Guest Author - Amy Ralston Young

Ever go out to a restaurant or park, see a family, and think, “I am so glad that is not me?” That’s how I feel each time I watch an episode of “Malcolm in the Middle.”

The offbeat sitcom centers around a highly dysfunctional, yet loving family, as they try to make it through one more day. Frankie Muniz stars as Malcolm, the middle child and a boy genius. At the show’s start, he is placed in a class for gifted students, the Krelboyne class. Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek), Malcolm’s parents, finally feel they’ve done something right and refuse to let Malcolm out of the class.

Their oldest son is Francis (Christopher Masterson), a felon-in-training, lives in Alabama at a military school. This leaves three sons at home. Reese (Justin Berfield) is the oldest, and by far the least intelligent. He’s always up to no good, and rarely gets away with his misdeeds. The youngest at home is Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), a genius in the making. Dewey isn’t very talkative, but the gears are always turning in his head.

In season four another child joins the family when Lois gives birth to a fifth son. In the series finale, Lois exits the bathroom with what appears to be a positive pregnancy test in her hand. The camera cuts to an outside shot of the house, and viewers hear her scream. Maybe they’ll have a boy this time.

Although a sitcom by name, “Malcolm in the Middle” is quite unique. The producers opt out of using a laugh track, and the show is not filmed in front of a live studio audience. Which I think works wonders, as I always hated the forced laughs. Also, Malcolm speaks directly to the home audience, inviting viewers into the show.

The hilarious Fox comedy began as a midseason replacement and ran for a whopping 7 seasons. During its run, the show was nominated for seven Golden Globes, with another 39 wins and 79 nominations. The awards continued with Cloris Leachman, who played Ida the maternal grandmother, winning two Emmy’s for her supporting role.

On top of having a stellar cast, the show landed many a high profile guest appearances too. Guests have included Andy Richter, Christopher Lloyd, Jason Alexander, Beatrice Arthur, Betty White, Dakota Fanning, Ashlee Simpson, Christina Ricci, Danielle Panabaker, Susan Sarandon, Heidi Klum, and Bradley Whitford (Kaczmarek's husband).

Malcolm and his brothers always seem to get into trouble. You can chalk this up to “boys being boys,” but how would you explain their parents’ disasters? The situations this family gets into are insane. One of the best episodes was the family’s trip to a water park.

Dewey stays at home with a babysitter (played by Bea Arthur) while Malcolm, Reese, Hal and Lois head out for a day of fun. Mishaps and hi-jinks ensue as the family struggles to enjoy their day. Dewey, terrorized by the wolf in sheep’s clothing he was left with plots to escape and join his family.

But can a family really be that dysfunctional? Sadly, the storylines in this must-see comedy aren’t all that farfetched. Perhaps that's what made the show such a hit.

Watch it: Check your local listings for days, times, and channels.
Stars: Frankie Muniz, Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Justin Berfield, Erik Per Sullivan, Christopher Masterson