The show starred Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, the third-born of four, later five, children in the family, parented by Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and Hal (Bryan Cranston). The oldest child, Francis (Christopher Masterson), was shipped off to military school, leaving the three boys: Reese (Justin Berfield), Malcolm, and Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan) living at home, Malcolm being the second oldest of the three (hence the title of the show). The show's early seasons centered on Malcolm and the rigors of being an adolescent genius and his eccentric, although eerily normal, life; later seasons additionally began to explore the other members of the family and their friends in more depth.

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 have a cold opener which is a summary of part one, as is the case with most serie

• Official FOX Malcolm in the Middle website
• Malcolm In The Middle Voting Community - Fan Site