'Malcolm in the Middle' is back. It was 'like lightning in a bottle' for Jane Kaczmarek

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Sobbing and sewage might seem an odd combination — unless the subject is “Malcolm in the Middle.”The two elements meshed during the filming of the series finale of Fox’s rollicking family comedy in 2006.The memory of that day sparked a smile from actor Jane Kaczmarek, who played no-nonsense mother Lois on the show.“The youngest son in the show, Dewey, who didn’t want to graduate from high school, blew up the sewers,” said Kaczmarek recently, referencing her former co-star Erik Per Sullivan, as she sat in the spacious backyard of her Pasadena home.

“So all of us were covered in this substance and we were absolutely filthy!”The messy shenanigans marked a fitting conclusion to the series that premiered in 2000 about a comically dysfunctional family and which became one of Fox’s signature hits during its seven-season run.The outrageous antics revolving around the experiences of fretful teen prodigy Malcolm were always anchored by his family’s tight bond.After the cameras stopped rolling and the brown “sewage” was washed off, “we all started crying and holding each other as we said goodbye,” Kaczmarek recalled.The cast members went their distinctly separate ways.

Bryan Cranston transitioned from befuddled dad Hal to lethal drug lord Walter White in “Breaking Bad.” Frankie Muniz, who played Malcolm, pursued professional race car driving.Kaczmarek focused on her family and three children.

They all kept in touch.Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and Hal (Bryan Cranston) in the original “Malcolm in the Middle.” (Saeed Adyani/FOX) Kaczmarek and Cranston as Lois and Hal in a scene from “Life’s Still Unfair,” the miniseries revival.

(David Bukach/Disney) But two decades after that final comic bow, the wackiness of “Malcolm” is making a comeback, as the show’s ensemble reunites for a four-episode revival, “Malcolm in the Mi...