“Malcolm in the Middle” fans were probably cautiously optimistic about chillaxing with the planned four-episode reboot of the show before rumors of a “nonbinary” character surfaced. Now there is trepidation at the prospect of an unwelcome woke theme ruining their Malcolm memories.
Disney+ teased the show with a hint of the storyline: “Malcolm ([Frankie] Muniz) and his daughter are drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal ([Bryan] Cranston) and Lois ([Jane] Kaczmarek) demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party.”
The Federalist asked Disney to confirm widely reported talk of a 16-year-old “nonbinary” character. The company did not respond.
Director Ken Kwapis this week told TV Insider the new episodes are “beautifully written,” and “as emotional as it is funny.” He did not discuss a character claiming to be “nonbinary.”
Reboots can be sketchy because fans crave a new experience with beloved characters, yet we want to remember them as they were. Impossible with a reboot. Child actors grow up, and 25 years after the show ended, the parents have grey hair. The Malcolm fans know was a kid. Now he will be a father. It changes the family dynamics that were central to the hilarious seven-season sitcom that ran from 2000 to 2006.
You can’t stop time. But writers can stop inserting distracting gender ideology issues into entertainment.
We hoped Disney was backing away from its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategy when it removed transgender content from its new animated series “Win Or Lose,” which features a co-ed middle school softball team.
A Disney spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter in December why it made the change.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.”
Like all good comedy, “Malcolm in the Middle” did manage to make us laugh over taboo topics like racism. When the family’s annoying, racist grandmother would not go home, they arranged for five black men to come to their house and hang out. Grandma’s own racism sent her packing. That episode didn’t cure racism, but it was written cleverly enough to make black, white, and Asian viewers laugh at the same thing.
(And despite its entertainment value, the clown fight during Lois’s birthday party didn’t end anyone’s fear of clowns.
It is hard to imagine how the writers will add a character who identifies as nonbinary without turning off faithful fans. They can’t make the new character the butt of jokes. That would offend the viewers they are trying to pander to.
It will be incredibly harmful if they take an approach that normalizes the cultural phenomenon of teenage boys and girls fighting puberty by pretending they can be any sex or “gender” they choose (or none at all).
It is a trip on a tightrope the writers don’t have to — and shouldn’t — take. Fans want writers to respect the memory of the show because if they get this wrong, the reruns are instantly garbage. Every old episode will be a reminder of how we liked the show until Disney ruined it.
That’s all it takes, Disney. If you leave a bad taste in viewers’ mouths that shows up when they are making viewing decisions with the remote in hand, that bad feeling goes away with the press of a button to another channel.
Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.
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