content.

The NRG study found that, among Gen Z, 40% of respondents said they gravitated to older shows because they are comforting and nostalgic. Disney’s own research has shown that a quarter of the shows young people list as their favorites were produced before 2010.

Disney’s ABC is also bringing back the quirky hospital sitcom, “Scrubs,” on Feb. 25. That comedy, set in the fictional Sacred Heart Hospital, will reprise the bromance between Zach Braff and Donald Faison’s characters, which the pair have recreated recently in T-Mobile TV commercials.

The show, which ran from October 2001 to March 2010, was also produced by 20th Television along with Bill Lawrence’s Doozer Productions.

Sarah Chalke will return, and John C. McGinley will guest star. The show will run on ABC, and a day later on Disney’s Hulu.

Most of the original “Malcolm” cast returns for the limited series except notably Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey. He’s no longer an actor so the part now is played by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.

In the show, Malcolm has a daughter, played by Keeley Karsten, and a girlfriend, played by Kiana Madeira.

The Wilkerson’s classic mid-century house in Studio City, which served as an exterior for the show, reportedly was renovated years ago.

The original series ran on Fox from January 2000 to May 2006. Those episodes stream on Hulu.

Los Angeles Times’ former television critic, Howard Rosenberg, in 2000 called “Malcolm in the Middle” the “smartest, sharpest-written, most original comedy of the season.”

The reboot is produced by Disney Television Studios and New Regency. Linwood Boomer, who created the original series, also returned as writer and executive producer. Ken Kwapis directs the four episodes and also serves as an executive producer.

Beyond reviving the shows, Disney has also collaborated with advertisers to make throwback commercials to run in classic films on its streaming platforms and TV networks.

Staff writer Stephen Battaglio contributed to this report.

Here’s where you’ll be able to stream the new episodes of the Malcolm in the Middle reboot.

A new trailer has given fans the first look at the Malcolm in the Middle sequel series, confirming the new show’s release date.

Titled Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, the special four-episode event will see the majority of the cast reunite almost two decades later. The original series lasted for seven seasons between 2000 and 2006.

Over the years, the series followed Malcolm, a bright and intelligent boy, who had to put up with the rest of his dysfunctional family, including his quirky parents, and three older brothers. All while dealing with the troubles of being the middle child and a teenager.

Frankie Muniz, whose acting career began with the series, is set to reprise his role as Malcolm. Alongside him will be Justin Berfield and Christopher Masterson who are also returning as two of his brothers, Reece and Francis respectively.

Bryan Cranston, who went on to star in hit drama Breaking Bad once the show ended will also make his comeback as father Hal, with Jane Kaczmarek returning as strict matriarch Lois.

The first trailer has confirmed a number of other familiar faces will be returning to our screens for the reboot. This includes, Gary Anthony Williams as Abe Kenarban, a friend of Hal’s and father of Malcolm’s mate Stevie. There’s also Emy Coligado as Francis’ wife Piama.

One original cast member who is not returning is former child actor Erik Per Sullivan, who played Malcolm’s younger sibling Dewey. The star has since quit acting and is now studying for a masters degree at Harvard. His character has since been recast.

According to the synopsis for the sequel series, Malcom has successfully been shielding himself from his family for over a decade. However, he along with his own wife and daughter end up dragged back into their orbit when Hal and Lois demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party. Judging by the short clips shown in the trailer, very little is set to go as planned leading up to the big event.

The original series is held in high regard by those who remember it fondly, with an impressive 90% fan score on Rotten Tomatoes. Indeed some mention how they still binge watch the older show regularly and so the sequel will need to meet high expectations.

Fans did not take long to share their thoughts about the trailer, which also confirmed the release date of April 16. All episodes will be made available to stream on Disney Plus, via the Hulu brand.

One fan commented: “One of my most rewatched shows. I hope there’s more seasons or something after Life’s Still Unfair.”

Another added: “It’s good that everyone is still the same character personality wise, I thought they’d change the tone because they’re all older but looks like the original.”

“Used to watch the original all the time with my own dysfunctional family! Honestly it’s nice seeing everyone doing their thing again,” someone else replied, while one fan hoped: “Please be good please be good. The original creators are involved so I have faith!”

And there were some doubts, as a fan said: “Doesn’t look to be shot in the same way as the rest of the series. That could go against this… Hopefully the writing is just as good though.”

Malcolm In The Middle Life’s Still Unfair is streaming on Disney+ from April 16. For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new ** Everything Gossip ** website.