You Can Thank Bryan Cranston for the ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Revival

Hal on Malcolm in the Middle is Bryan Cranston’s best role to date. Yes, I know you loved him as Zordon in 2017’s Power Rangers. I’m sure you still think about him as Joe Brody in Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla. I know! I know! And, of course, you have rewatched clips, hung posters, and shared memes from his performance as Chancellor Vilos Cohaagen in the Total Recall remake. Still, nothing he has done comes close to Hal. Nope! Nothing else! It is his career-defining performance, so it makes sense that he would want to return to it.

Malcolm in the Middle aired its last episode almost 19 years ago. Now it will return for a four-episode revival on Disney+. Most of the original cast is returning, except for Erik Per Sullivan who played Dewey and wants to stay off the grid (and, as Dustin pointed out, he’s doing a great job at that, and his wishes should be respected). I’m incredibly psyched for this revival, which has been teased for years. I have no idea what to expect, which makes me even more excited.

According to Cranston, I have him to thank for the revival coming to fruition. “I’ve been trying to get this going for 12 years. I was the one poking the bear, going, ‘Let’s do it, let’s do it, let’s do it,’” Cranston revealed on the red carpet for Seth Rogen’s new show The Studio. “Finally, Linwood Boomer, our creator of the show, got tired of me poking him. He came up with some really fun, terrific ideas.” I’m always in favor of people in successful positions pushing for independent projects to get made. Cranston definitely does that too, but this is also great.

It’s also a blast to have someone like Cranston be so on board for the new project since, again, he delivered career work in its original iteration. Having a hype man like Bryan Cranston would help any show, but it works double for one he was so good on “You are reintroduced to this family. We left the airwaves 20 years ago. All the boys are adults with their own children,” Cranston noted. “It’s a different dynamic in that sense — and yet, do things really change with Hal and Lois? I don’t know that they do!” Given the show’s history, I believe that means we can expect Hal and Lois to take a moment or two to go bang during the four-episode run. Frankly, Disney+ needs that kind of energy.

Time will tell if the revival lives up to my expectations but they’d have to try real hard to mess it up. The cast is back (save for Dewey, but the replacement they got is uncanny). There will be new family dynamics at play with a new sibling who is female (cannot wait to see her relationship with Lois). Fun will be had and we can all thank Bryan Cranston for using his decades of clout to get the show in motion.

Oh! Wait! Cranston was also in that episode of X-Files! Again, not as good as Hal, but what is?