Frankie Muniz would ‘love’ to bring back ‘Malcolm in the Middle.’ Here’s how likely it is

The stars and creator of “Malcolm in the Middle” are rooting to bring the Emmy-winning sitcom back more than 16 years after it went off-air.

Frankie Muniz — who played Malcolm, a gifted teenager with a dysfunctional family of five brothers — and Bryan Cranston, his lovable but juvenile dad Hal, have been the most vocal about their interest in revisiting the characters they played in the early 2000s.

Muniz recently told GQ, “I’d love it."

"My one fear about a reboot is that there are so many shows doing them now — including ones that shouldn’t!" he added. "Some of these shows weren’t even good when they were originally on.”

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A ‘Malcolm’ reboot is ‘not necessarily up to us’

Muniz and Cranston apparently discussed the prospect of reviving “Malcolm” earlier this year when they reunited while Cranston was in metro Phoenix for a Super Bowl party. Muniz lives in Scottsdale with his wife Paige and 2-year-old son Mauz.

“Bryan is really into the idea,” Muniz said. “He’s actually helping the writers come up with ideas. Mostly everyone would be on board, so there’s been discussion, but who knows. It’s a decision not necessarily up to us.”

“I love that show,” Cranston told Entertainment Weekly in February. “(Show creator) Linwood Boomer is really considering it. And he said … if there was a great idea that everybody got excited about, he would really consider doing it.”

Boomer told Entertainment Weekly last year that “we're talking about it.”

"We all think it would be fun if we get the right idea. Honestly, it would be going much faster if everyone wasn't so annoying."

The original cast — which also included Jane Kaczmarek, Christopher Masterson, Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan — agreed that they’d love to see each other again, Cranston said

“We're all onboard,” he told EW.

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There would need to be ‘a good reason’ to reboot the show

“Malcolm in the Middle” aired for seven seasons on Fox from 2000-2006 and received critical acclaim as well as a Peabody Award and seven Emmy Awards.

The show is regarded by some as one of the best modern TV series. But Cranston doesn’t seem interested in reviving the show just for the sake of it.

“I, too, want it to be a good reason. I don't need a job. I don't want to just be busy. But I love to work, and I would love to reunite with that cast and that crew, and tell those stories in that character again,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

“To be able to slip into Hal again, at this age, all those years ago, [would be] phenomenal. ... I'm thrilled at the prospect of it."

A ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ reboot has been floated for years

This is far from the first time that the people behind the Emmy-winning series have floated a reboot. Muniz told the “Wild Ride! with Steve-O” podcast in December 2021 that he would be “thrilled” to revive “Malcolm in the Middle.”

“It'd be cool to kind of see where Malcolm and his family are 20 years later,” he said.

He told Fox News Digital in October 2022 that “I would be down 100%."

Cranston was floating the idea back in 2016, too.

“We want to start talking about the possibility of putting together a story that makes sense about that family 10 years later or 12 years later, and it's not unheard of,” he told E!

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Frankie Muniz and Bryan Cranston have kept in touch since ‘Malcolm’

Muniz has spoken about how he and Cranston have maintained a relationship since their “Malcolm” days.

“Bryan reaches out to me every two weeks, and he has for 15 years,” he told Wild Ride! With Steve-O. “Like literally reaches out, ‘Just checking on you. Hope you're well; what are you up to?’ He's literally a Hollywood god and he calls me. He's the best.’”

Though Muniz has continued acting in various film and TV projects in recent years, he is currently pursuing his childhood dream of racing in NASCAR. After more than a decade away from professional racing, Muniz is racing in the NASCAR-owned ARCA Menards Series this year.

He told GQ that his former on-screen dad plans to come out to see him on the racetrack this year despite concerns for Muniz’s safety.

“Before my first race at Daytona, he said to me, ‘I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’m really scared … I like that you’re doing what you want to do, but it makes me nervous.’ Just like a parent would say,” Muniz said. “And when I finished the race, he was one of the first text messages I got, saying, ‘It was so crazy; you were right there at the end!’ He’s an awesome guy."

Reach the reporter at kimi.robinson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's what 'Malcolm in the Middle' stars say about a possible reboot