Malcolm in the Middle
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2010) |
| Malcolm in the Middle | |
|---|---|
 The Malcolm in the Middle intertitle. | |
| Created by | Linwood Boomer |
| Starring | Frankie Muniz Jane Kaczmarek Bryan Cranston Justin Berfield Christopher Masterson Erik Per Sullivan James and Lukas Rodriguez |
| Opening theme | "Boss of Me" by They Might Be Giants |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 151 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production companies | Satin City, Regency Television and Fox Television Studios (in syndication, Fox Television Studios Is replaced with 20th Television) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | January 9, 2000 – May 14, 2006 |
Malcolm in the Middle is an American comedy television series 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 and 151 episodes. The series received critical acclaim and won a Peabody Award, seven Emmy Awards, one Grammy and was nominated for seven Golden Globes.[1]
The series follows a family of six (later seven), and stars Frankie Muniz in the lead role of Malcolm, a more-or-less normal boy who tests at genius level; he enjoys being smart but despises having to take classes for gifted children, who are mocked by the other students as "Krelboynes", after geeky Seymour Krelborn in The Little Shop of Horrors. Jane Kaczmarek is Malcolm's overbearing, authoritarian mother, Lois, and Bryan Cranston plays his disengaged but loving father Hal. Christopher Masterson plays eldest brother Francis, a former rebel who, in earlier episodes, was in military school, but eventually marries and settles into a steady job. Justin Berfield is Malcolm's dimwitted older brother Reese, a schoolyard bully who tortures Malcolm at home even while he defends him at school. Younger brother Dewey is portrayed by Erik Per Sullivan. For the first couple of seasons, the show's focus was on Malcolm. As the series progressed, however, it began to explore all six members of the family rather equally.
It is produced by Satin City and Fox Television Studios (syndicated by 20th Television).
The series has proven popular worldwide and has been syndicated in 57 countries. In the United States, it has been syndicated in the daytime on FX and at nighttime on Nick at Nite, as well as local stations. In the United Kingdom, it airs on Sky1 and its HD counterpart Sky1 HD, as well as Sky2 and Sky3. It has also been syndicated on Network Ten in Australia (originally airing on the Nine Network).
Premise
The show is about a boy named Malcolm and his dysfunctional family. The show stars Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, the third of five boys, his brothers and their parents, Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and Hal (Bryan Cranston). The oldest, Francis (Christopher Masterson), was sent away to military school, leaving at home his three younger brothers, Reese (Justin Berfield), Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), Malcolm being the middle child still at home (hence the show's title). In season four, the character Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez) was added to the show as the fifth son. The show's early seasons centered on Malcolm dealing with the rigors of being an adolescent and enduring the eccentricities of his life. Later seasons gradually explored the other members of the family and their friends in more depth, including others such as Craig Feldspar, Stevie Kenarban, and Stevie's dad Abe.
The series was different from many others in that Malcolm broke the fourth wall by talking directly to the viewer, all scenes were shot using a single camera and the show employed 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 of the show is that the cold open of every episode is unrelated to the main story. Exceptions were episodes which were the conclusions of "two-parters"; each part two episode opened with a recap of its part one episode.
Surname
The surname of the family has been revealed only twice in the show. First, in the pilot episode, where Francis wears the name tag "Wilkerson" on his school uniform (it can be seen best in the scene where he is talking with his family on the phone). Also, although unaired, the name appears in a joke from the original pilot script. In that script, Malcolm was walking to school when a neighborhood kid came running up shouting, "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 other kid. The joke was eventually cut. The last name, however, was spoken in the series finale when Malcolm is being introduced for his graduation speech, but it is not heard due to feedback from the microphone. A special feature on the season 1 DVD stated also that their surname was Wilkerson. A trailer on the UK channel Sky One in Early 2006 advised you to spend time with "The Simpsons" and "The Wilkersons." Another trailer was released to advertise the last episodes of 24 and Malcolm in the Middle, calling viewers to "say goodbye to the Wilkersons." In a certain episode, at Hal's company picnic Hal is addressed as "Mr. Landon" by his new boss; however, this was just due to a misunderstanding. Another surname was used in one episode. Reese joined the Army and arrived in another country on a mission. Lois talks to an Army Lt. and calls the lost son "Reese Jetson". After that, the Lt. agreed with her, "Oh yes, Pvt. Jetson.", however in the plot of the episode it is understood that Reese was under an alias and it was in fact not his real name, this was due to his young age and the age restriction to join the army.
Characters
The family
- Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) is the title character of the series. Malcolm is a genius, and because of this, is placed in a class for gifted students (or Krelboynes as they are known at the school). His intelligence, as well as feelings of not fitting, and his ego are the primary causes of most problems he faces throughout the series. As the title suggests, Malcolm is the middle child of the family, third-born of four at the start of the series, later of five after the birth of Jamie and apparently six after the last episode. His best friend is Stevie, a wheelchair-bound fellow Krelboyne with a severe breathing problem. Malcolm is shown to be going to classes in Harvard in the last episode, earning his way by mopping the halls.
- Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) is the hot-headed and stubborn mother of Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie, and wife of Hal. She struggles throughout the series to keep her badly behaved boys in check while maintaining a job at the supermarket, Lucky Aide. She is seen by her sons as a somewhat tyrannical figure, a crazed control freak, and indeed she is, but her behavior was caused by Francis's bad behavior as a toddler.
- Hal (Bryan Cranston) is the somewhat childish but caring father of Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie and husband to Lois. He is a lighter touch with the boys than Lois, but can still hand out discipline when necessary. Hal seems constantly on the edge of some kind of breakdown; when things get to be too much, he often goes into a howling, wailing state of panic and frustration.
- Reese (Justin Berfield) is the most impulsive member of the family and has remarkably little common sense. He is the older brother of Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie and younger brother to Francis. Throughout the series, he is shown to be a bully, getting much enjoyment from the misfortune of others and handing out beatings to students at school and to his younger brothers at home. Despite being remarkably unwilling to think, he is gifted at cooking and baking—which he is shown to be very talented at on many occasions—and a natural born soldier.
- Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) is the younger brother of Malcolm, Reese, and Francis. His role is usually that of the victim to his brothers. Dewey is very intelligent, even being able to fool and manipulate Malcolm in later episodes. However, his real talent lies in music. Among other accomplishments, he has composed his own opera for his classmates to perform. Despite his intelligence, he is placed in a remedial class for slower students (or Buseys) due to a misunderstanding. This does little to affect his performance, though, and he actually makes the best of the situation by acting as their self-appointed teacher. By the seventh and final season of the show, it seemed to be implied that he was no longer in the Busey class. He was the youngest for several seasons, until Jamie was born.
- Francis (Christopher Masterson) is the eldest brother. Due to his extremely bad behavior, he is sent to a military school in the U.S state of Alabama, run by the strict Commandant Spangler (Daniel von Bargen). He is there when the series begins. Francis remains at the school until the beginning of the third season, when he has himself legally emancipated and travels to Alaska to work at a logging camp. Here he meets and marries Piama, a woman of Inuit heritage. When the camp closes, he later moves to a Wild West-themed hotel and ranch in the western U.S. called the Grotto, run by kindly but eccentric German Otto Mannkusser and his wife Gretchen. His first words were "No, you shut up" directed to Lois.
- Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez) is the youngest brother until the very last episode. Despite his infancy, he is already shown to have some of his brothers' habits such as stealing, as well as rudeness to his mother.
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 |
Production
Opening titles
The opening titles feature short clips from cult films or television shows, edited together with clips from the early seasons of the TV series. The original opening includes, in order of appearance:
- Three men fighting a giant turtle: From One Million Years BC (1966)[2]
- Grinning anime man in rain: Shiogami from the anime Nazca[2]
- The monster rising out of the ocean is the Kraken: From Clash of the Titans (1981)[2]
- Woman being held above a nest of hungry pterodactyls: From One Million Years BC (1966)[2]
- Dimetrodon -like lizard crawling on rocks: From A Journey to the Center of the Earth [2]
- Anime boy skateboarding: From the anime Nazca[2]
- Mud-monster grabbing a woman as she kisses a man: From Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961)[3]
- Man ski-jumping while ignited in flames: Thrill Seekers[4]
- 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 1999 PPV in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Robot head being assembled: From the BBC series Out of the Unknown episode Liar! (1969)[5]
- Man attacking giant brain with an axe: From The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)[2]
- Boxer knocking out referee: Cuban Pedro Cardenas fighting Canadian Willie DeWitt but accidentally KOing referee Bert Lowes instead, during the 1982 North American Championships in Las Vegas.[2]
Act breaks
The end of each act break is signified with the sound of a door slamming and then a cut to darkness; the same effect is sometimes used to mark the end of the episode as well. Scene changes are indicated with a quick "whoosh" sound and a fast panning motion of the camera. Whenever a character is shown dreaming or imagining something, the scene changes with an electrical "bzzzt" sound.
Setting
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 the Studio City district of Los Angeles, California, at 12334 Cantura Street[6], and it can be seen on Google Street View.[7] Filming also took place at 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201-Pico Boulevard in the Century City district of Los Angeles; at Walter Reed Middle School in Los Angeles and in Santa Clarita, California.[8] 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"). The last episode in the first season ("Waterpark") was filmed at a waterpark called "Wild Rivers" located in Irvine, California, but in the episode the waterpark was called "Wavetown USA". Many of the "Lucky Aide" store scenes were done at a Drug Emporium that used to be at 6020 Lankershim in the North Hollywood district of Los Angeles.
