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Malcolm_in_the_Middle_logo.jpg
Malcolm in the Middle is a situation comedy on the Fox Network. It first aired in 2000.
It stars Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, the third oldest of five boys in the family (hence the name, "Malcolm in the Middle"). The show centers around Malcolm and his dysfunctional family's life.
The series is different from many others, in that Malcolm breaks the fourth wall, and talks directly to the viewer.
The show's theme song, "Boss of Me," was recorded by They Might Be Giants.
It airs in Canada on the Global Television Network. It is also shown in Britain on Sky One and then BBC2 a few months later, and in Australia, it is aired by Nine network. In Mexico it is aired in Spanish on Channel Five (XHGC) of Televisa. In Israel it is aired on Bip Channel, The comedy Channel. In Germany it is aired on Pro 7, in Austria on ORF 1. The series is also aired on one of Malaysia's free TV stations, NTV7. In the Middle East, the series is aired on MBC 2 (http://www.2onthenet.com/) and Showtime Arabia's (http://www.showtimearabia.com/) Paramount Comedy Channel.
Their Last Name
The last name of the family has never been revealed on the show, but several sources have reported that it is Wilkerson. This is the result of a joke that appeared in the original pilot script. In that script, Malcolm was walking to school when a neighborhood kid came running up shouting, "Malcolm, Malcolm, Malcolm. I was talking to my parents last night - I was listening to them talk, and what's your last name?" "Wilkerson, why?" Malcolm replied. "Oh. Who are the Pariahs?" said the other kid. The joke was eventually cut, and the show's writers subsequently decided never to reveal the family's last name so as not to designate the family as being of a specific ethnicity.
Malcom in the Middle family. Clockwise from top left: Hal, Lois, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and Francis. (Not shown: Jamie, the youngest) The Family
Originally there were only four children (although Malcolm's eldest brother attended a military school away from home, so he was still the middle child left at home). The fifth child, a new baby, was introduced in the show's fourth season, although it was not made clear what sex the child was until the beginning of the fifth season (a boy). The boys are, from eldest to youngest: Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and Jamie.
At the beginning of the series, Malcolm's principal recognizes him as a gifted student, and places him in an accelerated learning class. Much to his dismay, the move brands him as a "Krelboyne," a member of the gifted class. The name "Krelboyne" comes from the surname of one of the characters in the movie Little Shop of Horrors. Many episodes revolve around Malcolm's attempts to reconcile his genius-level IQ with his desire to lead a "normal" social life.
In the fourth season, Malcolm's younger brother Dewey begins to exhibit a high degree of intelligence, and follows his brother's footsteps into the Krelboyne class.
The eldest brother, Francis, is a regular character on the show, though he has not lived at home with his brothers since Hal and Lois sent him to military school (part of the backstory to season 1). After the second season, at only age 16, he illegally emancipated himself with the help of an unscrupulous Alabama lawyer. He left the academy and headed up to Alaska to find work as a logger. By season 4 he found himself working as a farmhand at a Texas ranch/hotel. Now married and responsible, he applies discipline to his young siblings, whom up to that point had regarded him as a role model.
Lois works as a clerk at Lucky Aide, a local supermarket. She has unconventional ways of disciplining her children. Her boss, the domineering but socially inept Craig Feldspar, has romantic feelings for her, which he makes known in several episodes.
Cast
External link
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