The essential episodes of Malcolm in the Middle
Watch these 15 in order and you've got Malcolm in the Middle — each pick states its reason.
- 01
Malcolm finds his life as the middle brother in an eccentric family made even more difficult by his being placed in a class for "gifted" students at school.
- 02
Malcolm feels guilty after beating up a seven year old; Hal takes heat after cutting down a tree; Francis tries to sabotage Spangler's sex education lecture.
- 03
Malcolm suffers under his father's roller skating tutelage, while Lois is sidelined with a nasty back injury.
- 04
While Lois is out of town visiting Francis after his appendectomy, Malcolm and his friends build a robot, but Hal reverts to his pre-marriage wild-man persona and takes over the project.
- 05
Malcolm and Reese spend the day fighting at a water park; Francis gets into a different kind of pool match with Spangler; and Dewey stays home with an odd babysitter.
- 06
Malcolm gets in trouble with an elderly neighbor; Francis' slacker friend enrolls at Marlin Academy; Dewey trades his backpack for a purse.
- 07
Malcolm experiences his first crush as a confusing mix of love and hate; Francis tries to avoid discipline for his latest prank; Dewey overreacts to Lois' lecture about the hazards of dirty teddy bears.
- 08
When Lois thinks she might be pregnant again, she and Hal argue...and remember how their lives changed with the births of each of their sons.
- 09
Malcolm and his brothers mine personal profit from some church charity work; Francis gets a taste of life in a logging camp.
- 10
Lois tries to get the boys to behave until Christmas by holding their presents hostage; Francis spends Christmas with his mean-spirited grandmother.
- 11
During a trip to the zoo, Hal gets jealous of Lois' former boyfriend; Dewey and Malcolm fall into a tiger pen, and Reese butts heads with a goat...while Francis gets stranded on a cross-country car trip and takes a new job at a dude ranch.
- 12
Lois drives to Canada to meet with her sister, Roberta, and her family; Ida vows to spend all her money to get Victor's pension; and a temporarily blinded Hal participates in a 5K race with Dewey.
- 13
Neighbor Jessica convinces Malcolm that Reese is gay and Reese that Malcolm is gay; Dewey write an essay on Hal as his hero.
- 14
After Reese is severely humiliated by four girls at school, Lois exacts revenge on them; and Hal builds a pitching machine while hiding out from Lois in the garage.
- 15
Malcolm and his folks realize his scholarships will still leave them five-thousand dollars short for his Harvard tuition. Hal promises he'll find the extra money somehow.
Shows like Malcolm in the Middle
The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.
- 01Comedy·Drama·CrimeThe essential episodes of Fargo2014·FX
Fargo is a seasonal anthology crime drama with some dark comical elements, inspired by the film Fargo written by the Coen brothers. - 02Comedy·FamilyThe essential episodes of The Simpsons1989–presentSame network — FOX·
- 03Comedy·FamilyThe essential episodes of Family Guy1999–presentSame network — FOX·
- 04ComedyThe essential episodes of South Park1997–present·Comedy Central
South Park is an adult comedy animation show centred around 4 children in the small town of south park. - 05Comedy·FamilyThe essential episodes of American Dad!2005–presentSame network — FOX·
- 06Comedy·Adventure·Science-FictionThe essential episodes of Rick and Morty2013–present·Adult SwimRick is a mentally gifted, but sociopathic and alcoholic scientist and a grandfather to Morty; an awkward, impressionable, and somewhat spineless teenage boy.
