The first season of the American television sitcom Malcolm in the Middle premiered on January 9, 2000, and concluded on May 21, 2000. The sixteen-episode season was broadcast in the United States on the Fox Network. The series follows child prodigy Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and his dysfunctional family, including his mother Lois (Jane Kaczmarek), father Hal (Bryan Cranston), older brothers Francis (Christopher Masterson) and Reese (Justin Berfield), and younger brother Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan). A child prodigy, Malcolm attends a class dubbed the "Krelboyne class", taught by Caroline Miller (Catherine Lloyd Burns).
Malcolm in the Middle was created by Linwood Boomer, and was originally intended for the 1998–99 television season on UPN. When they ultimately passed on the series, then-president of the Fox Network's entertainment division Doug Herzog, upon hearing about it, quickly greenlit the series for a full season. Herzog was interested in the series as it reminded him of his own family, particularly his young children, with the dynamic of the family coming from Boomer's own childhood experiences. Like with the rest of the series, Cranston performed his own stunts for the season, including wearing a suit of live bees for a whole scene; he only got stung once.
The series was a rating success, particularly for its mid-season timeslot and for airing directly following The Simpsons. The season had high viewership among multiple demographics, such as teenagers, children, and general viewers aged 18-49, particularly men. It was also acclaimed by critics, who praised its subversion of tropes, unique style, and the cast's performances, notably Muniz's. The season would go on to receive several different award nominations.
Cast and characters
Main Jane Kaczmarek as Lois Bryan Cranston as Hal Christopher Kennedy Masterson as Francis Justin Berfield as Reese Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey Catherine Lloyd Burns as Caroline Miller Frankie Muniz as Malcolm
Recurring Craig Lamar Traylor as Stevie Kenarban David Anthony Higgins as Craig Feldspar Daniel von Bargen as Commandant Edwin Spangler Karim Prince as Cadet Stanley Drew Powell as Cadet Drew Merrin Dungey as Kitty Kenarban Landry Allbright as Julie
Guest stars Aloma Wright as Nurse ("Home Alone 4") Tom Virtue as Priest ("Home Alone 4") Justin Pierce as Justin ("Home Alone 4" & "Smunday") Eric Stonestreet as Phil ("Malcolm Babysits") Beth Grant as Dorene Hooper ("Krelboyne Picnic") Joel McKinnon Miller as Officer Karl ("Stock Car Races") Alexander Gould as Egg ("Funeral") Bea Arthur as Mrs. White ("Water Park") Amanda Fuller as April ("Water Park")
Episodes
Production Development Malcolm in the Middle was created by Linwood Boomer, for the American network UPN for the 1998-99 television season. Four months later, the network passed on the series, as they felt it did not fit their target demographic. Soon thereafter, Doug Herzog, then-president of the Fox Broadcasting Company's entertainment division, heard about the project, and quickly greenlit it, but decided to wait until the 2000 mid-season to air it. He committed the series to a thirteen episode season, with the possibility of further renewals. Boomer based the series on his own life and childhood, something that drew Herzog to it, who felt the storylines revolving around the children were similar to experiences he had with his own young children. Similar to Malcolm, Boomer grew up with three brothers, but had a "no-nonsense" mother on account of his father's death, with that characteristic helping to shape Lois' character. He called the central family a "gigantically exaggerated and self-serving version" of his family and childhood, which gave him some inspiration for the series.
Casting Frankie Muniz's audition was around 9:30 in the morning, and he had another audition for a Pizza Hut commercial 30 minutes later. Muniz, worried he would miss the Pizza Hut audition, pleaded to his mother to let him skip his Malcolm in the Middle audition, but he ultimately went. Initially, Malcolm was written to be a nine year old. While auditioning, Muniz, who was around twelve to thirteen, thought that they would pass on him, since he was "too old". However, the producers were impressed with Muniz's performance, so he was cast, and the character was aged up to thirteen.Krulik (2001): p. 21-22. In the season, Malcolm's age is intentionally not mentioned, explicitly stating that he attends middle school, "not the actual grade level."
Aaron Paul was interested in auditioning for the role of Malcolm's eldest brother Francis, being given the script, but the producers were not interested in casting him and "kept passing". Instead, the role went to Christopher Kennedy Masterson, who only had to audition once, unlike every other applicant, and got the job soon after. Around the time of pilot season, Jane Kaczmarek got pregnant, and asked her agents not to send her any auditions, as she wanted to focus on her family with Bradley Whitford, but series casting director Mary Fox persuaded her agents to send her the script for Malcolm in the Middles pilot. She initially did not want to play Lois, even after receiving the script, but was intrigued by the fact that they personally sent it to her; Kaczmarek enjoyed how "quirky and endearing" Lois was, so she accepted the role.
