Which ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Stars Are — And Aren’t — Returning for the Revival? Recasting Explained

Malcolm in the Middle is being revived with a four-part series — but which stars are and aren’t reprising their roles?

The original series, which ran on Fox from 2000 to 2006, starred Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Masterson, Justin Berfield, Erik Per Sullivan and Frankie Muniz. Nearly two decades after Malcolm in the Middle came to an end, news broke that Disney+ picked up a revival series.

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair will chronicle Malcolm (Muniz) and his daughter as they are “drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek) demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party,” according to a press release.

“25 years since we premiered Malcolm in the Middle. I’m so excited… that I may have peed just a little bit,” Cranston and Kaczmarek said in a December 2024 announcement post. “What a delight that I get to yell at that kid again! We’re very, very excited about coming back together and seeing what this family has been up to.”

Before the series premiered in 2025, Muniz recalled past efforts to bring the show back.

“I think I had put a tweet out in 2015, [saying], ‘It would be so cool to see where Malcolm and his family are.’ I couldn’t believe the response and how [many people] went crazy for that,” Muniz exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2025. “I called [show creator] Linwood Boomer, and he was like, ‘No, I like how it ended.’ Bryan and I talked about it, and he took the lead in making it happen. It took 10 years.”

Muniz had no hesitation about signing onto the project.

“People go, ‘You don’t want to get pigeonholed [as] one character.’ But I’m like, ‘Wherever I go in the world, people know Malcolm, and they love the show and that family,’” he added. “I was in Mexico two months ago, and literally, people were crying to me [over] how it changed their family dynamic. The timing wasn’t perfect because I’m now a full-time NASCAR driver, but I wasn’t going to say no because of that.”

Muniz continued: “Having stepped away from Hollywood a bit to focus on other things and get the opportunity to jump back into it in a big way was awesome. At times, you take things for granted … now I try to put more effort into everything.”

Keep scrolling to see which cast members have confirmed they are returning — and which roles had to be recast:

Jane Kaczmarek

Kaczmarek is reprising the role of the family matriarch after originally bringing Lois to life in the OG series.

Bryan Cranston

“Seeing the family was the best part,” Cranston told IndieWire in May 2025 about playing Hal. “It’s been 20 years since we said goodbye, and now we’re seeing the family again and each person. All the boys were around the same age, now, that I was when I started 25 years ago. They’ve got kids of their own. It’s just great to see.”

Cranston admitted it wasn’t always easy to be back on the show.

“I’m asked to do physical comedy on that show and I realized, ‘Oh, it’s been 20 years since I did that,’” he noted. “I have a few extra restrictions now, so it’s like I’m crawling around. I’m, of course, naked again. That’s no surprise, no surprise at all.”

Christopher Masterson

Behind-the-scenes photos confirmed Masterson’s involvement as the oldest sibling, Francis.

Justin Berfield