Malcolm in the Middle is an American sitcom created by Linwood Boomer about a gifted young teen trying to survive with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.
It aired in the USA on the Fox Network from January 9, 2000 to May 14, 2006. There are 151 episodes over seven seasons.
Malcolm in the Middle aired in South Africa on SABC3 and M-Net.
Synopsis
Malcolm is a gifted teenager living with a particularly ungifted family.
He is the third son in a family of five boys: oldest brother Francis is in Military School; one down is Reese, a psychopathic, dim-witted bully; below Malcolm is Dewey, sweet-looking devil-child; the youngest son, Jamie, is an infant.
Malcolm's parents, Hal and Lois, battle every day with their children as well as their own failings as parents.
Malcolm spends his school days in the gifted class amongst other gifted children (affectionately referred to as 'Krelboynes' by Reese). His status makes him an easy target for would-be bullies.
The series was different from many others in that Malcolm broke the fourth wall and talked directly to the viewer; it was shot using a single camera; and it used neither a laugh track nor a live studio audience.
Emulating the style of hour-long dramas, this half-hour show was shot on film instead of video.
Another unique aspect is that the cold open of every episode is unrelated to the main story, except episodes which were the second part of a two-part series, which open with a summary of part one.