Disney’s upcoming reboot ofMalcolm in the Middle, starring Bryan Cranston and Frankie Muniz, can finally confirm a major mystery from the original series. Although the originalMalcolm in the Middleseries originally aired on Fox for 151 episodes across seven seasons, Disney picked up the show for amodern-day revival that will consist of just four episodes, making it roughly the length of a feature film. All the original maincast members ofMalcolm in the Middle, including Justin Berfield, Christopher Masterson, and Jane Kaczmarek, will return, except forErik Per Sullivan, who played the iconic character Dewey.
Malcolm in the Middlewas one of the most celebrated sitcoms of the 2000s, winning 7 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. Cloris Leachman, who won two Emmys for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Grandma Ida, will not return as she passed away in January 2021 at the age of 94. OriginalMalcolm in the Middlecreator and showrunner, Linwood Boomer, returned to pen the four-episode Disney reboot. While there is currently no set release date, the revival series should come out sometime this year.
Malcolm In The Middle’s Revival Can Finally Reveal What The Family’s Last Name Is
It’s Been A Long-Running Gag That The Family’s Last Name Remains A Mystery
Across the entire originalMalcolm in the Middleshow, viewers never officially learned their real last name. There were some bits that included Francis and Malcom’s surname as “Nolastname,” which became a running gag on the series, but the official standing was that their last name remained a mystery. Although ageneral fan consensus has determined that the family’s last name is Wilkerson, the actual show never confirmed or upheld that notion. TheMalcolm in theMiddlerevivalcould finally give an official answer to what their last name actually is or continue to make the bit a longstanding and signature joke.
Early Malcolm In The Middle Drafts Revealed Their Last Name As Wilkerson
The Pilot Script & Episode Indicated That Francis’s Last Name Was Wilkerson
A deleted scene fromMalcolm in the Middleseason 1, which was included on the original DVD box set, reveals that the family’s last name was actually Wilkerson before the scene got cut. Early drafts of theMalcolm in the Middleseason 1 scripts also stated that the family’s surname was Wilkerson, and the main cast are currently credited as “Malcolm Wilkerson,” “Hal Wilkerson,” etc. onIMDb. However, neither Fox nor series creator Linwood Boomer has cleared the air on the Wilkerson debate. Perhaps, now that the show is being rebooted at Disney, the name will finally be revealed in a satisfying way.
Why Malcolm In The Middle Kept The Family’s Last Name A Mystery
Linwood Boomer & Fox Wanted To Keep The Family’s Ethnic Background Vague
According to a 2003 article from theNew Bern Sun Journal, series creator Linwood Boomer explained that the family inMalcolm in the Middlewas intentionally not given a distinct surname. “The family’s last name has never been mentioned directly on the Fox sitcom hit because series creator Linwood Boomer did not want to put any specific ethnic label on the characters.” While Wilkerson was established in early drafts ofMalcolm in the Middle,the decision was made to remove the Wilkerson surnameto avoid categorizing Malcolm and his family by a particular ethnicity.
Malcolm and his family aren’t necessarily what you would call ethnically ambiguous, so hopefully theMalcolm in the Middlereboot will finally provide a definitive answer.
The article also states, “Malcolm trivia buffs will tell you that Boomer’s original pilot script included the family surname Wilkerson, which appeared in some very early drafts of Fox promotional material and on the military-school uniform worn by Francis in the pilot. A Fox publicist emphasizes, however, that officially the family’s last name should be considered a mystery.” That said, this statement was made over two decades ago andhasn’t been completely effective in detaching Malcolm and his family from the Wilkerson surname. Additionally,Malcolm and his family aren’t necessarily what you would call ethnically ambiguous, so hopefully theMalcolm in the Middlereboot will finally provide a definitive answer.
