Malcolm in the Middle: Season 1

reviewed by Dave

We're pretty fussy when it comes to television. However, I have to admit that in the last year or so, a few new shows have managed to make enough of a positive impression on us that we'll tune in.

Of this small core group of shows that we even consider watching, there are only two that we would actually tape if we were going to be busy. One of these shows is CSI (the first season will be available on DVD in late March). The other show is Malcolm in the Middle.

Malcolm in the Middle is the brainchild of Linwood Boomer. I tell you this only because I found it was an interesting bit of trivia. Boomer played the blind husband of the blind sister Mary on Little House on the Prairie. Malcolm in the Middle is based on his family experiences growing up with three brothers and odd parents.

Thirty bucks buys you the first sixteen episodes and a few special features. It also buys you over five hours of belly laughs and a great introduction to the series.

Before I began writing this little review, I hopped on the internet and did a search to get the names of all the actors (now I'm not going to use them, but never mind). This information was easy to find, but I ran across two completely different sites that both miss out, I feel, on the point of the show.

One of these sites is www.imdb.com. The International Movie Database website is a great place to go for just about any movie information you want. IMDB also has reader-submitted reviews. A large percentage of the Malcolm in the Middle reviews I saw were positive, but there were a few negative ones, and these were from people determined to compare this show to The Simpson's.

If you wanted to rage against Malcolm in the Middle, I suppose the obvious tack to take is writing off the show as just another sitcom about a dysfunctional family. But Malcolm in the Middle is much more than that, because underneath the odd humor and the seemingly abrasive personalities exists a family that actually loves each other, and that comes across in nearly every episode.

The other interesting thing that I noticed was revealed when I looked at the official website for Malcolm. The site has summaries for every episode written as journal entries by Malcolm. What I noticed was that these plot lines don't read that well. It was a little surprising considering how hilarious the show itself is. But then I realized that the plot lines of a Seinfeld episode probably wouldn't read that well either.

Malcolm is not slapstick, but part of the show's genius does lie in physical humor and facial expressions, which are difficult to capture in a plot outline. Whoever did the casting for this show should be doing casting for every show on television, because the incredible cast is full of gifted comedic actors, capable of getting big laughs just from an exasperated look or a well-timed grimace.

Another part of the winning comedic formula is the sharp writing. From Malcolm's opening monologue that started the series to Dewey's incident with a baby-sitting Bea Arthur at the season's cliffhanger finale, the dialogue sparkles with a refreshing degree of wit.

One of my favorite aspects of the show is how they always manage to throw something unexpected into the mix. Familiar sitcom situations pop up, but their outcome is never a given. Just when you think a potentially sappy life lesson is coming along, a twist is thrown in, and it's usually something you'd never expect.

What really makes the show work is how this is applied to the characters. After an episode or two you may think that everyone is playing a stereotype. The oldest brother Francis is a rebel, Reese is a bully, Malcolm is a brain, Dewey is the cute little kid, Lois is the disciplinarian, and Hal is … weird.

But just when you think you have everyone in their category, the show mixes things up. Francis has a heart, Reese is vulnerable, Malcolm struggles with making stupid decisions even though he knows better, Dewey turns into a hellion, Lois cries, and Hal steps up and does some good parenting.

If you couldn't already tell, I love this show, and the season one compilation comes very highly recommended. In the Hunt household, Malcolm in the Middle is the true definition of must-see TV.