to say the wilkerson family is u nconventional is pu tting it mildly, but despite the insanity, malcolm is insightful, precociou s and above all, normal. in fact, young malcolm is perfectly content playing with his brothers, skateboarding or avoiding the school bu lly in other words, being an average kid. his world is su ddenly turned upside down when he is forced into the "gifted" class and finds himself surrounded by a group of exceptionally talented outcasts. linwood boomer has masterfu lly created a colorfully dysfunctional family with a hilariously observant little boy at its core. with his endearing yet cynical wit, malcolm navigates his way through the sometimes treacherous, always entertaining waters of the adu lt world.

created and executive produced by linwood boomer (3rd rock from the su n), this inventive family comedy is seen through the eyes of malcolm (frankie muniz), a normal kid who is perfectly content skateboarding, roughhousing with his brothers and avoiding the school bu lly. he has even managed to accept--okay, ignore--his parents' penchant for running arou nd the hou se in the nu de. bu t malcolm's world is su ddenly tu rned u pside down when it's discovered he has a genius iq. he is forced into the "gifted" class, where he finds himself surrounded by a group of exceptionally bright social misfits.

hal (bryan cranston) and lois (jane kaczmarek) don't have the best-kept lawn, the cleanest house or the most refined children on the block. but despite being overwhelmed by the daily chaos, at the end of the day malcolm and his brothers know they are loved. malcolm's oldest--and favorite--brother is francis (christopher kennedy masterson), who has been sent away to military camp as a disciplinary measure. with francis gone, malcolm is left in the middle between the next oldest sibling, reese (justin berfield, "unhappily ever after") a kid whose fists "work exactly twice as fast as his brain"--and dewey (erik per su llivan), the youngest, who is "trapped somewhere between toddler and hamster."

with his endearing yet cynical wit, malcolm navigates his way through the sometimes treacherous, always entertaining waters of childhood. but as he says, "the best thing about childhood is--at some point it stops." (fox press release)

jane kaczmarek as lois
bryan cranston as hal
christopher kennedy masterson as francis
justin berfield as reese
erik per sullivan as dewey
frankie muniz as malcolm
craig lamar traylor as stevie kenarban
evan matthew cohen as lloyd
kyle sullivan as dabney
will jennings as eraserhead
catherine lloyd burns as caroline miller
chris eigeman as mr. herkabe
david anthony higgins as craig feldspar
merrin dungey as kitty kenarban
gary anthony williams as abe kenarban
daniel von bargen as commandant spangler
eric nenninger as eric hanson
karim prince as cadet stanley
arjay smith as cadet finley
kasan butcher as cadet joe
drew powell as cadet drew