Frankie Muniz says it will be difficult to put 20 years of history in just four episodes of the Malcolm in the Middle sequel, but viewers will be "surprised" and "very happy" with the end result

Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz has teased the upcoming sequel to the beloved sitcom, saying that fans will be "very happy" with the results.

During an appearance in a recent episode of Lightweights Podcast, the actor opened up about the return of the show, where he will reprise the lead role two decades after the events of the finale.

"Bryan [Cranston] and I originally started talking about doing a reboot or a show over 10 years ago," he revealed. "For 10 years there has been a discussion of it happening. So I also know that there was no way I wasn't going to make it work."

"I think people will be surprised in a sense with where everybody is and the story," he added, "but it's only four episodes."

Muniz said his co-star Cranston originally wanted to pitch it as a two-hour movie, "just to open up that world again," but it was eventually created as a Disney Plus series by Linwood Boomer.

"It’s hard to fit in 20 years of stuff in four 30-min episodes, but I think people are gonna be very happy with what they came up with," the actor reassured fans.

The sequel wrapped filming earlier this year, with the story set to follow Malcolm and his daughter (played by Keeley Karsten), whose attendance is demanded at his parents' 40th wedding anniversary party. Cranston is reprising his role as Hal, while Jane Kaczmarek is returning to play Lois.

The returning cast also includes Justin Berfield as Reese, and Christopher Masterson as Francis. Caleb Ellsworth-Clark is taking over Dewey, as the original actor Erik Per Sullivan has permanently retired from acting.

"Reuniting with the cast, getting to know some new characters, laughing till it hurt, and making new memories on set felt like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from. It went by so fast, like a blur of perfect moments. I wish it could go on forever," Muniz wrote on X back in May.

Malcolm in the Middle is set to hit Disney Plus in December 2025. For more, see our list of the best Disney Plus shows and the best Disney Plus movies to stream right now.