The Teaser for This 2000s Sitcom’s Sequel Series Is Promisingly Nostalgic
Nineteen years later, and life is still unfair. In a world where studios are cashing in on nostalgia–and oftentimes unsuccessfully–it looks like there may be one beacon in the dark. Today, Hulu revealed that the limited reboot sequel Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair will officially premiere on April 10, 2026 on Hulu. The synopsis for the 4-episode series is as follows:
“After shielding himself and his daughter (Keeley Karsten) from his family for over a decade, Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) is dragged back into their orbit when Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party.” You can watch the teaser for Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair here.
Like many millennials, I grew up with Malcolm’s family. Their chaos and disorder was so far removed from my own home life that, much like I would later with the Gallaghers in Shameless, I considered them something akin to rowdy cousins.
What will seemingly make this reboot work is that it’s a limited series. There are no attempts to recreate the sitcom format, no plans to keep the episodes going. There is a set plot, and that is what the inevitable chaos will revolve around.
Besides Muniz, Cranston, and Kaczmarek, the show reunites Christopher Kennedy Masterson (Francis), Justin Berfield (Reese), and Emy Coligado (Piama).
You need a good storyline to make nostalgia work
What we are shown in the teaser is that the spirit of Malcolm in the Middle is still very much alive. Time has not changed these relationships, nor has it made Hal and Lois any less lovesick. If it wasn’t for the inevitable passage of time, it would be like we are returning back to their lives as if we never left them.
There was never really any doubt that Malcolm would keep his daughter away from his family. It’s a decision that makes narrative sense, while also adding a hint of friction and telling you where exactly Malcolm has gone since the finale. He doesn’t want his daughter exposed to the chaos he grew up in, and understandably so.
This is the kind of nostalgia that I’m here for. I don’t want things to be rebooted just because: I want people to actually care about the reboot. Back when Breaking Bad was still airing Cranston and Kaczmarek even did an alternate ending to the show as Hal and Lois.
Time will tell if Malcolm in the Middle: Life‘s Still Unfair will live up to the hype. However, I know I will be seated again like I was every week in the early 2000s.
(featured image: Disney/David Bukach)
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