Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair has a debut trailer and an April 10, 2026, release date on Hulu.
Frankie Muniz is returning to his iconic television role as Malcolm in Malcolm in the Middle, which has officially been revived. The trailer has now been released for Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, a new four-part mini-series set to premiere on April 10, 2026, on Hulu and Disney+. Nineteen years after the original series ended, the trailer confirms that nearly all of the original cast are returning. The lone exception is Erik Per Sullivan, who played the youngest brother, Dewey. The revival offers a clear explanation for his absence.
The trailer shows Malcolm being pulled back into the chaos of his family life. “My life is fantastic now,” Malcolm says. “All I had to do was stay away from my family.” His parents, Hal and Lois, portrayed once again by Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, insist he attend their 40th anniversary celebration, while Malcolm makes it clear he would rather be anywhere else. Meanwhile, Malcolm’s brother Reese, played by Justin Berfield, appears in a familiar comedic moment, whispering beside his sleeping father and remarking, “By comparison, Reese looks pretty good.”
Christopher Masterson’s Francis also returns with on-screen partner, Piama Tananahaakna (Emy Coligado). As for the Dewey situation, Caleb Ellsworth-Clark will be taking over the role for the Malcolm in the Middle revival. Cranston recently revealed the news in a conversation on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast. “I talked to Erik, and I said, ‘Hey, we got the show! It’s going to come back,” he explained. “He goes, ‘Oh, that’s fantastic!’ And I go, ‘Yeah, so we’re looking forward to having you back.’ He goes, ‘Oh, no, no, I don’t want to do it. But it’s fantastic.’”
Former actor Erik Per Sullivan, now 33, has moved on from acting to focus on his personal and academic life. According to Bryan Cranston, Sullivan is currently pursuing graduate studies at Harvard University.
“He’s actually going to Harvard,” Cranston said during a podcast appearance. “He’s really, really smart, and he’s getting his master’s at Harvard right now. He said, ‘Oh God, no, I haven’t acted since I was nine or something. I’m not into it.’” Following the original run of Malcolm in the Middle from 2002 to 2006, Sullivan stepped away from acting entirely just four years later, at age 19, to pursue other interests.
With its straightforward premise, the revival feels well-suited to the world of Malcolm in the Middle. The four-part format suggests the story could have been told as a feature-length film, but the limited series approach works, particularly given the show’s television roots. It is fitting to see that Malcolm still cannot escape his family’s antics and peculiarities, a reminder that some aspects of life, especially those tied to being the middle child, never truly change.
For those unfamiliar with the series, Malcolm in the Middle is an American television sitcom that originally aired on Fox. The show premiered on Jan. 9, 2000, and concluded on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes.
The premise is straightforward. A gifted teenager named Malcolm struggles to navigate everyday life within a dim-witted and deeply dysfunctional family. The series was widely praised for its outrageous humour and sharp writing, while also benefiting from a charismatic central character who frequently served as the show’s narrator, speaking directly to the audience.
