Could A Malcolm In The Middle Revival Happen? Here's What Bryan Cranston Says

Bryan Cranston as Hal on Malcolm in the Middle

Television nowadays is in an era of sequels, continuations, and revivals, and actors who left roles behind years ago often decide to come back for another go. Some revivals don't come to fruition, but Bryan Cranston has hopes that one of his most entertaining shows will make the small screen once more. He's not talking about Breaking Bad -- which would frankly be difficult to revive -- but rather Malcolm in the Middle. Here's what he had to say about the possibility:

I sure hope so. I really do, for no other reason than that I miss those people like crazy and I stay in touch with them. The boys are doing great and Jane [Kaczmarek] is doing wonderfully and I'd love to. There's a possibility we want to start talking about the possibility of putting together a story that makes sense about that family 10 or 12 years later.

Bryan Cranston's reveal to E! Online that he's on board for a reunion will be pretty exciting news for fans who ended up hooked on the wacky shenanigans of the family. Cranston played zany dad/expert roller skater Hal, who was husband to Lois and father to Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and eventually baby Jamie. The ensemble was pretty big, and it's hard to imagine a revival without any of them.

Luckily, Bryan Cranston has apparently kept in contact with the other actors who made up the Wilkerson -- yes, that is their last name -- clan. Combined with his willingness to return to Hal, he might be the perfect person to recruit his former co-workers for a reunion. Everybody listens to Cranston.

Of course, it would take more than just a willing cast for a Malcolm in the Middle revival to actually happen. Other series revivals such as Fuller House and The X-Files couldn't happen for years just because stars didn't align on the production front. Malcolm in the Middle would need a place for the revival to air (or stream) and enough money to do it right. Still, given Bryan Cranston's level of celebrity in the years since the Fox comedy ended, executives might well be eager to make something happen that has his name attached.

Malcolm in the Middle has been off the air since the end of its seventh season in 2006, and most people are probably more familiar with Bryan Cranston's more recent work as Walter White on Breaking Bad on AMC than as Hal on Fox. For those of us who remember when Cranston was cast as Walt, it was hard to believe that the man who was fearlessly funny on the sitcom scene could possibly play a tortured meth chemist on a drama. In 2016, it might be hard to re-imagine the man who played Walter White as a goofy sitcom dad.

Bryan Cranston isn't the only Malcolm in the Middle actor who is willing to come back. Frankie Muniz has shared that he's up for another chance to play Malcolm, so at least a revival wouldn't have to change the name because Malcolm isn't around. Michelle not showing up for Fuller House was one thing, but a Malcolm-less Malcolm in the Middle just wouldn't work.

Only time will tell if Bryan Cranston will get his wish for a Malcolm in the Middle revival. Check out our summer TV premiere schedule to see what you actually can watch now and in the near future.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).