There was a time in the early part of the new millennium that saw BBC2 filling the Fresh Prince gap with another show on their schedule, one to pair neatly with The Simpsons as a dysfunctional family double bill. A show that got what being a child was like, but never pandered to simply a younger audience.
Malcolm In The Middle was one of the rare shows that, whilst more provocative and daring than other television, especially with supporting reckless behaviour for comedy, worked across generation, even now my mother will watch a bit of an episode and laugh.
Finally the first season of the show is getting a UK DVD release, and it's not too shabby indeed.
The first 16 episodes forming Season One were mostly made in a bubble, waiting to broadcast at mid-season, meaning the creators and writers had no idea how the show would be received, so couldn't tailor the show to the audience and sort out any issues that critics and audiences had with it. The first season is like a personally crafted show, a few visions as opposed to a series of ideas from executives, and the heart and humour feel that way. Sometimes not as funny as it could be, there's no point when the adventures of Hal, Lois, Francis, Reece, Dewey and Malcolm aren't entertaining to watch, and their company is always welcome.
With episodes in the first outing including a trip to a water park, the best example of karmic retribution for skipping a funeral and the decimation of a pleasant Saturday school family outing, season one is great fun, funny as hell and hugely enjoyable. Classic television.
Seeing Frankie Muniz pre-voice break is weird, especially as the commentary chunks have him deeper, as do all the extras, but the star of the show remains Bryan Cranston, who much like his Emmy award winning character in Breaking Bad, begins the show mostly, if not completely, naked (Believe me, I could write a whole thing on how Hal and Walter are the same character over a series of years, and destroy/evolve your enjoyment of both shows). Cranston's comedic abilities are first-rate, and Hal is so much fun to watch, be it interactions with the family, and specifically Dewey, or his insane thoughts and adventures that he tries to get into on his own.
The show was forming in season one, but they pulled it off with such aplomb, and by the end of the 3 disk set, the show has hit comedy gold that wouldn't subside, certainly for the next three seasons at the very least.
The shows are presented in their original recorded ratio of 1.78:1, meaning you get the sides as opposed to just a 4:3 image, on the extended pilot only (Broadcast pilot has widescreen, make your pick, play-all goes for extended). This also means you get to see some funky stuff, including a kid mouthing at the camera as Malcolm monologues to said camera in a scene.
There's a whole extra about the things you see with widescreen on the DVD, showing how much the makers understand and enjoy spotting this stuff out.
A lot of the extras are fluff, with some little documentary bits about the show in a retrospective 2 seasons later, and a lot of TV spots advertising the show. Golden, however, are the scene-specific commentaries. The pilot has the creator, Linwood Boomer, and the episode's director Todd Holland talking about the show from a few years later, development, writing, casting, shooting. Lots of tidbits. Then throughout the disks, you can play all and get scenes of commentary from writers, cast and crew. Once again, when Cranston pops up, gold. Solid gold. Full of info and fun, it's lighthearted and easy to watch.
Malcolm In The Middle remains a great piece of comedy tv, and one that really brought in the single camera element to modern audiences. Whip-smart, genuinely human and painfully funny, season one is a perfect taster of the show, and moreso, a brilliant season of television. With great extras and the widescreen editions of the episodes, it's a must own for collectors.