“Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” is now available on Hulu. The title of the show really sells how fans of the franchise that ran from 2000 through 2006 should feel about the series. I promise I will explain. This “revival” brought back as many stars as they could, including Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and Jane Kaczmarek to highlight a few. Many others also show up in a very jam packed four episodes in cameo roles. With so many reboots and revivals desperate to catch the attention of audiences love for nostalgia, how do these four episodes do?

ABOUT “MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE: LIFE’S STILL UNFAIR”

We pick up with Malcom, who has been distancing himself from his family for over a decade. He has decided that life is a lot less chaotic when his family is not around. He is living what he believes is a “normal” life with his daughter Leah, and girlfriend Tristen. His daughter is played by Keeley Karsten and his girlfriend played by Kiana Madeira. Malcolm has been able to mostly avoid them to the point where they don’t even know he has a daughter.

But that protective barrier comes tumbling down as his parent’s 40th anniversary is approaching. Hal is doing everything in his power to continue to show Lois how much he loves her, while Lois has been granted full control of planning the party. A party that they fully expect Malcolm to attend. Things come to a point after Hal and Lois barge into Malcolm’s house only to then discover that they have a granddaughter and Malcolm has a girlfriend, and Leah basically discovers that she has a whole other family filled with grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

KEELEY KARTEN IS GREAT

The series now takes Leah to play the role we had been accustomed to seeing Malcolm in for so many years. Filling us in to the crazy antics of her family, in this case Malcolm. Which is hilarious as they have in a way just came full circle. For fans of the franchise, she is very much a welcomed voice to the series. She can navigate us through the crazy antics of what the family is up to in this generation. While many of us will continue to relate to Malcolm our kids can grasp to Leah’s journey.

JUMPING INTO CHARACTERS WE KNOW AND LOVE

But Kaczmarek and Cranston have not missed a beat. While they may be a little older we find Lois as stressed as ever and Hal as whacky as before. Their authentic energy to the characters really allows us to settle into this revival. As we are comforted by the characters we grew up loving. We also briefly catch up with Malcolm’s siblings and even friends, which makes this an Easter-egg filled four episodes, especially the last one.

THE BIG ISSUE

Overall “Malcom in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” is almost a perfect revival of the series many of us grew up with. But there is a glaring problem that upset this fan, and will probably do the same to others. This 4-episode revival is all we are getting. There is no part 2 or second season being planned. So the investment we had in getting to know characters like Leah, Tristen, and the youngest sibling of the family, Kelly, played by Vaughan Murrae was for what? The great writing feels like in introduction to a new chapter in their family is just a big tease that doesn’t lead to anything.

So the question is do we dock them for a feeling of “incomplete”? Or do we celebrate the fact that we had the opportunity to watch and celebrate these characters one more time? Given the “that’s it” feeling the “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” leaves us with, we are going to have to bring it down a bit. Sorry, it’s true, Life’s Still Unfair.