Jumping on the revival train, Malcolm in the Middle is back after 20 years, with a new limited-run series, Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair (which is branding itself as a separate sequel series, rather than season 8). All four episodes were dropped simultaneously on Hulu today. This is a place where the revival series can be discussed in its entirety.

To many, Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006) is just “the show Bryan Cranston was on before Breaking Bad,” but it’s actually one of the most important entries in the evolution of the sit-com. Prior to Malcolm, almost all tv comedy came in the form of multi-camera sit-coms, with three-walled sets, a formulaic setup-punchline-tagline approach to jokewriting, and a studio audience laughing along with them. There had been a few isolated attempts at single-camera comedies, but it was mostly in the form of genre spin-off fare like Sledge Hammer! and Police Squad!. Malcolm in the Middle laid the groundwork for the modern day single-camera sit-com, paving the way for shows like Scrubs, Arrested Development, My Name is Earl, The Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Community, and so-on and so-forth.

Described as a “live action Simpsons” when it premiered, Malcolm in the Middle was shot almost entirely on location, on a tight schedule, and on a minimal budget. But despite these constraints, the talented writers and directors behind Malcolm established the entire stylistic blueprint for the genre – frantic pacing, quirky music cues, and a healthy blend of high-brow and low-brow humour, with a little bit of venom and a little bit of heart – right down to the minute details that other shows would replicate (ie. several shows such as Scrubs and 30 Rock mimic Malcolm in the Middle‘s signature camera-whipping movement/sound effect when transitioning to cutaways). It was also much more cinematic than other tv comedies, utilising stylised camera angles and other heightened aesthetics for comedic purposes, and to clue viewers in that they were watching a sit-com in the absence of studio audience laughter.

A semi-autobiographical show created by Linwood Boomer, the show followed prickly boy genius Malcolm through middle and high school, along with his dysfunctional family with no canonically-established surname, who lived on the poverty line. Parents Lois and Hal (Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston) were a perfect comedy ying-yang – a hot-tempered mother forever putting out fires, while her goofball husband was constantly distracted – and also had one of the most loving marriages on tv. Older brother Reese (Justin Berfield) was a dim-witted bully, and younger brother Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan – the only cast member who hasn’t returned for this reunion) was a hilarious wildcard character with a perpetual poker face, who later turned out to be a musical genius (like Malcolm, Dewey has ASD, which is implied to run in Lois’s side of the family – in contrast to the ADHD that runs on Hal’s side – and appears to extend to the newest additions to the family, who I’ll get to in a moment). Rounding out the siblings were eldest brother Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson), who was typically separate from the rest of the cast, and slowly evolved from a destructive-but-streetwise juvenile delinquent into a respectable member of society – and was often accompanied by his wife Piama (Emy Coligado) from late season 3 onwards – and youngest brother Jamie (James and Lukas Rodriguez), who was born at the end of season 4.

Joining the cast for the revival series, we have Caleb Ellsworth-Clark taking over the role of Dewey, Anthony Timpano as Jamie, Vaughan Murrae as youngest child Kelly (Lois was pregnant again at the end of the original series) – who is nonbinary, and equal parts smart and conniving – Kiana Madeira as Malcolm’s girlfriend Tristan – who Malcolm believes is “the one” – and perhaps most importantly, Keeley Karsten as Malcolm’s friendless daughter Leah, who also shares Malcolm’s ability to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience. Leah basically has Malcolm’s personality and smarts, but she completely lacks the armor that was instilled in Malcolm by his family. This is because Malcolm has spent most of his adult life actively avoiding his family, to the point where both his daughter and girlfriend believe his parents are dead. As Malcolm – who’s now running a successful charity – explains to us, he’s become an affable, tolerant person since severing ties with them – or as he puts it more bluntly to his family in the premiere, “Getting away from you is how I finally stopped being such an asshole.”

But now, with Hal and Lois determined to reunite everyone for their 40th anniversary, Malcolm’s family has returned to his life. The sanctity of everything he’s built for himself in adulthood is threatened is when his old family barges in on his new family, because Malcolm can’t help but instantly revert back to his old self whenever he’s in their presence. Can Malcolm ever figure out a way to live harmoniously with a family who bring out the worst in him? Largely willed into existence by Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair was originally pitched by series creator Linwood Boomer (who returns as the head writer) as a two-hour movie titled “Malcolm in the Middle Age,” until the project was instead reworked as a four-episode miniseries. Initial reviews have been positive (I’m still working my way through, and will be posting episode-by-episode coverage in the comments below, but from what I’ve seen so far, I’d say it’s on-par with the King of the Hill revival), but let’s hear what The Avocado has to say about it… Discussion about the original series is also welcome. Okay, that’s enough talking to the camera, time to get your rollerskates on, everyone!

NOTE: This is a spoiler space, so spoilers may be discussed freely below. If you have not yet seen it, you may want to hold off on scrolling any further down until you have.