Malcolm in the Middle has released a teaser for its upcoming reboot, Life’s Still Unfair, featuring a heartwarming nod to the beloved original series.
The forthcoming revival will welcome back a majority of the original cast, including Frankie Muniz as the titular lead Malcolm, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek as his parents, and Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield as his older brothers Francis and Reese, respectively. Erik Per Sullivan’s role as younger brother Dewey has been recast and will now be played by Fargo actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.
On Friday, Hulu shared a sneak peek at the new four-part series. In the clip, a woman’s hand is seen shaving the back of an unidentified man. The hairs fall to the ground as a hamster ball rolls by, revealing the show’s new title and its expected release date of 2026.
The moment is a callback to the opening of the pilot of the original sitcom, which saw Cranston’s Hal in the kitchen getting shaved by his wife Lois (Kazmarek), while Malcolm and his brothers fought over the last two toaster waffles.
“They do this every month,” Malcolm said, breaking the fourth wall. “He has sensitive skin. The hair gets itchy under his clothes.”
The ode has been joyously received by fans on social media, with one writing on X: “Oh my god, the fact that it refers back to one of the very first MITM episodes.”
“Love that it starts the same way haha,” a second laughed, while a third labeled it an “iconic shave intro.”
“I’m so excited,” a fourth added.
Another was upset that the reboot will only be a four-part series but conceded: “I mean, I guess it’s better than nothing.”
“The fact they kept the hamster ball gag going shows me there’s hope for this,” another noted. In the show’s third season, Dewey brings his class hamster Bernard home. In an attempt to protect the animal from the school bully, he sets it free, leading to several brief cameos from the pet in later episodes.
Oh my god, the fact that it refers back to one of the very first MITM episodes............... 🥲
— Nora Girl (@NoraGirl19) December 5, 2025
Muniz, 40, was 14 when he landed his breakout role of Malcolm in 2000. The series earned both Cranston and Kaczmarek Emmy nominations in 2006, adding to its total of 33 nominations and seven wins across its seven-season run.
It was first announced in December 2024 that Disney was rebooting the sitcom. According to an official logline, it will follow Malcolm and his daughter as they “are drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal and Lois demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party.”
Speaking to US Weekly in September about returning to his character, Muniz said: “Having stepped away from Hollywood a bit to focus on other things and get the opportunity to jump back into it in a big way was awesome.”
“At times, you take things for granted,” the actor added. “Now I try to put more effort into everything. I hope Malcolm comes out and people want to see me as an actor again, because I would love to go back in that world.”
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