The Conners. And Just Like That. Fuller House. That ’90s Show. As a millennial and an entertainment critic, I thought I’d grown numb to reboots of adored shows from my youth. Too often, these reboots lack the heart or the edge of the original, peddling nostalgia over anything substantial. Or else, I’ve just moved on and can’t be bothered with what Carrie Bradshaw is doing anymore.
Occasionally, however, a reboot breaks through my jaded walls by being a sensational recapturing of the original show’s magic and providing fresh fun. King of the Hill managed this last year by letting animated characters Hank, Peggy, and Bobby Hill grow up. And now Disney+ has managed it with the truly spectacular Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair.
Pamela Adlon reacts to Bobby Hill TikTok videos
To be totally honest, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this reboot. Sure, I loved the original series, which launched in 2000. Malcolm in the Middle was a show I adored for its intense verve and wacky antics. Rejecting the laugh track and the feel-good family harmony, it broke the mold of family sitcoms, and for seven seasons, critics and audiences cheered it for that. But before Malcolm went off to college in the series finale, I was deep into my college years, and lost track of weekly TV.
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