Malcolm in the Middle is an American comedy television series created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Network. The series was first broadcast on January 9, 2000, and ended its six-and-a-half-year run on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. The series received critical acclaim and won a Peabody Award, nine Emmy Awards, one Grammy and was nominated for seven Golden Globes.

The series follows a family of six (later seven), and stars Frankie Muniz in the lead role of Malcolm, the most intelligent member of the family. Christopher Masterson is his older brother Francis: a former rebel who, in earlier episodes, was in military school, but eventually marries and settles into a steady job. Justin Berfield is Reese, an under-educated high school student and also older than Malcolm. Younger brother Dewey is played by Erik Per Sullivan, while parents Lois and Hal are played by Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston respectively. For the first couple of seasons, the show's focus was on Malcolm. As the series progressed, however, it began to explore the other members of the family, eventually the six cast members becoming an ensemble cast.