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Malcolm in the Middle
Format	Comedy (sitcom)
Created by	Linwood Boomer
Starring	Frankie Muniz Jane Kaczmarek Bryan Cranston Christopher Masterson Justin Berfield Erik Per Sullivan
Opening theme	"Boss of Me" by They Might Be Giants
Country of origin	USA
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	151 (List of episodes)
Production
Camera setup	Single camera
Running time	22 minutes (without ads) 30 minutes (with ads)
Broadcast
Original channel	FOX
Original run	January 9, 2000 – May 14, 2006
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Malcolm in the Middle is a seven-time Emmy-winning,^[1] one-time Grammy-winning^[1] and seven-time Golden Globe-nominated^[1] American sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons. It now can be viewed on the FX Network (United States) and local networks in syndication.

Contents 1 Premise 2 Characters 2.1 Main characters 2.2 Recurring characters 3 Famous guest stars 4 Episodes 5 Mysterious surname 6 Production 6.1 Opening titles 6.2 Setting 6.3 Music 6.4 DVD release 7 Reception 7.1 Ratings 7.2 Notable Awards 8 References 9 External links

The show starred Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, the third-born of 4, then 5, finally 6 in the show finale, offspring parented by Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and Hal (Bryan Cranston). The eldest, Francis (Christopher Masterson), was shipped off to military school, leaving 3 brothers: Reese (Justin Berfield), Malcolm, and Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) living at home, Malcolm being the second-oldest (hence the show's title). The show's early seasons centered on Malcolm and the rigors of being an adolescent genius and enduring an eccentric, although eerily normal, life. Later seasons gradually explored the other members of the family and their friends in more depth.

The series was different from many others in that Malcolm broke the fourth wall and talked directly to the viewer; it was shot using a single camera; and it used neither a laugh track nor a live studio audience. Emulating the style of hour-long dramas, this half-hour show was shot on film instead of video. Another unique aspect is that the cold open of every episode is unrelated to the main story. Exceptions were episodes which were the conclusions of "two-parters"; these episodes opened with a summary of part one.

Originally there were 4 brothers (although Malcolm's oldest brother attended a military school away from home, so Malcolm was still the middle sibling left at home). The fifth child was introduced in the show's fourth season but his sex was not mentioned until Season 5. The boys are, from eldest to youngest: Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie. In the last episode Lois discovered she was pregnant with a sixth child. Bryan Cranston (Hal), Justin Berfield (Reese) and Erik Per Sullivan (Dewey) are the only actors to appear in every episode.

• Malcolm, played by Frankie Muniz
• Lois, played by Jane Kaczmarek.
• Hal, played by Bryan Cranston.
• Reese, played by Justin Berfield.
• Dewey, played by Erik Per Sullivan.
• Francis, played by Christopher Masterson.
• Jamie, played by James Rodriguez and Lukas Rodriguez.

