Malcolm in the Middle

Malcolm in the Middle is a sitcom about a dysfunctional family. The family consists of a mother named Lois, a father named Hal, and four brothers named Francis, Reese, Malcolm and Dewey. The middle boy Malcolm is tested which shows he has a genius IQ. This lands him in the gifted classes at school and also as the butt of many pranks, most of which are played by his slightly older brother Reese. Reese and Malcolm attend the same school, but Reese has none of Malcolm's intelligence. Reese has a tendency to act first and think later which usually gets him in trouble with people in authority.

Malcolm also has a best friend named Stevie, who is also in the gifted classes. Stevie is handicapped and spends all of his time sitting in a wheelchair. The fact that he is wheelchair bound does not seem to prevent him from getting into trouble along with Reese and Malcolm. All of the boys seem to have a knack for destroying property and blowing things up. On one occasion, the boys take to their rooftop when their parents are out for the evening. They get into a war with a neighboring group of boys and end up making a makeshift slingshot which they use to shoot anything they can load into across to the other house.

The youngest brother is Dewey who seems to have a somewhat quiet nature compared to his brothers. Dewey is placed in a special needs program at school where he develops friendships with other special needs characters. Dewey often pursues his own interests which the rest of the family rarely are aware of. In one episode it turns out he has a natural talent for playing the piano. Even with his quiet nature, Dewey does not escape the roughhousing his brothers like to give him.

Hal is an amiable father who does his family duty by going off to work each day. He does have a hidden wild side which appears every once in a while when he gets the opportunity to play hookey from work. Lois is definitely the strong force in the household. She might seem gruff and domineering in raising her boys, but she is also the first one to defend them when she needs to.