'Malcolm In The Middle': 14 Facts About The Show

Malcolm in the Middle wouldn't be the same without the mischievous middle child "Malcolm". Most of the damages to his house are the brilliant little troubled child's doing.

Erik Per Sullivan, aka "Dewey," was mistakenly declared dead several years ago! After not attending the 2012 Malcolm in the Middle reunion, rumours spread around the internet that the beloved child star died in a car crash. These allegations were later proven false. Oops! After the hit show, Sullivan decided to concentrate on getting an education, but his current situation is unknown to the public.

In the series, "Reese" is older than "Malcolm," but in real life, it's the other way around. Frankie Muniz is actually 3 months older than his counterpart Justin Berfield. You would never know! Maybe the height difference had something to do with it...

For years, the family's last name is never revealed— except once on accident. During a quick glance at "Francis's" name tag you see his last name is listed as "Wilkerson"! The producers never mentioned their last name again after that...

In a particularly funny episode, "Dewey" lets his pet hamster out of its cage. His hamster became a running gag on the show. If you look closely, in some of the episodes for the rest of the series you can see a hamster ball rolling across the floor. Let´s just hope that "Dewey's" hamster was kept in good hands!

Bryan Cranston's character was very hyperactive and often got himself into absurd physical situations. Luckily, Bryan Cranston was willing to do all of his own stunts! Cranston did his own roller skating, and when show writers asked him if he would be willing to wear a suit made of live bees, Cranston agreed! He was covered head to toe in 10,000 live bees and was only stung one time!

The popular TV show Malcolm in the Middle wasn't filmed in front of a live audience. This means unlike other sitcoms at the time, there was no audience to laugh at the jokes made in the show and they were able to edit the series however they wanted— flashbacks, dream sequences, and all! This was definitely a game-changer at the time.

On the show, Malcolm in the Middle, "Lois's" five children were all delivered by C-section. This is interesting because Jane Kaczmarek, the actress playing the role of "Lois," had no problems delivering her three children naturally in real life.

Like you would expect, leading actor Frankie Muniz appears in every single episode of Malcolm in the Middle. "Reese," "Dewey," and even "Hal" on the other hand, only appear in 151 episodes altogether! 36-year-old Muniz has a lot in common with his on-screen character and has had his fair share of encounters with the police— his biggest offense being listening to loud music while driving. Looks like "Malcolm" never changed!

Malcolm in the Middle begins and ends with the same song. The song "Better Days" by Citizen King is played in the very first episode as well as the final episode of the hit sitcom.