• Craig Feldspar, portrayed by David Anthony Higgins, is Lois' neurotic, though well-intentioned, co-worker at the Lucky Aide. He appears frequently in the show, especially during later seasons, as his character became more entwined with Lois and her family. After entrusting his house and cat ("Jelly Bean") to Dewey's care while he was away, and the resulting fire that destroyed it^{[citation needed]}, he lived with Malcolm's family for a short time until the boys' scheme to cover their tracks ended up getting him out. The series ended with Reese moving out of the house and becoming Craig's roommate.
• Stevie Kenarban, played by Craig Lamar Traylor. Malcolm's best friend. Stevie first met Malcolm in the pilot; they were in the same accelerated class through middle school and most of high school. Stevie is a wheelchair user and has severe asthma, and only one lung, causing him to have difficulty speaking. Stevie has a sarcastic side and has also outsmarted Malcolm and Reese on numerous occasions.
• Abraham "Abe" Kenarban, played by Gary Anthony Williams. Abe is the devoted father to Stevie and husband to Kitty. Abe enjoys playing poker with Hal and his other friends: Trey, Brian, Malik, and Steve.
• Kitty Kenarban, played by Merrin Dungey. Stevie's mother and Abe's wife. Kitty is generally soft-spoken and doesn't normally punish her son due to his disability. Kitty disappeared from the series after the third season premiere and it is revealed that she became a porn star and deserted her family. She returned in season six, however, hoping to reform herself. In the pilot episode Merrin Dungey played Malcolm's teacher, before he was transferred to the Krelboyne class.
• Caroline Miller, played by Catherine Lloyd Burns, Malcolm's teacher, appears in most of the first-season and the first 2 second-season episodes. She was very passionate about her job and had Malcolm's best interests at heart. She disappeared from the series after giving birth in the school parking lot.
• Commandant Edwin Spangler, played by Daniel von Bargen. The strict and hard-nosed military veteran in charge of the cadets at Marlin Academy. He suffers from dozens of injuries and is missing an eye; ironically none of these are combat-related, as he has never served in wartime. For the first two seasons and beginning of season three, Francis was Spangler's most rebellious student and clashed with him on many occasions. Halfway through the third season, Francis' desertion from the academy caused Spangler's life to go downhill as Francis stood out as his only failure. Spangler is fired from the academy,tracks Francis to Alaska, and attempts to kill him at first. Francis eventually finds Spangler a new job at a retirement home where the Commadant will be able to boss around the senior citizens.
• Cadet Eric Hanson, played by Eric Nenninger. Francis' fellow cadet at the academy and best friend for the first three seasons. Eric was Francis's reluctant sidekick and normally suffered the consequences of the antics caused by Francis. On several occasions, Eric has mentioned that he has two fathers. At the start of season three, Eric turns eighteen, drops out of the academy, and goes to work in an Alaskan lodge. Francis emancipates himself and follows soon after, but both of them learn that their job isn't as great as they hoped. Francis eventually gets a job at a ranch, but Eric is left behind to hitchhike on the highway. His fate is unknown.
• Cynthia, played by Tania Raymonde, is a new Krelboyne girl who joins Malcolm's class in the episode "Krelboyne Girl".
• Lavernia, played by Brenda Wehle, is Francis' cruel, heartless boss at the Alaskan lodge. Lavernia rules over her workers with an iron fist, charging her employees instead of paying them. Eventually she closes down the lodge and fires her workers when a mining company buys out the land.
• Lionel Herkabe, played by Chris Eigeman, Malcolm's teacher, is divorced and in debt. He is a genius like Malcolm and manipulates Malcolm for his own purposes.
• Victor and Ida, played by Robert Loggia and Cloris Leachman respectively, are Lois's dysfunctional parents, introduced in the episode "The Grandparents". Ida is depicted as greedy, chain-smoking, manipulative, racist, and quick to take offense. The only good deed she has ever done is saving Dewey from being run over by a truck; this resulted in her suffering the loss of one of her legs. Victor's background is obscure, except for mention that he left home at a young age and that he was in "the war." Ida often refers to a hard life growing up in "The Old Country" and going through "a camp". While they speak with Slavic accents and appear to be from somewhere in Eastern Europe, their exact nationality is never specified, and may be intended to be fictional. However, an episode which centers on a fictitious "St. Grotus Day" feast, appears to take place in a Croatian community center, with a Croatian flag and a poster of Zagreb Cathedral on the wall. Victor, who had died by the time Ida made her second appearance on the season 3 episode "Christmas," had been keeping second family a secret from Lois and her sister Susan (Laurie Metcalf)^[2]: He had run off and married a good-natured Canadian woman, played by Betty White. In the episode "Victor's Other Family," it was further revealed that Victor wasn't Lois' biological father.
• Piama Tananahaakna, played by Emy Coligado, is Francis's wife; she appears for the first time in "Hal's Birthday". Although it has never been directly stated (Francis says she's "fiery" in "Hal's Birthday"), she is very much like Lois.
• Otto Mannkusser, played by Kenneth Mars. Francis's German boss and sidekick for the fourth and fifth seasons. Otto is in charge of The Grotto, a dude ranch (named after the two in the episode "Zoo", Otto says "She is Gretchen, I am Otto - Grotto") . Otto is married to Gretchen and has an estranged son. Otto is gullible and a bit of a pushover; he hires too many employees and gives them extra vacation days. However, after Francis works on the ranch for a little over two years, Otto fires him when the ATM that Francis was depositing his funds into wasn't really an ATM. In German, his last name means literally (set aside the poor grammar), "man kisser". In the German version of the show, the Mannkussers are Danes.
• Gretchen Mannkusser, played by Meagen Fay, is the wife of Otto and the co-runner of the Grotto. She is a kind and caring woman. As Otto explained to Francis, their marriage was by deceit: Gretchen was actually the girlfriend of Otto's best friend, but Otto loved her as well. When they were planning to elope, Gretchen's intended arranged for her to meet him at a rendezvous point, but he lied about the actual location and said he would meet her at the train station in Berlin. When his friend didn't show up, Otto came and comforted her and they married. They had a son named Rutger.
• Jessica, played by Hayden Panettiere is a teenage girl who temporarily lived with the family in later seasons, sleeping on their couch, after her dad threw her out. She proved to be asscheming and coniving and manipulative as any of the boys, and even more so! She once convinced Malcolm that Reese was gay, and vice versa.

