This 25-Year-Old Sitcom Pulled Off What Young Sheldon Never Could — And It’s Making a Comeback

Anyone who loves Young Sheldon needs to seek out Malcolm in the Middle, an earlier sitcom with a similar premise that managed to take on one plot The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff could never quite handle. When Young Sheldon’s ending came around, it became clear that the show wasn’t going to solve every lingering The Big Bang Theory plot hole.

The spinoff did explain why Sheldon incorrectly believed his father cheated on his mother, as well as clarifying how George Sr. died. However, viewers who wanted to know why Sheldon’s brother and his wife separated needed to tune into The Big Bang Theory’s next spinoff, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, for the answer to that particular mystery.

Another inconsistency between the two shows was the stories of Sheldon’s childhood bullying. In The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon claimed his child prodigy status alienated him from his peers and this resulted in constant bullying. However, Sheldon’s only on-screen bully in Young Sheldon was a younger girl in one episode, and he mostly made it through school without any major incidents.

Malcolm in the Middle Shares Young Sheldon’s Premise

Both Family Sitcoms Followed Boy Geniuses And Their Dysfunctional Families

Despite The Big Bang Theory’s claims that Sheldon was bullied in his childhood, Young Sheldon largely ignored this storyline. On one hand, a reader could argue that this was because childhood bullying is hardly a light-hearted subject that provokes a lot of laughter. However, it is worth noting that another, earlier sitcom managed to pull off this exact plot.

Malcolm in the Middle had the same premise as Young Sheldon almost 20 years earlier, and the sitcom arguably did a better job of highlighting its central protagonist’s childhood struggles. Starring Frankie Muniz as the titular hero, Malcolm in the Middle follows a child prodigy born into a working-class family. Malcolm’s blue-collar origins ensured he never developed a superiority complex.

When Young Sheldon changed The Big Bang Theory’s format, the spinoff dropped the original show’s laugh track, added a narrator in the form of an older Sheldon, and switched to a single-camera format instead of a multicamera setup. This inevitably resulted in a lot of comparisons to Malcolm in the Middle, thanks to their plentiful similarities.

Both Malcolm in the Middle and Young Sheldon focused on ordinary families with extraordinarily intelligent genius sons. Both shows feature an older brother who is dim-witted but well-meaning, a stern but loving mother, and a father who is often overwhelmed by his chaotic family. However, Malcolm in the Middle didn’t ignore its hero’s bullying at all, whereas Young Sheldon did.

Malcolm in the Middle and Young Sheldon Shared The Same Specific Journey

Both Shows Focused More on Supporting Characters As They Continued

Malcolm in the Middle and Young Sheldon’s premises are similar enough to appeal to the same audience, but the two shows are different enough to never feel anywhere near identical. Whereas Young Sheldon‘s spinoff Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage has a totally different style, tone, and story from its predecessor, Malcolm in the Middle is more likely to scratch the itch for viewers who miss Young Sheldon.

One major fight between The Big Bang Theory’s Leonard and Penny was never properly resolved, and it proved they were worse than Amy and Sheldon.

Interestingly enough, Malcolm in the Middle and Young Sheldon also both betrayed their titles as the shows continued. The two series started out as Malcolm and Sheldon’s stories but became ensemble shows that ironically sidelined their title characters by the time they ended. Many viewers tuned in to see what the rest of the respective sitcom families were up to each week.

This is where Malcolm in the Middle’s handling of bullying storylines highlights the difference between the two shows. While Young Sheldon’s Georgie story did see him drop out of high school, the earlier sitcom did a lot more to spotlight the darker side of family life.

From an older brother in military school to school bullies who relentlessly harangued him and his brothers, Malcolm was never short of problems. His was not an idealized or romanticized adolescence. It is not a coincidence that the phrase “Life is unfair” crops up in the lyrics of Malcolm in the Middle ’s legendary theme tune from They Might Be Giants.

There Is One Big Difference Between Malcolm in the Middle and Young Sheldon

Malcolm in the Middle’s Humor Is Darker and Zanier

Malcolm in the Middle doesn’t share the nostalgic tone of Young Sheldon, with its comedy style feeling far zanier and more anarchic. Where Young Sheldon is told via Sheldon’s warm recollections of his youth, Malcolm in the Middle drops viewers right into the roiling chaos of the title character’s dysfunctional family home.

This difference is perhaps best encapsulated in the narrators of the two shows. Jim Parsons returned on-screen for Young Sheldon’s finale, but provided wisecracking narration throughout the series as an older Sheldon recalled each episode’s events. In contrast, Muniz’s Malcolm talks directly to the camera on a regular basis, a choice that makes the show’s action feel much more direct.

Malcolm in the Middle lasted for seven successful seasons, winning seven Emmys and a Peabody Award in that time. However, anyone wishing for more from the series need not wait long before new episodes are added to its lineup.

Now Is The Perfect Time To Discover Malcolm in the Middle

Malcolm in the Middle’s Upcoming Revival Arrives In December 2025

December 2025 will see the arrival of Disney+’s Malcolm in the Middle revival Life’s Still Unfair, which reunites almost all the show’s main cast for a four-episode miniseries. Since Young Sheldon is unlikely to return to the airwaves anytime soon, having only wrapped up in 2024, this is the perfect chance for fans to check out a similar sitcom.

Although The Big Bang Theory had problems of its own, that didn’t stop the show calling out a famous TV character well before they were retired.

Malcolm in the Middle’s 151 episodes show the hero’s journey from elementary school through high school, ending with his graduation. In that time, his older brother Reese gets into all manner of scrapes, his younger brother Dewey displays an increasingly bizarre, quirky personality, and his older brother Francis graduates from a military academy and starts a family of his own.

Although the sitcom’s sons are its main characters, Bryan Cranston’s Hal and Jane Kaczmarek’s Lois consistently steal the show through Malcolm in the Middle’s seven seasons. Two of the most blatantly dysfunctional parents to ever make it onto American television, Hal and Lois are as comically flawed as they are unavoidably lovable.

While Malcolm in the Middle may not be one of the most influential network sitcoms of all time, Young Sheldon’s decision to borrow many of the show’s familiar story elements proves how successful its formula was. Malcolm in the Middle launched many of its lead actors to stardom and included some all-time great sitcom performances, making it a must-watch for Young Sheldon fans.