Malcolm in the Middle Cast Now: Then and Now Photos Compared

Malcolm in the Middle is set to return to our screens with a reboot titled “Life’s Still Unfair”. The show has been off air since 2006, and fans are pretty excited for Malcolm in the Middle reboot. While we wait for it to go live on Hulu, why not take a look at the complete cast of Malcolm in the Middle, while doing a now-and-then comparison to see how much our favorite actors have changed? So, without further ado, let’s dive right in and find out all you need to know about the cast of Malcolm in the Middle now.

Malcolm in the Middle Cast Overview

Check out the cast of Malcolm in the Middle and the roles played by the actors appearing in the popular TV show.

Actor	Character
Brian Cranston	Hal
Jane Kaczmarek	Lois
Justin Berfield	Reese
Frankie Muniz	Malcolm
Christopher Masterson	Francis
Erik Per Sullivan	Dewey

Malcolm in the Middle Cast Now Compared to When They Appeared on the Show

If you are wondering where the cast of Malcolm in the Middle is now and what they are up to, we have mentioned in detail about their whereabouts. We have also compared the then and now photos of the Malcolm in the Middle cast.

Bryan Cranston as Hal

Bryan Cranston played the titular role of Hal, a supportive but rather immature father to Malcolm and his siblings. When Malcolm in the Middle concluded, Bryan Cranston worked on several other projects, one of which became a piece of cinematic history. Two years after Malcolm in the Middle, Bryan Cranston played Walter White in Breaking Bad and bagged a total of 6 Emmys for his performance.

Other than the Emmy Awards, he had also bagged two Tony Awards in 2014 and 2019 for Best Leading Actor in a play. Moreover, he also bagged an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in 2015 for playing Dalton Trumbo in Trumbo.

Also, he has been a part of multiple big projects like Godzilla and Power Rangers. Most recently, he has taken up roles in shows like  Your Honor and also appeared in three episodes of Apple TV+‘s The Studio.

Talking about the Malcolm in the Middle revival, Bryan Cranston took serious initiative to get it going. In an interview with Variety, Bryan Cranston revealed that he chased Linwood Boomer for 12 years to finally get him to create ideas for Malcolm in the Middle Revival. In his comment, Cranston said-

“I’ve been trying to get this going for 12 years. I was the one poking the bear, going, ‘Let’s do it, let’s do it, let’s do it, Finally, Linwood Boomer, our creator of the show, got tired of me poking him. He came up with some really fun, terrific ideas. You are reintroduced to this family. We left the airwaves 20 years ago. All the boys are adults with their own children, It’s a different dynamic in that sense, and yet, do things really change with Hal and Lois? I don’t know that they do!”

So, if you want to thank someone for making this reboot happen, it’s none other than Bryan Cranston, whose efforts have made this revival a possibility.

Jane Kaczmarek as Lois

Jane Kaczmarek appeared as Lois, the mother of Malcolm and Hal’s wife. Her role was widely loved by the fanbase, which is evident by her nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for every season of Malcolm in the Middle. The actress does not take up a lot of roles now, but most recently appeared in The Changeling, Mixed-ish, and This Is Us.

Justin Berfield as Reese

Following his appearance in Malcolm in the Middle as Malcolm’s older brother, Justin moved from in front of the camera to the back. He and Jason Felts launched Virgin Produced, a Los Angeles-based film and television development, packaging, and production company. Most recently, this company produced an E! reality series in 2022 and was also an executive producer on Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules.

Frankie Muniz as Malcolm

Frankie Muniz has had a fruitful career for himself following his titular role as Malcolm on Malcolm in the Middle. He has appeared on multiple shows such as Criminal Minds and Last Man Standing. Other than that, he took a very different path alongside his acting career as a racing driver for Reaume Brothers Racing and competed in the 2025 NASCAR season.

Most recently, he appeared on shows such as New Amsterdam and The Rookie. Following these achievements, he is now set to appear as Malcolm once again in the reboot titled Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair.

In context of the upcoming show, Frankie Munitz spoke to PEOPLE where he revealed that initially, he was a bit nervous about getting back on the set with his former co-starts and was worried if they will be able to work together as well they did earlier. In his statement, Frankie said-

“As an adult, you tend to overthink things … and you put more pressure on yourself as well. So I didn’t know what it was gonna be like if it was going to be easy to be Malcolm, if it was gonna be awkward back with the cast. And not to sound like cliché, but it was as if not a single day went by. All of us every single person like instantly fell back into their characters with, I’m talking the first table read.”

So, if you have been worried about how the dynamic between our beloved characters will look like, this comment from Frankie Munitz should come as all the reassurance you’ll ever need.

Christopher Masterson as Francis

Christopher Masterson took up the role of Francis, the eldest sibling in the family, and after concluding the show, he appeared on several other shows, like Haven and White Collar, in guest roles. Even though he is still open to acting, he has mainly pursued a career as a disc jockey and continues to do so after mastering the craft away from the camera.

Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey

Erik Per Sullivan appeared as Dewey, the second youngest of the family, and even though the character will be returning in the Malcolm in the Middle reboot, the actor has parted ways from the world of acting.

After the conclusion of the show, he decided to pursue academics and, since then, has pursued curricula in prestigious universities such as Harvard. His Character will be played by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark in the reboot series, since, even though approached by Hulu, Sullivan refused to return to the screen.

The New York Post managed to ge hold of Frankie Munitz and he told them that it was no surprise to him that Erik Refused to come back to the show. He said that Erik has built a private life for himself which makes him really happy and everyone in the cast respects his descision of not coming back. In his comment, Frankie stated-

“He’s very happy in the life that he’s created outside of the entertainment world, And he made the decision that he didn’t want to get back into it which we completely respect. We had his blessing from day one to have the role be in the show and recast it, So I hope people aren’t too upset that he didn’t come back, but it was by his choice.”

As far as we know, Erik is thriving in his academic persuits and is not looking forward to get a masters degree from Harward which makes it much more obvious as to why he would not be willling to return to the screen for the revival.