There have been many guest stars over the past few years on Malcolm in the Middle. Guest stars on the show have included:

• Jason Alexander
• Rosanna Arquette
• Beatrice Arthur
• Leslie David Baker
• Terry Bradshaw
• Amy Bruckner
• Dan Butler
• David Cassidy
• Tim DeKay
• Dakota Fanning
• Tom Green
• Julie Hagerty
• Hallee Hirsh
• James Hong
• Kathryn Joosten
• Heidi Klum
• Howie Long
• Christopher Lloyd
• Laurie Metcalf
• Mandy Musgrave
• Larisa Oleynik
• Danielle Panabaker
• Hayden Panettiere
• Sara Paxton
• Christina Ricci
• Andy Richter
• Stephen Root
• Susan Sarandon
• Ashlee Simpson
• Kurtwood Smith
• Lauren Storm
• George Takei
• Ashley Tisdale
• Patrick Warburton
• Betty White
• Bradley Whitford (Jane Kaczmarek's real-life husband)

Main article: List of Malcolm in the Middle episodes

Season	Ep #	First Airdate	Last Airdate
Season 1	16	January 9, 2000	May 21, 2000
Season 2	25	November 5, 2000	May 20, 2001
Season 3	22	November 11, 2001	May 12, 2002
Season 4	22	November 3, 2002	May 18, 2003
Season 5	22	November 2, 2003	May 23, 2004
Season 6	22	November 7, 2004	May 15, 2005
Season 7	22	September 30, 2005	May 14, 2006

During the first season, the writers decided to keep the family's last name a mystery. However, a last name had already been revealed on the show. In the pilot episode, as Francis speaks to his mother on the phone, his name tag says 'Wilkerson'. There was also a joke in the original pilot script that was cut -- Malcolm, walking to school, is confronted by a kid who says "Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm. I was talking to my parents last night - I was listening to them talk, and what's your last name?" "Wilkerson, why?" Malcolm replied. "Oh. Who are the Pariahs?" said the kid.^[3]

In the series finale ("Graduation"), Francis' employee badge falls out of his pocket and the camera close-up reveals 'Nolastname' in the place where his last name would go. In the same episode when Malcolm was introduced to give the graduation speech, the speaker announces Malcolm's name, but microphone feedback makes his surname inaudible.^[4]

Also, in the documentary about the series, A Stroke of Genius, a shot is shown of the front page of the pilot script, which shows the family surname as 'Wilkerson'.

The opening titles feature short clips from cult films or television shows, edited together with clips from the early seasons of the TV series. These include, in order of appearance:

• Three women fighting a giant turtle: From One Million Years BC (1966)
• Grinning anime boy in rain: Shiogami from anime Nazca
• The monster rising out of the ocean is the Kraken: From Clash of the Titans (1981)
• Woman being held above a nest of hungry pterodactyl: From One Million Years BC (1966)
• Anime guy skateboarding: From the anime Nazca
• Mud-monster grabbing a woman as she kisses a man: From Creature From The Haunted Sea (1961)
• Man ski-jumping while ignited in flames: Thrill Seekers
• Wrestling match: Canadian Bret Hart wrestling Canadian Chris Benoit (locking him in his finishing move, The Sharpshooter), during the WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match at WCW Mayhem PPV in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• Francis examining his repair work after having his hair removed in the second season episode "The Bully"
• Robot head being assembled: From the BBC series Out of the Unknown episode Liar! (1969)
• Man attacking giant brain with an axe: From The Brain from Planet Arous
• Boxer knocking out referee: Cuban Pedro Cardenas fighting Canadian Willie DeWitt but accidentally KOd referee Bert Lowes instead, during the 1982 North American Championships in Las Vegas.

The setting of the show has never been revealed, though their street address - 12334 Maple Blvd. - was identified in episode 418 ("Reese's Party"). The house which is used for external shots is privately owned, and is situated in Studio City, California, at 12334 Cantura Street. There are several instances where California license plates are visible, including the family vehicle in "Traffic Jam". 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. In seasons six and seven, however, the license plates on the cars are from Oklahoma ("Hal's Christmas Gift" and "Malcolm Defends Reese"). Also in the episode ("Waterpark") (which was the last episode in the first season) was filmed at a waterpark called "Wild Rivers" located in Southern California, but in the episode the waterpark was called "Wavetown USA".

