| Malcolm in the Middle | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Format | 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 | |
| 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,Awards list. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-04-24. one-time Grammy-winning and seven-time Golden Globe-nominated critically-acclaimed 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), YTV (Canada) and local networks in syndication.
Contents |
The show starred Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, the third-born of 4, then 5 later in the series, sons of 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, Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) and starting in season four Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez) living at home, Malcolm being the middle child still at home (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, just sound effects. 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.
| 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.[1] "Malcolm in the Middle" at IMDB
Francis had his picture in his military school yearbook under the name "Pete Zahut". Reese was able to join the Army with the presumably fake last name of Jetson.
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.Malcolm In The Middle, Fox, "Graduation", May 14, 2006, Production #722, Episode #151
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:
The setting of the show has never been revealed, though their street address - 12334 Maple Blvd Millbrook. - was identified in episode 81 ("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. The actual House location. Malcolm in the Middle Voting Community. As well, filming took place at 20th Century Fox Studio - 10201 Pico Blvd, Century City, Santa Clarita and Walter Reed Middle School.{{cite web| title = Filming locations for Malcolm in the Middle| publisher = IMDB| url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212671/locations} 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. 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, 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.Malcolm in the Middle SoundTrack. SoundTrackNet (2001).
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.Lambert, David (2003-11-30). Malcolm in the Middle - Season 2 (plus Other Shows) Hamstrung by Music Clearances. TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
| 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 episodeJosef Adalian and Michael Schneider (2000-01-18). Sitcom savior?. Variety.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-25. and 26 million for the second episode.Matt Webb Mitovich. News.
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 night\'s most watched show, year\'s 2nd most watched TV program).
Malcolm in the Middle\'s ratings included 1,952,000, 1,925,000, 1,712,000, 1,644,000 and sometimes 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.
| Name | Year | Category | Notes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globe Awards | 2001 | Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | 2001 | Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy | Jane Kaczmarek | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2001 | Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy | Frankie Muniz | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2002 | Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy | Jane Kaczmarek | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2002 | Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy | Frankie Muniz | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2003 | Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy | Jane Kaczmarek | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2003 | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television | Bryan Cranston | Nominated |
| Name | Year | Category | Notes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2000 | Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series | Bea Arthur as Mrs. White | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2000 | Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series | Jane Kaczmarek as Lois | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2001 | Outstanding Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2001 | Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series | Robert Loggia as Grandpa Victor | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2001 | Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series | Cloris Leachman as Ida | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2001 | Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series | Frankie Muniz as Malcolm | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2001 | Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series | Jane Kaczmarek as Lois | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2002 | Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series | Susan Sarandon as Meg | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2002 | Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series | Cloris Leachman as Ida | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2002 | Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series | Jane Kaczmarek as Lois | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2002 | Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series | Bryan Cranston as Hal | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2003 | Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series | Cloris Leachman as Ida | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2003 | Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series | Jane Kaczmarek as Lois | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2003 | Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series | Bryan Cranston as Hal | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2004 | Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series | Cloris Leachman as Ida | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2004 | Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series | Jane Kaczmarek as Lois | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2004 | Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series | Cloris Leachman as Ida | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2005 | Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series | Jane Kaczmarek as Lois | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2005 | Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series | Cloris Leachman as Ida | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series | Jane Kaczmarek as Lois | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series | Cloris Leachman as Ida | Won |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2006 | Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series | Bryan Cranston as Hal | Nominated |
| Name | Year | Category | Notes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2000 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Jane Kaczmarek as Lois | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2002 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Jane Kaczmarek as Lois | Nominated |
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| Preceded by Survivor: The Australian Outback 2001 | Super Bowl lead-out program 2002 | Succeeded by Alias 2003 |
| Malcolm in the Middle | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Malcolm · Lois · Hal · Francis · Reese · Dewey · Jamie |
| Episodes | List of Malcolm in the Middle episodes |
| Seasons | Season 1 · Season 2 · Season 3 · Season 4 · Season 5 · Season 6 · Season 7 |
| Music | "Boss of Me" · Soundtrack |
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