Music
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, The Getaway People, En Vogue, Phil Collins, Quiet Riot, Queen, Titán 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.[9]
DVD release
Only the first season of Malcolm in the Middle has been released on DVD. Season 2 was going to be released in autumn 2003, but was cancelled due to high costs of music clearances.[10]
| DVD name | Release date | Ep # | # of Discs | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | October 29, 2002 | 16 | 3 | 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. |
Reception
Ratings
As a midseason replacement for Futurama,[verification needed] the show quickly gained a large viewer base, starting off with ratings of 23 million for the debut episode[11] and 26 million for the second episode.[12]
Fox shuffled the show's air time repeatedly to make room for other shows, eventually giving it a free pass[clarification needed] 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 p.m. 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. The finale was watched by 7.4 million.
| Season | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | January 9, 2000 | May 21, 2000 | 2000 | #18[13] | 15.2[13] |
| 2nd | November 5, 2000 | May 20, 2001 | 2000–2001 | #22[14] | 14.5[14] |
| 3rd | November 11, 2001 | May 12, 2002 | 2001–2002 | #25[15] | 13.0[15] |
| 4th | November 11, 2002 | May 12, 2003 | 2002–2003 | #43[16] | 10.7[16] |
| 5th | November 3, 2003 | May 18, 2004 | 2003–2004 | #71[17] | 8.4[17] |
| 6th | November 2, 2004 | May 23, 2005 | 2004–2005 | #99[18] | 5.6[18] |
| 7th | September 30, 2005 | May 14, 2006 | 2005–2006 | #127[19] | 3.8[19] |
In Australia, in 2001 Malcolm in the Middle premiered on Channel Nine, Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. 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 as the night's most watched show, and 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.
In France, the show first aired daily at 8 p.m. in December 2001, on M6, but didn't find its public and was quickly off schedule. Then, when the show made its comeback in the summer of 2003 at noon, it had a big success. The last seasons had over 1.5 million viewers and a share sometimes over 30%. Due to the show's popularity, the network is currently still broadcasting reruns.
In the UK, in April 2001, 6 months after it was shown on Sky1 it premiered on terristrial television on BBC2 at 6:45pm on Fridays, where the first episode gained 3.3 million. With the success of the first season, season 2 was moved to prime-time the following year, at 8.30pm.
Awards and nominations
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. The show won a total of 7 Emmys during its seven year run.[1]
Syndication
The show entered syndication one month before the 6th season premiered on Fox. When the show entered syndication all of the TV-14 episodes had to be changed to TV-PG since they did not meet the standards for TV-14. It is also aired in local syndication. The show was launched on Nick at Nite on July 5, 2009 at 8:00pm with an all night marathon. However, Nick at Nite uses the changed ratings in order to keep the show family friendly and remove adult content from the episodes. Sky1 (a UK channel) also has Malcolm in the Middle on everyday at 5:30 - 6:00 and 6:30 - 7:00.
International broadcasts
References
- ^ a b c "Awards list". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "IMDB Trivia". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ^ "B Monster Bulletin". The Astounding B Monster Archive. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ^ "Malcolm in the Middle Voting Community - FAQ: Malcolm in the Middle". Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ^ "Out of the Unknown - Clips guide". Zeta Minor. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
- ^ "The actual House location". Malcolm in the Middle Voting Community.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Google Street View of the actual house". Google.com.
- ^ "Filming locations for Malcolm in the Middle". IMDB.
- ^ "Malcolm in the Middle SoundTrack". SoundTrackNet. 2001.
- ^ Lambert, David (2003-11-30). "Malcolm in the Middle - Season 2 (plus Other Shows) Hamstrung by Music Clearances". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-04-24.
- ^ Josef Adalian and Michael Schneider (2000-01-18). "Sitcom savior?". Variety.com. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
- ^ Matt Webb Mitovich. "News".
- ^ a b "Top TV Shows For 1999-2000 Season". Variety. Retrieved 02-12-2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "The Bitter End". Entertainment Weekly Published in issue #598 Jun 01, 2001. Retrieved 02-12-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "How did your favorite show rate?". USA Today. May 28, 2002. Retrieved 02-12-2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "Rank And File". Entertainment Weekly Published in issue #713 Jun 06, 2003. Retrieved 02-12-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "I. T. R. S. Ranking Report: 01 Thru 210". ABC Medianet. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 02-12-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ a b "Primetime series". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. May 27, 2005. Retrieved 02-12-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) [dead link] - ^ a b "Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media. May 26, 2006. Retrieved 02-12-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) [dead link]
External links
| Preceded by Survivor: Australian Outback 2001 |
Malcolm in the Middle Super Bowl lead-out program 2002 |
Succeeded by Alias 2003 |
- 2000s American television series
- 2000 American television series debuts
- 2006 American television series endings
- American television sitcoms
- Emmy Award winning programs
- English-language television series
- Fox network shows
- Peabody Award winners
- Teen sitcoms
- Television series about dysfunctional families
- Television series by Fox Television Studios
- Television shows set in the United States