Okay, but where is Dewey?
Photo: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection

The Hollywood nostalgia machine has turned its wheels. But if there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about spinning wheels, it’s NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz, who just signed on to star in a limited run of four new episodes of Malcolm in the middleDisney+ announced today. Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek will also reprise their roles, with original series creator Linwood Boomer returning as writer and executive producer. The new episodes are about a middle-aged Malcolm and his daughter, who are drawn back into the dysfunctional family at Hal and Lois’s 40th wedding party. No premiere date has been set yet.

There was some speculation as to whether the Wilkerson family would appear on our screens again, with Muniz revealing in 2022 that Cranston had been working on a script. But the better question is: Should they? Malcolm was the leader of single-cam sitcoms when it debuted nearly 25 years ago, and much of its humor and core pathos relied on a shabby optimism that seems outdated in today’s political climate (not to mention that Malcolm is one in the series finale took a new direction). on the way to becoming the people’s president – as opposed to another multimillionaire and demagogue taking office…). There is also no information on whether any of the other brothers will appear. Who will Malcolm be in the middle of?

But maybe we don’t need to worry at all, because over the years the series’ creators have received many great material ideas. For example, a storyline about a cat flooding the family home might be comedy gold.