This article contains spoilers for “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair”
“Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” is a four-episode mini-series released on Friday, April 10 by Hulu, produced by New Satin City Productions, Regency Television and 20th Television.
“Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” is a chaotic sitcom which is a reboot of the popular early 2000s sitcom, “Malcolm in the Middle.”
The main characters who came back to the show are Malcolm, played by Frankie Muniz (who is also a NASCAR driver), Hal, played by Bryan Cranston; Lois, played by Jane Kaczmarek; Reese, played by Justin Berfield and Francis, played by Christopher Kennedy Masterson.
The new characters in the mini-series are Leah, played by Keeley Karsten; Kelly, played by Vaughan Murrae and Tristan, played by Kiana Madeira.
The show follows Malcolm, his daughter Leah, his girlfriend Tristan, Malcolm’s parents Hal and Lois, and his siblings Reese, Francis, Kelly, Dewey and Jamie.
The premise of the show is centered around Hal and Lois’s anniversary party and the attempt to make it perfect. But characters’ secrets are unearthed from the very beginning.
Episode one of “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” allows the viewer to re-meet Malcolm in his new life with his teenage daughter and girlfriend. While you meet Malcolm again, Lois and Hal are preparing for their 40th anniversary party.
From the start, you can tell why Malcolm left his family behind while Hal makes elaborate schemes to show Lois how much he loves her. The episode ends with Leah meeting Tristan while Lois and Hal break into Malcolm’s house as he tries to avoid them.
Episode two begins with Leah and Tristan upset that Malcolm hid his family from them while Hal starts to become depressed because he feels like nobody loves him. Leah also ends up meeting a new boy that she likes.To try to feel better, Hal’s friend Abe takes him to a “medical professional” to get out of his slump. Hal ends up consuming 60 milligrams of hallucinogenic drugs the day before the anniversary party.
Episode three is primarily focused on Hal while he is on the drugs. During the course of the episode, Hal ends up getting naked for the second time in just three episodes and eventually he gets over his depression. Also,Malcolm gets obsessive over his breakup with Tristan and tries to plead, beg and even get his daughter to talk to her. At the end of the episode, Leah and Tristan work together to “kidnap” Malcolm and drive him to his parents’ anniversary party.
Episode four is where the entire mini-series comes together. Malcolm, Tristan and Leah all make it to the party on time, and Malcolm tries to hide from Lois. Eventually Lois corners him and they have a talk where Malcolm expresses why he left the family the way he did. Later it cuts to a video that Lois made of Hal’s family and friends’ thoughts on him with Malcolm giving half-effort. The episode ends with the family covered in glitter sitting in chairs and Leah and Malcolm breaking the fourth wall.
The four-episode mini-series is very enjoyable to watch overall, but it does have some uncomfortable moments, like Hal being naked in two out of the four episodes, or Leah’s crush trying to get her to send him nudes. The show does a great job of capturing the chaotic mess the original “Malcolm in the Middle” had, though, and is a great watch with a lot of great moments.
There are currently no plans to make more episodes for the reboot.
Rating: 4.5/5