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Obsessed: The Podcast

Why Bryan Cranston Fought to Revive ‘Malcolm in the Middle’

Obsessed: The Podcast

The Daily Beast

Tv & Film

4.5686 Ratings

🗓️ 9 April 2026

⏱️ 33 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Host Kevin Fallon sits down with the stars of Malcolm in the Middle—Bryan Cranston, Jane Kaczmarek, and Frankie Muniz—to talk about bringing the beloved chaos of TV’s most dysfunctional family back to life more than 20 years later. The cast reflects on returning to their iconic roles, the emotional nostalgia of stepping back onto the set, and why the show’s mix of heart, humor, and family dysfunction still resonates today. After the interview, Kevin and producer Rachel Passer dive into the bigger pop-culture moment of TV reboots—debating which revivals work, which ones don’t, and why audiences keep craving the comfort of the shows they grew up with. Follow Kevin Fallon on Instagram ⁠@kpfallon⁠ Follow Matt Wilstein on Instagram ⁠@mattjwilstein⁠ New episodes every Thursday, and Saturday; ⁠early drops on YouTube⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

But did feel like to be doing that again 20 years later. I found it was much harder to get into that cross. Even now, even today. And you help getting, oh, okay, you're here. And you, Brian, you get naked quite a bit in this. I get naked in everything I do, kept. In your contract, I guess. One thing that Brian has done from, you know, show to show to show,

0:21.2

he's always in his tidy whitties at some point. You know what I mean? That's his signature, yeah.

0:25.3

I don't know why, but I've stopped questioning it and just accept that's what the world wants to

0:30.4

see. Yeah, well, I certainly don't mind. I'm sure you don't mind. Oh, no, he's lovely. Even the

0:35.1

undergrowth.

0:42.3

Hello, welcome to another episode of Obsessed the Podcast.

0:48.9

I'm Kevin Fallon here to guide you through all the TV shows, movies, and celebrity nonsense we think is unmistible.

0:52.0

And I'm very excited for today's interview. It is with the main cast of Malcolm

0:57.0

in the Middle, Frankie Munez, Jane Casmeric, and you might have heard of him, Brian Cranston. He has a few

1:04.4

hundred acting awards. It's been 20 years, if you can believe it, since Malcolm in the Middle first premiered.

1:12.1

I think my knees just cracked and five more hairs on my head grew more gray, just saying that.

1:18.0

But now it's back for a reboot, and we got to talk all about it.

1:22.4

And then afterwards, Rachel Passer, my producer, is going to join me.

1:25.8

And we're going to talk all about the reboots over the years that we've loved and hated and maybe wish it didn't exist.

1:32.4

But we're so happy Malcolm the Middle is back.

1:34.5

And here is my interview with the cast.

1:38.5

Hi, Kevin.

1:39.4

How are you?

1:40.0

Hi, I'm great. How are you?

1:41.3

Good.

1:41.6

Good.

1:42.4

I have to say there's something that in these trying times feels just right about seeing Brian as hell naked in the living room with his back being shaved by you as Lois.

...

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