A gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.
Table of Contents
#1 – Graduation
Season 7 – Episode 22
Malcolm struggles with his speech when he’s elected valedictorian of his graduating class at school. However, Lois refuses to listen to any of his complaints and reveals that she wants him to become President of the United States. Meanwhile, Reese does everything he can to get a permanent job as a high school janitor, which includes creating the most disgusting mess ever. In the meantime, Hal has problems with Malcolm’s Harvard tuition, while Francis finally gets a real 9-5 job that he actually enjoys. Also returning for the family celebrations is Grandma Ida, as they all say goodbye to Malcolm when he leaves for college.
The episode was rated from 205 votes.
#2 – Bowling
Season 2 – Episode 20
Malcolm and Reese (Frankie Muniz, Justin Berfield) go to a bowling party where they vie for the attention of a cute girl. With Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston and Erik Per Sullivan.
The episode was rated from 278 votes.
#3 – Water Park (1)
Season 1 – Episode 16
When the family goes to a water park for a day, Dewey is left home with an elderly, stern babysitter. Francis plays pool with Spangler and loses.
The episode was rated from 319 votes.
#4 – Rollerskates
Season 1 – Episode 13
Malcolm is angry because during a game of street hockey, he sprints up and down the street in shoes, only to have it start back the other way. So he decides he is ready to take skating lessons from his dad. He asks Reese and Francis how it is, but they both refuse to tell him. When he starts, he is angered by all the silly twists and spins they are doing. Meanwhile, Reese rollerskates in the house with a bunch of gunk on his skates which causes Lois to throw out her back while yelling at him.
The episode was rated from 333 votes.
#5 – Red Dress
Season 1 – Episode 2
A battle of wits and wills ensues between the boys and their angry mom, who wants to find out who ruined her expensive new red dress — found partially burned and soaking in the toilet. It’s Hal and Lois’s wedding anniversary (hence the dress); and while the boys fend off their mother, with the long-distance assistance of Francis, a lonely and increasingly sozzled Hal bonds with the staff of the restaurant where he booked a table for the big night. Lois finally achieves an epiphany on the phone with Francis, who convinces her to for once “let something go.” After she leaves for the restaurant, with the boys in tow, Hal arrives home to an empty house — and we learn the truth about what happened to the red dress.
The episode was rated from 514 votes.
#6 – Family Reunion
Season 4 – Episode 3
Christopher Lloyd adds to his gallery of eccentric characters, playing Hal’s quirky, cranky and very wealthy father, Walter, in this rollicking episode. The occasion is a birthday celebration for the old man, but the snooty female in-laws seem more interested in offending Lois. Their shabby behavior initially goes unnoticed by Hal, who’s desperately trying to bond with his self-centered dad; and by Dewey and Reese, who seek some of Grampa’s dough by currying favor with him. But when Lois is reduced to tears after being excluded from a group photo, the family rallies to her side with an all-out counterattack that turns the party into pandemonium.
The episode was rated from 242 votes.
#7 – Poker
Season 3 – Episode 8
Poker showdowns with Abe give Hal a flush; dance lessons turn Lois awhirl; an Alaskan blizzard entraps and rattles Francis. (TV Guide)
The episode was rated from 233 votes.
#8 – Pilot
Season 1 – Episode 1
Perhaps the most original sitcom pilot in recent years, this first episode combines sharp writing with a hyperbolic camera style reminiscent of Parker Lewis Can’t Lose. Malcolm introduces us to his world, dominated by omnipresent schoolyard bully Spath and made worse by his enforced friendship with Stevie, an asthmatic wheelchair genius. When a battery of tests reveals that Malcolm has an IQ of 165, he is moved into Stevie’s special accelerated class, despite his protests that “around here being intelligent is exactly the same as being radioactive.” On the bright side, Malcolm discovers a practical application for intelligence when he and Stevie spontaneously hit on a solution to Spath’s persistent tyranny.
The episode was rated from 646 votes.
#9 – Smunday
Season 1 – Episode 15
The boys stay home from school when their mother thinks it’s Sunday instead of Monday. Malcolm thinks of a plan to get Francis out of trouble once again. Hal gets sucked in by a Porsche dealership.
The episode was rated from 310 votes.
#10 – Boys at Ranch
Season 4 – Episode 8
Typically, the boys run amok at Francis’s dude ranch; atypically, he disciplines them, setting the stage for their clever retaliation.
The episode was rated from 218 votes.