The show's theme song, "Boss of Me", was written and recorded by the alternative rock group They Might Be Giants. The song won the "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media" award at the 2002 Grammy Awards.^[1] The band also performed nearly all of the incidental music for the show in its first two seasons.

Mood setting music is sprinkled throughout the series, in replacement of the laugh track, 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, Lords Of Acid, En Vogue, Phil Collins, Quiet Riot, Queen, Sublime 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.

Only the first season of Malcolm in the Middle has been released on DVD. Season 2 was going to be released in Fall 2003 but was cancelled due to high costs of music clearances.^[5]

DVD Name	Release date	Ep #	Additional information
The Complete First Season	October 29, 2002	16	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.

As a midseason replacement for Futurama, the show quickly gained a large viewer base, starting off with ratings of 23 million for the debut episode^[6] and 26 million for the second episode.^{[citation needed]}

Fox shuffled the show's air time repeatedly to make room for other shows, eventually giving it a free pass in its seventh and last season. After moving to Fridays at 8:30 p.m. next to The Bernie Mac Show, Malcolm in the Middle averaged fewer than 3.5 million viewers a week, making it Fox's lowest-rated show. On January 13, 2006, Fox announced that the show would be moving to 7:00 on Sundays effective January 29, 2006. On January 17, 2006, Fox announced the cancellation of the series, with the 151st and final episode airing at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT (the show's original timeslot) on May 14, 2006.

In Australia, in 2002 Malcolm in the Middle premiered on Channel Nine Monday nights at 8:00pm. It rated strongly, with the help from its lead in Friends, which at the time rated 2,279,000, 2,031,000 and 2,410,000 ( The nights most watched show, years 2nd most watched tv program).

Malcolm in the Middles ratings included 1,952,000, 1,925,000, 1,712,000, 1,644,000 and somtimes rating over the 2 million mark.... 2,002,000, 2,008,000

Jane Kaczmarek and Cloris Leachman gained the highest honors in the cast for being nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award every year they appeared on Malcolm in the Middle. Cloris Leachman succeeded in winning 2002 and 2006.^[1]

Golden Globe Awards

• 2001
  • Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy Nominated
  • Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy - Jane Kaczmarek Nominated
  • Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy - Frankie Muniz Nominated
• 2002
  • Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy - Jane Kaczmarek Nominated
  • Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy - Frankie Muniz Nominated
• 2003
  • Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy - Jane Kaczmarek Nominated
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television - Bryan Cranston Nominated

Peabody Award

• 2001
  • Peabody Award Win

Primetime Emmy Awards

• 2000
  • Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - Bea Arthur as Mrs. White Nominated
  • Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Jane Kaczmarek as Lois Nominated
• 2001
  • Outstanding Comedy Series Nominated
  • Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series - Robert Loggia as Grandpa Victor Nominated
  • Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - Cloris Leachman as Ida Nominated
  • Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series - Frankie Muniz as Malcolm Nominated
  • Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Jane Kaczmarek as Lois Nominated
• 2002
  • Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - Susan Sarandon as Meg Nominated
  • Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - Cloris Leachman as Ida Won
  • Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Jane Kaczmarek as Lois Nominated
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series - Bryan Cranston as Hal Nominated
• 2003
  • Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - Cloris Leachman as Ida Nominated
  • Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Jane Kaczmarek as Lois Nominated
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series - Bryan Cranston as Hal Nominated
• 2004
  • Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - Cloris Leachman as Ida Nominated
  • Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Jane Kaczmarek as Lois Nominated
• 2005
  • Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - Cloris Leachman as Ida Nominated
  • Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Jane Kaczmarek as Lois Nominated
• 2006
  • Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series - Cloris Leachman as Ida Won
  • Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series - Jane Kaczmarek as Lois Nominated
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series - Bryan Cranston as Hal Nominated

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 2000
  • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series - Jane Kaczmarek Nominated
• 2002
  • Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series - Jane Kaczmarek Nominated

• Official FOX Malcolm in the Middle website

v • d • e Malcolm in the Middle
Characters	Malcolm · Lois · Hal · Francis · Reese · Dewey · Jamie
Episodes	List of Malcolm in the Middle episodes
Music	"Boss of Me" · Soundtrack