When I think back to the shows that defined my childhood TV habits, there's no way a list of the greats can exclude Malcolm in the Middle. Its zany mixture of classic sitcom setups and almost sketch comedy-esque sidetracks was a brilliant equation that made it a favourite for pretty much a whole generation of kids, all of whom are now adults.
A reunion has been on the cards for ages, and now it's finally happened – after much of 2025 was taken up with teases from the main cast about the show coming together, Disney+ and Hulu have finally given us a proper trailer. The revival has a new subtitle: Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair, from the unbelievably famous line that closes the show's theme tune.
As suspected, the show picks up the story of Malcolm and his family years after the show ended. Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) is now living a happy life with his daughter and new girlfriend, maintaining his work-life balance and carefully ignoring his crazy family. His parents are distraught about the situation, though – his mum (Jane Kaczmarek) is furious and his dad (Bryan Cranston) is devastated.
His older brother Reece (Justin Berfield) is using this all to his advantage, living at home, while Christopher Masterson as Francis is still clearly in the picture. Youngest child Dewey one of the only actors to have been replaced, now played by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark, and seems to be a presence largely on video calls. It's a fun mix, and the quick cuts in the trailer make it clear that mad side stories will return in force.
There's no way Malcolm's going to maintain his distance from his family, and his family are clearly not going to get any more normal. If anything, it looks like the degree of commitment that Bryan Cranston will show might even be higher than in the original series – he's got at least two nude scenes in the trailer alone, after all.
Frankly, that's the best possible sign that the show is going to lean into the wildness of the original, since Cranston was long on the record as being keen to participate only if he felt it was in the right spirit of things. We'll all know more when the four-part show hits Hulu and Disney+ on 10 April.
