While Waiting For Malcolm In The Middle's Revival, Watch One Of The Best TV Shows Of All Time Starring Bryan Cranston On Netflix

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Collage of Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle

Bryan Cranston is confirmed to be returning for a reboot of Malcolm in the Middle — but in the meantime, check out his other classic TV show, Breaking Bad. It was recently confirmed that a Malcolm in the Middle revival is in the works for Disney+. Cranston will reprise his role as Hal, Frankie Muniz will reprise his role as Malcolm, and Jane Kaczmarek will reprise her role as Lois. The reboot will consist of four new episodes, and it’ll see Hal and Lois demanding that Malcolm attend their 40th wedding anniversary party with his daughter.

It could be a while before the Malcolm in the Middle reboot finally streams on Disney+, but Cranston has plenty of other classic TV shows to watch during the wait. For starters, there are seven still-relevant seasons of the original Malcolm in the Middle series to binge-watch in time for the show’s continuation. Cranston has also played iconic TV roles as Tim Whatley in Seinfeld, Vince Lonigan in Sneaky Pete, and Michael Desiato in Your Honor. But there’s one Cranston-starring TV masterpiece that blows them all out of the water — and most other TV shows, for that matter.

Breaking Bad Is One Of The Best TV Shows Ever Made & It's Available On Netflix

Breaking Bad Revolutionized How Television Works

Shortly after Malcolm in the Middle ended, Cranston landed the lead role in a very different series: Breaking Bad. Although the two shows share a dark sense of humor, Breaking Bad couldn’t be more different from Malcolm in the Middle. Created by Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad revolves around a mild-mannered husband, father, and chemistry teacher named Walter White. When he’s diagnosed with lung cancer and finds himself unable to pay for his medical treatments, Walt “breaks bad.” He teams up with his ne’er-do-well former student, Jesse Pinkman, to manufacture and sell crystal meth.

After watching Breaking Bad , check out its equally great spin-off, Better Call Saul , which is also streaming on Netflix.

All five seasons of Breaking Bad are currently streaming on Netflix, and it’s the perfect show to fill the time while waiting for Malcolm in the Middle’s reboot to arrive on Disney+. Breaking Bad revolutionized the way television works. Traditionally, TV shows are all about indefinitely maintaining a status quo for as many episodes as possible. But Breaking Bad was all about change, chronicling a timid teacher’s disturbing transformation into a ruthless drug lord. Gilligan famously set out to turn Mr. Chips into Scarface, and it made Breaking Bad one of the greatest TV shows ever made.

How Breaking Bad Completely Surpassed Bryan Cranston's Malcolm In The Middle Legacy

Breaking Bad Proved Cranston Could Do Drama As Well As Comedy

Hal holding overdue bills in Malcolm in the Middle

Cranston was already an iconic actor after his turn as Hal in Malcolm in the Middle, but Breaking Bad took him to a whole new level as a screen legend. Malcolm in the Middle proved that he was a comedic genius, with a fresh take on the well-worn role of the dorky dad. But it didn’t give Cranston a chance to show off his dramatic range or his ability to tell a full-fledged story within a performance. Hal was more or less the same person at the end of the show’s run as he was at the beginning.

Breaking-Bad-Bryan-Cranston

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Bryan Cranston's 10 Best Moments From Breaking Bad, Ranked

From watching Jane die to his "I am the one who knocks" speech, Breaking Bad gave Bryan Cranston plenty of opportunities to show off his acting range.

Playing Walt gave Cranston a chance to do something that few actors have had the chance to do. He took that character on a profound psychological journey across 62 episodes. He showed how Walt gradually got corrupted and became a toxic partner, a heartless murderer, and a selfish monster. Walt started out as a seemingly good person, then Cranston spent five seasons slowly revealing his sinister true nature. Breaking Bad allowed Cranston to flex acting muscles that he never got the chance to in Malcolm in the Middle.

It Will Be Really Weird To See Bryan Cranston Returning To Malcolm In The Middle After Breaking Bad

Cranston Is About To Reverse His Wildest Transformation

Walter White looking shocked in Breaking Bad

After seven seasons of Malcolm in the Middle, Breaking Bad took some getting used to. Cranston was widely known as a goofy suburban dad, and then he came along with a haunting portrayal of a cold-blooded murderer. It was the wildest transformation of Cranston’s career by far — and maybe the wildest transformation of any actor’s career. Now that he’s reprising his role as Hal in the revival of Malcolm in the Middle, he’s about to reverse that transformation (and it’ll be even weirder this time).

At least when Cranston initially went from playing Hal to playing Walt, Walt wasn’t a monster from the get-go. He was introduced as a grumpy husband and father living from paycheck to paycheck; he wasn’t all that different from Hal.

At least when Cranston initially went from playing Hal to playing Walt, Walt wasn’t a monster from the get-go. He was introduced as a grumpy husband and father living from paycheck to paycheck; he wasn’t all that different from Hal. It wasn’t until later in the series that Walt devolved into a psychotic killer. When Malcolm in the Middle returns for its reboot, Cranston will go straight from the cold-hearted criminal seen at the end of Breaking Bad to the wacky dad role that made him a star.

Breaking Bad TV Poster

Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.

Cast Bryan Cranston , Aaron Paul , Dean Norris , Betsy Brandt , Anna Gunn , RJ Mitte , Bob Odenkirk , Jonathan Banks , Giancarlo Esposito , Steven Michael Quezada , Charles Baker , Christopher Cousins , Matt Jones , Michael Shamus Wiles , Lavell Crawford , Jesse Plemons , Ray Campbell , Tina Parker , Carmen Serano , Emily Rios , Krysten Ritter , Laura Fraser , Jeremiah Bitsui , Mark Margolis , Ian Posada , David House , David Costabile , michael bowen , Kevin Rankin , Aaron Hill , Harry Groener , Patrick Sane , Daniel Moncada , Luis Moncada , Marius Stan , Bill Burr , Todd Terry , Jessica Hecht , Tait Fletcher , Rodney Rush , Kaija Roze Bales , Matt Metzler , John de Lancie , Tom Kiesche , Jere Burns , Maurice Compte , Morse Bicknell , Nigel Gibbs , Tess Harper , Raymond Cruz , Max Arciniega , Cesar Garcia , Jesus Jr. , Michael Bofshever , Julie Dretzin , Mike Seal , Christopher Dempsey , Javier Grajeda , Mike Batayeh , Chris Freihofer , Louis Ferreira , Gonzalo Menendez , Jason Douglas , Adam Godley

Seasons 5

Showrunner Vince Gilligan

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