The beloved sitcom Malcolm in the Middle is the latest television series to get the revival treatment. A new iteration of the series, which originally aired on Fox for seven seasons between 2000 and 2006 with 151 episodes, is heading to Disney+.
Per Variety's reporting, original stars Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and Jane Kaczmarek are set to reprise their roles. Series creator Linwood Boomer is likewise running point on the revival, and will return as writer and executive producer. It's presently unclear whether the rest of the cast is in talks to join, including Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield, and Erik Per Sullivan.
Four new episodes have been ordered by Disney Branded Television, with the official longline detailing: "Malcolm (Muniz) and his daughter are drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek) demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party."
Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television said in a statement that the original series was "a landmark sitcom that captured the essence of family life with humor, heart and relatability."
"Its hilarious and heartfelt portrayal of a lovably chaotic family resonated with audiences of all ages, and we’re so excited to welcome the original cast back to bring that magic to life again," Davis continued. "With Linwood Boomer and the creative team at the helm, these new episodes will have all the laughs, pranks, and mayhem fans loved—along with a few surprises that remind us why this show is so timeless."
Earlier this year, Cranston said he would be open to picking the series back up, telling Entertainment Tonight that while there has been "some conversation" about a revival, nothing had been set in stone. "It would be fun to explore these boys who are now grown-ups with kids of their own, I'm open to that," he said at the time.
Until now, the closest we've gotten to a Malcolm revival has been an alternate ending to Breaking Bad released on the complete series DVD box set. In the short clip, which was a parody of the series finale of Newhart, Cranston's Hal wakes up from a dream in which it's revealed that the entirety of the hit AMC drama was nothing more than a nightmare induced from eating deep-fried Twinkies.
A release date hasn't been announced yet, but in the meantime, the entire series is currently streaming on Hulu and on Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.