Justin Berfield was cast as Malcolm's older brother Reese, despite the fact that Berfield is younger than Muniz, and Erik Per Sullivan portrays youngest brother Dewey. Catherine Lloyd Burns plays Malcolm's teacher Caroline Miller in the season. The character of Hal was initially underwritten, and described by Boomer as "a writer's conceit that just lay there on the page like a turd", only having about five lines in the pilot to add to the illusion aspect they were going for. During Bryan Cranston's audition for the part, he had to simply listen to a fight between a mother character and her sons, only sitting there without conversing. At that time, Cranston put a pipe in his mouth and intently watched the fight, causing Boomer to fall from his chair in laughter. Boomer recalled that Cranston "just had this vast inner life going on" that contributed to his performance as Hal. He described Cranston's look at that time as a man who "looks like he's listening, but he's actually building a rocket ship in his head", and Cranston was given the role immediately.
Filming and directing
As opposed to a soundstage, much of the filming for the season was done on location from 1999 to 2000.Pearlman, Finer (2004): p. 234. Unlike other sitcoms, they avoided including laugh tracks or a studio audience for recordings, and filming was accomplished with single-camera to achieve a more "cinematic look". A privately owned home, located at 12334 Cantura Street in Studio City, California, was rented for up to $3,000 a day to act as the family's house for scenes requiring it. Each episode cost roughly $1,000,000 to make, particularly for its unique visual style that made it more expensive to produce, whereas most other sitcoms cost $750,000 an episode.
For the episode "Rollerskates", Cranston learned how to skate and performed most of his skating scenes, while a stunt double was used for the more intricate tricks. During "The Bots and the Bees", Cranston wore a suit of live bees that moved on his body for an extended period of time. He was covered in 10,000 bees, but only got stung once, during which he did not flinch. Studio filming took place on Stage 21 at CBS Studio Center in Studio City, and was used for the interior of the home and the backyard. The middle school play-yard's set was located at the northern point of the CBS studio property near Radford Avenue.Alleman (2013): p. 424-426.
Release During season one, the series aired on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. EST.Brooks, Marsh (2009): p. 840. The season originally aired on the Fox Network from January 9, 2000, through May 21, 2000, in sixteen episodes. It aired as a mid-season replacement, a deliberate decision by Herzog to boost ratings and garner attention. It was first released on home media in the United States on October 29, 2002, on the Malcolm in the Middle: Season 1 DVD box set by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The set contains several extra, including audio commentary from some of the cast and crew on the extended pilot, and only for select scenes throughout the remaining episodes. Also available is a short where Cranston discusses how the series was shot in widescreen, a 40-minute documentary detailing the history of the series, alternative cold opens for some episodes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a short revolving around Dewey. Reception
Ratings The series started off with very high ratings for the Fox Network, with its mid-season slot and airtime directly after The Simpsons contributing to its success. At the time of airing, the first season of Malcolm in the Middle was the number one most-watched primetime series among teenagers, the number one most-popular new show with children, and the second most-watched for total viewers. It ranked fifth for comedy series in the 18-49 age demographic, and second amongst male viewers in that same demographic.
The series premiere, "Pilot", which garnered 22.35 million viewers, was the highest rated premiere for the network since the first episode of The Simpsons in 1989. Ratings for the season quickly grew, with the following episode, "Red Dress", reaching a series high of 23.24 million. The lowest ratings for the season came from the fourteenth episode, "The Bots and the Bees", which attracted 12.42 million viewers, and stayed the lowest of the series until the second episode of the next season, "Halloween Approximately", at 9.18 million. The season ended on 14.39 million viewers with "Waterpark", the highest since episode eleven: "Funeral" at 15.19 million.
Critical response The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes calculated an approval rating of 100%, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's consensus reads, "Malcolm in the Middle blasts out of the gate with a startlingly adept child performance from Frankie Muniz, a robust family ensemble, and a distinctive, punchy visual style." On Metacritic, the season has an 88% score based on 25 reviews, indicating "Universal acclaim".
Variety writer Ramin Zahed praised the series for its "fresh" take on the sitcom formula, enjoying the first episode's instant work to get the audience familiar with the series' world. Despite finding the use of Malcolm speaking to the audience annoying, Zahed highlighted the performance of each cast member, the series' "sentimental side", and unique visual style that helped to differentiate it from other sitcoms at the time. Linda Stasi of New York Post, comparing to The Wonder Years for its ability to adhere to the family dynamic of the time it came out in, stating that the series was one she wished to see more of, and calling Dewey her favorite character.
Entertainment Weeklys Ken Tucker gave the series an A− in his review, feeling it was revolutionary for its subversion of the sitcom genre and unique humor, which was able to poke fun at unusual kids like Malcolm in a way that isn't mean-spirited or stereotypical. Tucker highlighted the performances of Muniz, Cranston, and Kaczmarek, who he felt was one of its strongest aspects for her portrayal of Lois. Bernard Weinraub of The New York Times appreciated the honest portrayal of an American family that the season had, acting as a fresh twist on families usually seen on television. Similarly, he also commended its humor that didn't rely on laugh tracks, instead opting for a single-camera setup that allowed for innovative humor, particularly around Hal and Lois, who he highlighted as standouts of the cast.