Malcolm

"Malcolm in the Middle" may have lost a bit of steam recently, but some of the earlier episodes are absolutely, side-splittingly hilarious. Although Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) may be the titular character, it is really Bryan Cranston's characterization of the father figure, Hal, that makes the show so fun to watch. Cranston turns Hal into a boy at heart (as all fathers are) - only, like everything else with the show, extends it into a complete satire and goes completely wacky. This show, for lack of a better word, is crazy.

It's absurd. And it couldn't be any better. The wild antics and over-the-top gags are similar to a cartoon, and even the fast-cut editing between scenes (with the "whoosing" sound) is reminiscent of an animated program.

Like "The Simpsons," "Malcolm" manages to successfully interweave everyday family/social topics into silly plots involving all types of nonsensical stuff. Some of the physical gags are absolutely hilarious - the episode with Hal running out of the supermarket, a parody of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," is gut-busting - but at its heart this really is a tender and witty comedy that manages to be effective on more than one level.

The rest of the cast are great too. It really "feels" like a genuine family. They bicker, they complain, they whine and moan and fight - this is America today. If we were to go back fifty years in a time capsule and present this to the "I Love Lucy" crowds, they'd be shocked.

I see the previews to this show when it was beginning to screen... and I must admit I hated it. I never bothered to watch it.

But I started watching the repeats of season one and have now grown to love it! It's original, extremely funny, outrageous and unpredictable - everything you could want in a comedy.

Jane Kaczmarick and Bryan Cranston both fill each episode with their a brand of unique hilarity all their own, while the brothers Christopher Kennedy Masterton, Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan are all just great.

Special mention to the one and only Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) - star in the making.

A real-life version of The Simpsons - and that line right there should be enough to get people to watch.

For whatever reason when the show originally aired I never watched it, but flipping through the channels one day I started to watch it then set it to record everyday and then eventually caught up with the whole series. The show is absolutely awesome with all the hijinks that Malcolm and his brothers pull. Plus Bryan Cranston is cast perfectly as the dad.

What makes the show so great is you can actually see most of this stuff potentially happening in real life. If anyone grew up in a house full of boys we can all admit that they can all be a bunch of sh**disturbers. Even Malcolm who's a prodigy is as bad as the rest of them. Reese who's not book smart can be just as crafty at pulling off pranks as the rest of them.

Like Ally McBeal, The X files and The Simpsons, Fox took a chance with an original show that was creative, enjoyable and a breath of fresh air. Fox Network has created another hit series with "Malcolm In The Middle".

Malcolm in the Middle has a stellar cast, intelligent writing & great direction. I'm sure some might find it hard to swallow the cutting edge writing. It's one of the first shows that has the characters actually saying what they feel and not thinking about it and some scenes like the father having his back shaved or the mothers breast could turn off some people. But, this is what makes "Malcolm in the Middle" fresh and funny.

Due to those high-rated stupid game shows that have to give away a million dollars to get you to watch, this show may take time to catch on but all great shows usually do.

"Malcolm in the Middle" deserves to be around long enough to get into syndication.

As of late, Fox Television has been relying on gimmicky reality series like Joe Millionaire and Married by Amercia to gets its high ratings. But the show I enjoy the most in their weekly lineup has go to be the always funny Malcolm in the Middle. First off, the entire cast is just superb. Frankie Muniz is cute, likeable, and gives the show a solid foundation. Justin Berfield and Erik Sullivan do just as well as the older and younger siblings. Dewey cracks me up sometimes when he has to take care of the father or finds his dark side (my favorite episode that was centered around the little guy has to be when he and the dad built a Lego empire that Dewey ran as dictator). And you can't leave out the parents, who are just as off the wall and hilarious. Francis shows up every now and then, but I tend to enjoy his wife Piama more than anything else about his sub-stories. What surprises me is how young the three main boys looked in the first few episodes. Frankie was just this chubby-cheeked tyke and so was Reese, but now Just Berfield has definitely bulked up (check out his shirtless scenes during the one episode where he feuds with Malcolm; yowza!), and Frankie has developed a very mature, handsome face. I'm kind of eager to see Frankie's latest movie, Agent Cody Banks, if only because he stars in it. Sure, it may not be Shakespeare, but it looks like good fun. As for Malcolm, I hope it keeps going for seasons to come. It somehow manages to be consistantly funny and fresh. 4/4 stars.