Malcolm in the Middle reboot divides fans after unexpected ‘twist’

Malcolm in the Middle launched back onto our screens for an epic new reboot on Friday, with the key members of the main cast returning to their iconic roles – but what did fans think of the relaunch? Warning, spoilers ahead!

The new four-part mini-series Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair sees everyone’s favourite genius, Malcolm, played by Frankie Muniz, in his new role as an overwhelmed parent. Frankie is joined by original cast members Bryan Cranston, who plays Hal, Jane Kaczmarek, who plays Lois, Christopher Masterson, who plays Francis and Justin Berfield, who plays Reese.

According to its synopsis, Malcolm has been keeping himself and his daughter at arm’s length from his family for over a decade. Yet he finds himself pulled back into their chaotic world when his parents, Hal and Lois, insist that everyone must attend their forthcoming 40th wedding anniversary celebration.

But there was one particular twist that went down a treat with fans. “The twist of Malcolm never telling Lois and Hal that he has a daughter is one of the funniest things —and in character— that I’ve seen this year. The first episode has a few hits, but that one was a HOME RUN,” one fan penned on X.

© Disney/David Bukach

Another agreed, adding, “I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It was a belly laugh from the soul. It cured my gout.”

Meanwhile, a third penned: “Something I absolutely loved is that it’s something Malcolm would clearly do, all the characters are them, they feel just like always, they do things they would really do, I loved it.”

Divided opinions

Although not everyone agreed that a reboot was entirely necessary, with another viewer sharing: “The Malcolm in the Middle reboot was absolutely unnecessary, but you could tell a lot of those people were happy to be on camera again, and that’s fun.”

© Disney/David Bukach

Meanwhile, another shared: “Malcolm’s storyline doesn’t hold up, they’re supposed to have 5 sons (Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, Jamie) and a potential 6th, and now there’s just 4 sons and a daughter, Kelly, who’s spawned in, they didn’t even introduce her so we could understand who she is.”

But on the whole, the verdict was that fans loved the show, with many curious as to when they can have their next instalment. “Yeah, imma need them to greenlight more episodes,” one user confessed.

Will there be more?

While it is yet to be confirmed whether there will be any more episodes of the new show,  Creator Linwood Boomer revealed to Collider that any continuation of Malcolm in the Middle depends on Life’s Still Unfair’s viewership:

“Well, it depends on how it does. There’s a certain number, and I don’t even know what it is, and I don’t even know what it’s measuring, but some piece of data has to hit a certain number, and if it’s one shy, they won’t ask, and if it’s one over, they will ask, but not until then.

“We all had a great time. Everyone had a great time. It was a really good working experience, which I was nervous about after having been retired for so long and happily out of the business. Disney and 20th were terrific. They were great to work with.”