| Malcolm in the Middle | |
 The Malcolm in the Middle intertitle. |
|
| Format | Sitcom |
|---|---|
| Created by | Linwood Boomer |
| Directed by | Todd Holland (various episodes) and various other directors |
| Starring | Jane Kaczmarek Bryan Cranston Christopher Kennedy Masterson Justin Berfield Erik Per Sullivan and Frankie Muniz |
| Opening theme | "Boss of Me" by They Might Be Giants |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 151 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | FOX |
| Original run | January 9, 2000 – May 14, 2006 |
| Status | syndicated on Nick at Nite |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Malcolm in the Middle was an 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 and 155 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 show follows Malcolm, a teenager with two older and two younger brothers. Malcolm frequently breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the camera, a technique seldom employed before the show's pilot. It is being syndicated on Nickelodeon's[2] Nick at Nite,[3] and on Sky 1 in the UK.
The show is often rated TV-PG L due to the brothers' fighting and beatings and due to everyone except Dewey swearing. It is also rated TV-PG V, TV-PG DS, TV-PG DLS, TV-PG LV or TV-14 D in its later series, which have brief mild sexual situations. The show's highest rating was TV-14 DLSV for mature audiences as the show progressed. The show was an early example of a new generation of prime-time single-camera family sitcoms.
Contents |
Premise
The show starred Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, the third-born of four, and later five (and possibly six, in the last episode), sons of Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and Hal (Bryan Cranston). The oldest, Francis (Christopher Masterson), was shipped off to military school, leaving three brothers: Reese (Justin Berfield), Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) and starting in season four Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez in the later seasons) 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 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 and Bryan Cranston (Hal) saying "Previously on Malcolm in the Middle" in a humorous manner.
The Family Name
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The last name of the family has been revealed only once in the show, 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, though unaired, it 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. A special feature on the series 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", advertising Sunday night new episodes of both series. Another trailer was released to advertise the last episodes, of 24 and Malcolm in the Middle, it claimed Say Goodbye to the Wilkersons. However, on Bryan Cranston's official website, Cranston says the crew regularly joked amongst themselves that their last name is actually Nolastname. During the series finale, when Malcolm is being introduced for his graduation speech, his last name is not heard due to a squeak of the microphone. Just before Malcolm gives his graduation speech, Francis drops his employee ID on the ground and it clearly shows his name as "Francis Nolastname".
Characters
- Malcolm, played by Frankie Múñiz is the smartest member of the family. Malcolm is also the middle child and the one who is bullied the most. He usually goes against the family's plan and makes everything worse. His best friend is Stevie and he remained so for the remainder of the series. He is often referred to as a Krelboyne, which in the show is a derogatory term for a nerd.
- Lois, played by Jane Kaczmarek
- Reese, played by Justin Berfield
- Hal, played by Bryan Cranston
- Dewey, played by Erik Per Sullivan
- Francis, played by Christopher Kennedy Masterson
- Jamie, played by James and Lukas Rodriguez (later episodes) or Sara and Jessica Sanford (earlier episodes)
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. These include, in order of appearance:
- Three men fighting a giant turtle: From One Million Years BC (1966)[4]
- Grinning anime boy in rain: Shiogami from anime Nazca[4]
- The monster rising out of the ocean is the Kraken: From Clash of the Titans (1981)[4]
- Woman being held above a nest of hungry pterodactyl: From One Million Years BC (1966)[4]
- Dimetrodon -like lizard crawling on rocks: From A Journey to the Center of the Earth [4]
- Anime guy skateboarding: From the anime Nazca[4]
- Mud-monster grabbing a woman as she kisses a man: From Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961)[5]
- Man ski-jumping while ignited in flames: Thrill Seekers[6]
- 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.
- Robot head being assembled: From the BBC series Out of the Unknown episode Liar! (1969)[7]
- Man attacking giant brain with an axe: From The Brain from Planet Arous (1957)[4]
- 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.[4]
Act Breaks
The end of each act break is signified with the sound of a door slamming and then a cut to darkness. Scene changes are indicated with a "whoosh" 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.[8] Filming also took place at 20th Century Fox Studio - 10201-Pico Boulevard in the Century City district of Los Angeles; at Walter Reed Middle School in Los Angeles and in Santa Clarita, California.[9] 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". Also in the episode "Waterpark" the slide they are at when Malcolm pushes Lois is called the Abyss. The Liquidator is actually up the stairs behind them. In the episode "Monkey" when Reese gets an honor from the police, the hat he is seen wearing has the letters MPD on it, suggesting the name of the city begins with the letter M. and in episode 107 Reese Joins the Army (2)Hal says that he is from the Millbrook bomb squad when he is trying to hide a backpack and his identity. The baseball and softball episodes were filmed in a city park in the Sherman Oaks district of Los Angeles, California. During the first year of the show, Francis reveals that the military academy is in Alabama and is 300 miles from home.
