According to Deadline, Disney appears to have another hit on its hands this time in the form of a revival of a beloved 2000s sitcom. Malcolm In The Middle: Life’s Still Unfair logged 8.1 million views in the three days after its premiere, becoming the top debut of 2026 for Disney+ and Hulu. The nostalgia for the 2000s appears to be in full force as the reboot of the medical comedy Scrubs is also a success on ABC.
Additionally, the series also seems to be an international hit, pulling in 3.6 million views from Latin America. A number only surpassed by the first season of the Marvel series Loki.
The revival is bringing views back to the original as well, which saw an increase of 107% or 18 million viewing hours. Social numbers have skyrocketed with more than a million engagements and 17 million views across platforms. The show has used some interesting marketing strategies, including the star of both the original series and the revival Frankie Muniez (Big Fat Liar, Special Agent Cody Banks), using his background as a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Racer to promote the series. At the recent race at Bristol Motor Speedway, his Ford F-150 was emblazoned with marketing materials for the show.
The series follows Malcom and his daughter as they are forced into an unceremonious reunion with his family after Malcom has spent years trying to shelter both of them from their insanity. Returning to the series are Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Argo), Christopher Kennedy Masterson (Scary Movie 2, My Best Friends Wedding), Justin Berfield (Unhappily Ever After, Romance And Cigarettes), and Jane Kaczmarek (Chips, Pleasentsville). Notably, Caleb Ellsworth Clark (Nightmare Alley, The Right Of Wrong) will replace Erik Per Sullivan as Malcom’s youngest brother dewey.
Clark recently said this about replacing Sullivan in the iconic role, “I grew up watching the show. I know that Dewey was a fan favorite, but he was also a personal favorite, and I think I was aware that maybe people might be disappointed Erik wasn’t gonna come back and do the show. I guess I didn’t want to f*ck that up,” via mxdwn.