Malcolm In The Middle Is Returning Because Hollywood Loves Reheating Leftovers

Like everything else that was once popular, the early 2000s Fox TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle is returning in Spring 2026 with stars Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and Jane Kaczmarek all back to reprise their roles as Malcom, Hal, and Lois, respectively.

On December 29, Disney and Hulu released the first trailer for Life’s Still Unfair, an upcoming 4-episode Malcom in the Middle miniseries event set around 20 years after the original show, which ran from 2000 to 2006 on Fox. Here’s the trailer:

And here’s the official synopsis for the miniseries, which will be exclusively available on Hulu and Disney+:

“After shielding himself and his daughter from his family for over a decade, Malcolm is dragged back into their orbit when Hal and Lois demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party.”

As a young pre-teen in the early 2000s, I watched a lot of Malcolm in the Middle during the show’s original run on TV. But like a lot of people, according to ratings data, I remember my family vaguely checking out around season four. Two years later, the show was canceled due to low ratings. Of course, nostalgia for content from this era is reaching its highest point as people who grew up in that era are now entering their 30s. So Malcolm and his family will soon return to TV (or internet streaming TV) as Hollywood execs and number crunchers hope to squeeze out as much profit and viewership from this reheated revival as they can before they move on to the next somewhat popular TV show or movie from about 20 years ago.

I love leftovers as much as the next guy, but I’m not sure I need every TV show and movie I grew up with to return for what often ends up being forgettable and tired reunions. Anyway, Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair will premiere on Hulu and Disney+ on April 10, 2026. Regardless of how I feel about the revival, the show’s opening song still kicks ass.