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.[10]
Main crew
- Linwood Boomer - Creator, Executive Producer (seasons 1-6), Creative Consultant (season 7)
- Todd Holland - Co-Executive Producer (season 1, subsequent episodes he directs)
- David Richardson - Co-Executive Producer (season 1)
- Alan J. Higgins - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 1-3), Consultant (season 7)
- Michael Glouberman - Supervising Producer (season 1), Co-Executive Producer (seasons 1-7)
- Andrew Orenstein - Supervising Producer (season 1), Co-Executive Producer (seasons 1-5)
- Alex Reid - Creative Consultant (season 1), Producer (seasons 1 and 2), Supervising Producer (season 3), Co-Executive Producer (seasons 4-7), Executive Producer (season 7)
- Don Voorhees - Associate Producer (seasons 1 and 2), Co-Producer (seasons 3-7)
- Bob Stevens - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 1-3)
- Gary Murphy - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 2-7)
- Neil Thompson - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 2-5), Consulting Producer (seasons 6 and 7)
- Michael Borkow - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 3 and 4)
- Maggie Bandur - Executive Story Editor (seasons 2 and 3), Co-Producer (season 3), Producer (season 4), Supervising Producer (season 5)
- Pang-Ni Landrum - Executive Story Editor (seasons 2 and 3), Co-Producer (season 3)
- Dan Kopelman - Executive Story Editor (seasons 2 and 3), Co-Producer (season 3), Producer (season 4), Supervising Producer (season 5)
- Matthew Carlson - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 4-6), Executive Producer (season 7)
- Rob Hanning - Co-Executive Producer (season 4)
- Bob Kushell - Consulting Producer (season 4)
- Janice Carr - Associate Producer (seasons 4 and 5), Co-Producer (seasons 6 and 7)
- Rob Ulin - Co-Executive Producer (seasons 5-7)
- Eric Kaplan - Supervising Producer (season 5), Co-Executive Producer (seasons 5-7)
- Jennifer Celotta - Supervising Producer (season 6), Co-Executive Producer (season 6)
- Jay Kogen - Consulting Producer (season 6), Co-Executive Producer (season 7)
- David Sacks - Consulting Producer (season 6)
- Steve Welch - Supervising Producer (season 7)
DVD release
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.[11]
| 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. |
Reception
Ratings
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[12] and 26 million for the second episode.[13]
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, exactly the same day 8 years previously that the finale of the popular NBC sitcom, Seinfeld had aired. The finale was watched by 7.4 million viewers.
| Season | Premiere | Final | U.S. ratings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | January 9, 2000 | May 21, 2000 | 20.0 million |
| 2 | 2000-2001 | November 5, 2000 | May 20, 2001 | 18.0 million |
| 3 | 2001-2002 | November 11, 2001 | May 12, 2002 | 15.0 million |
| 4 | 2002-2003 | November 3, 2002 | May 18, 2003 | 9.1 million[14] |
| 5 | 2003-2004 | November 2, 2003 | May 23, 2004 | 8.7 million[14] |
| 6 | 2004-2005 | November 7, 2004 | May 15, 2005 | 5.8 million[15] |
| 7 | 2005-2006 | September 30, 2005 | May 14, 2006 | 3.5 million[16] |
In Australia, in 2002 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. Currently, it now airs from 3.00pm to 3.30pm on Channel Nine as part of its summer airing program.
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 %. Nowadays, the channel is still programming reruns of the show because of its good performances.
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]
International broadcasts
References
- ^ a b c "Awards list". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212671/awards. Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
- ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{cite web}}". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickelodeon_(TV_channel).
- ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{cite web}}". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_at_Nite.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "IMDB Trivia". Internet Movie Database. http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0212671/trivia. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- ^ "B Monster Bulletin". The Astounding B Monster Archive. http://www.bmonster.com/jan2005.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- ^ "Malcolm in the Middle Voting Community - FAQ: Malcolm in the Middle". http://www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk/forum/faq.php?faq=mitm#faq_openingclips. Retrieved on 2008-06-23.
- ^ "Out of the Unknown - Clips guide". Zeta Minor. http://www.zetaminor.com/cult/out_unknown/ootu_clips_guide_s3.htm. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
- ^ "The actual House location". Malcolm in the Middle Voting Community. http://www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=1210.
- ^ "Filming locations for Malcolm in the Middle". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212671/locations.
- ^ "Malcolm in the Middle SoundTrack". SoundTrackNet. 2001. http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=2648.
- ^ Lambert, David (2003-11-30). "Malcolm in the Middle - Season 2 (plus Other Shows) Hamstrung by Music Clearances". TVShowsOnDVD.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=870. Retrieved on 2007-04-24.
- ^ Josef Adalian and Michael Schneider (2000-01-18). "Sitcom savior?". Variety.com. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117760956.html?categoryid=14&cs=1. Retrieved on 2007-04-25.
- ^ Matt Webb Mitovich. "News". http://malcolminthemiddle.tktv.net/news.html.
- ^ a b "Malcolm : le point sur les audiences". Malcolm France. 2004-07-11. http://www.malcolm-france.com/news.php?id=39.
- ^ "Bilan mitigé pour la saison 6 aux États-Unis". Malcolm France. 2005-05-19. http://www.malcolm-france.com/news.php?id=80.
- ^ "Malcolm : les premières audiences de la saison 7". Malcolm France. 2005-11-08. http://www.malcolm-france.com/news.php?id=106.
- ^ http://www.tvguide.co.uk/detail.asp?id=33314708
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Malcolm in the Middle |
- Official FOX Malcolm in the Middle website
- Malcolm in the Middle Voting Community website
- Malcolm France website
- Malcolm in the Middle at the Internet Movie Database
- Malcolm in the Middle at TV.com
| Preceded by Survivor: Australian Outback 2001 |
Malcolm in the Middle Super Bowl lead-out program 2002 |
Succeeded by Alias 2003 |
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