Malcolm in the Middle is back with a new reboot, reuniting actors including Frankie Muniz and Bryan Cranston – but one star rejected a huge payday to return.
Four new episodes of the hit 2000s sitcom are being released on Disney+, with Muniz returning as the titular child prodigy, who is now grown-up with a daughter of his own. Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek are back as Malcolm’s parents, Hal and Lois, with Chris Kennedy Masterson and Justin Berfield returning as his older brothers, Francis and Reese.
However, a notable absence from the revival is Erik Per Sullivan, the former child star who played Malcolm’s younger brother Dewey. After the show ended in 2006, Sullivan, who was 14, retired from acting to pursue his education.
He was approached to return for the reboot, with Kaczmarek revealing he is so set on his studies that he turned down a hefty salary.
“He’s studying Dickens and is an incredible student,” she told The Guardian, adding: “They offered him buckets of money to come back, and he just said: ‘No thank you’.” Dewey has been recast in the show, with Fargo actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark playing the role.
In 2024, Kaczmarek spoke to fan site Malcolm France about Sullivan, saying he’s doing “very, very well”.
“He did Malcolm for seven years, he started at seven, he ended at 14. He wasn’t interested in acting at all. He goes to school at a very prestigious American university that he’s asked us all to be quiet about and he loves Charles Dickens. He’s doing graduate work in Victorian literature.”
She continued: “I admire it because so many people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world – it’s not for everyone.”
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Speaking about her own hiatus from acting after Malcolm in the Middle’s seven-season run, Kaczmarek, 70, said in the new interview: “My life went topsy-turvy. I got divorced shortly after the show ended and had three kids that I really wanted to raise.”
Malcolm in the Middle aired on Fox from 2000 to 2006 for seven seasons. The single-camera comedy series focused on Malcolm, a child prodigy, and his dysfunctional working-class family. Over the course of seven seasons, Malcolm in the Middle earned seven Emmy Awards out of its 33 nominations.
When the reboot was announced, Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, told Variety: “Malcolm in the Middle is a landmark sitcom that captured the essence of family life with humor, heart and relatability.
“Its hilarious and heartfelt portrayal of a lovably chaotic family resonated with audiences of all ages, and we’re so excited to welcome the original cast back to bring that magic to life again.
“With Linwood Boomer and the creative team at the helm, these new episodes will have all the laughs, pranks, and mayhem fans loved — along with a few surprises that remind us why this show is so timeless.”
Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair is on Disney+ on 10 April.
