- Malcolm was originally meant to be nine years old
- The family’s house looks unrecognisable today
- Breaking Bad alternate ending that crosses over
Malcolm in the Middle wasn’t just another family sitcom – it was a groundbreaking show that redefined the genre with its single-camera format and lack of a laugh track.
The series aired between 2000 and 2006, and followed the chaotic life of Malcolm and his dysfunctional working-class family. Bryan Cranston starred as Hal, Malcolm’s quirky, but loveable father. It was one of his most iconic roles before Breaking Bad was released.
Malcolm – played by Frankie Muniz – was the middle child and had a super advanced IQ level, which set the tone for much of the show. Over the years we’d see how Malcolm would cope in scenarios with his eccentric parents and mischievous brothers. Hilarity ensued.
Almost 20 years after its final episode aired, Malcolm in the Middle is making a comeback with a four-episode reboot. In celebration, here are some fascinating facts about the show that may surprise you.
The show’s creator based Malcolm on himself
Linwood Boomer first found fame as an actor playing the role of Adam Kendall on the drama Little House on the Prairie. Later switching to working behind cameras, he became one of the creators of Malcolm in the Middle. He drew inspiration for the character Malcolm from his own life. Like Malcolm, Boomer was the middle child in a family of all boys and had an exceptionally high IQ. He was placed in an advanced level class at school, similar to Malcolm’s experiences as a Krelboyne student.
Read more: What was Little House on The Prairie about?
Krelboyne was a Little Shop of Horrors reference
Malcolm and his fellow gifted students were nicknamed Krelboynes, a reference to Seymour Krelboined, the nerdy orphan protagonist from the 1960 Roger Corman-directed film The Little Shop of Horrors.
Malcolm’s age was changed to fit Muniz
When Muniz auditioned for the role of Malcolm, he thought he had blown it for being too old. At the time, Muniz was 12 years old, but Malcolm was supposed to be a nine year old. The show’s producers were so impressed by Muniz’s audition though, that they decided not to mention Malcolm’s age at all in the show.
Aaron Paul wanted to play Francis
Cranston’s future Breaking Bad co-star, Aaron Paul was desperate to audition for the role of the troublemaker and the eldest son Francis. He revealed on a Reddit AMA, that he was sent a copy of the script, but the producers weren’t interested in seeing him. They went with Christopher Masterson instead.
The family has no last name
In the pilot script for the show the family is credited as The Wilkersons, but after that they didn’t have a surname. Boomer deliberately left it blank because he didn’t want to put an ethnic label on the family. It became a running joke in the show. Francis’s employee badge in the show’s final episode reads ‘Francis Nolastname’. In that same episode, the school principal announces Malcolm as the speaker during his graduation, mouthing ‘Nolastname’ as his voice is drowned out by microphone feedback.
The Breaking Bad ending that crosses over with Malcolm in the Middle
Jane Kaczmarek and Cranston reprised their roles as Lois and Hal in the extras of Breaking Bad: The Complete Series DVD box set. There’a special alternate ending that shows Lois and Hal in bed and Hal waking up to realise that the meth dealer character Heisenberg was all a dream. Could the two shows be set in the same universe?
Cranston did his own stunts
Cranston’s character Hal would find himself in all sorts of dangerous and silly situations, which Cranston was required to do for real.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, Cranston explained how the writer’s would push it to the limit, “They started to think, ‘What can we write that he won’t do?’ I was strapped on a moving bus, I had 60,000 stinging bees on me, and I did a thing where my character was covered from head to toe in blue paint.”
An 11-year-old came up with story for one episode
Heidi Kaczenski, a costume designer on the show, can be one proud auntie. Her 11-year old niece Alexandra got a ‘story by’ credit on the season four episode If Boys Were Girls. She wrote a two-page outline on Lois fantasizing about raising daughters instead of sons and the show’s creators loved the idea so much they bought it.
Kaczmarek hid her real-life pregnancy in season 1
Kaczmarek was pregnant during the filming of the show’s first season and hiding the fact wasn’t easy.
She told TV Guide Online, “If you check out the shows you can see me indulging in the fine art of keeping my tummy off-camera…The worst was the episode where I was in a bubble bath. I thought that would be a great idea but sitting in lukewarm water for hours turned out to be less than luxurious. I have to admit that by the end I got a little itchy, but at least the bubbles kept my tummy covered”
For Kaczmarek’s third real-life pregnancy, the show’s creators decided to write it into her role as Lois.
The Malcolm in The Middle house is now unrecognisable
A privately owned home, located in Studio City, California, was rented for upwards of $3,000 a day to film as the exterior of Malcolm’s house. But today, it looks very different from how you’d remember it. The house was demolished in 2011 and completely rebuilt with a new modern design. However, the house directly to the left of it is identical to what it looked like during filming.
