Entertainment
Malcolm In The Middle Revival Completely Lives Up To Its Hype
By TeeJay Small
| Published
By now, we’re all sick of reboots, revivals, and legacy sequels. Sometimes it feels like Hollywood has no new ideas, and the entire industry is propped up on packaging our nostalgia for a time before we paid bills, and selling it back to us on a subscription-based model.
While I’m usually super wary of these things, I couldn’t help but tune in the very moment that Malcolm In The Middle: Life’s Still Unfair dropped on Hulu. Much to my surprise, the four-part reunion show actually holds up superbly, leaving me cautiously optimistic about the future of the franchise.
Malcolm’s Fourth-Wall Insecurities Still Prevail
In case you missed it, Life’s Still Unfair was announced all the way back in December of 2024, with nearly all of the original actors and producers returning to their respective roles. Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston had been championing a return to the series for years, though I never thought I’d see the day that it would actually come to pass. The original Malcolm In The Middle series ended all the way back in 2006, so it was nice to see the old, no-last-name family aging into new roles, facing fresh challenges, and maturing in their own dysfunctional way.
Life’s Still Unfair picks up 20 years after we last saw Malcolm, finding him as a well-adjusted adult who has finally adapted to tolerate the stupidity of those around him. He’s a single father to a teenage girl, who seems to have inherited his otherworldly ability to break the fourth wall. Malcolm isn’t the President of the United States just yet, though he’s in the midst of making a “reluctant pivot” into politics, with a foundation in charity work. The only downside is that he can only keep his neurosis at bay by completely cutting off his entire family.
After spending the bulk of the first episode explaining his avoidance process, Malcolm’s charade is completely shattered. His parents, Lois and Hal, come barging into his home, not content to handle another wishy-washy email exchange. In doing so, we get several of the funniest moments in modern TV history, back, to back, to back. Lois, realizing she has a teenage granddaughter she’s never met, left me in stitches. Malcolm immediately losing his composure at the mere sight of his mother brought me right back to the early 2000s. Hal’s weepy, fainting spells had me genuinely crying.
Everyone brings their A-game to this reboot, but Bryan Cranston has to be my personal highlight. After spending years in other roles, including drug kingpin Walter White, it was shocking how seamlessly he blended right back into the same goofy, dorky, well-meaning Hal. Likewise, nearly everyone in the extended Malcolm In the Middle universe shows up for a cameo appearance without missing a beat. Stevie, Craig, Abe, and Francis’ old military school buddies feel so natural that it’s almost hard to believe they’ve been gone for two decades.
A Perfect Legacy Reboot
Most of these cameo appearances show up for the fourth and final episode of Life’s Still Unfair, at Hal and Lois’ explosive 40th anniversary party. It’s the perfect excuse to organically work all of the old characters back into the fold without making the experience feel like an obnoxious clip show. Meanwhile, we get a handful of new characters, including Malcom’s daughter and his younger, non-binary sibling, Kelly. Some viewers will complain that the brief mention of a non-binary person ruins the entire show, but Malcolm In The Middle has always struck a perfect balance between inclusive and realistic, so I thought it went over quite well.
My only major critique of Life’s Still Unfair is its uninspired shot composition and drab color grading. These things don’t ruin the show, and probably aren’t even noticeable to 90 percent of viewers, but it does strip the series of some of the original’s magic. Some social media users have slapped a filter on a few still images of the show to give it that warm, stylized, early 2000s look, and it’s a massive upgrade.
It’s Only Natural To Want More Of This Family
I’ve heard conflicting reports about the future of Malcolm In The Middle in the wake of the reunion special. Series creator Linwood Boomer has suggested that there are no plans to make more episodes, but there’s an uncanny backdoor pilot feel to the entire special. The introduction of new characters suggests, to my eye, that there might still be untapped adventures with this wild family, even if the original characters only serve as occasional guest stars. Either way, Life’s Still Unfair has courted millions of viewers, with Variety calling the show Disney+ and Hulu’s biggest premiere of the year.
It may not be perfect, it may not be for everybody, but I think Malcolm In The Middle: Life’s Still Unfair is a complete success. The four-part series is currently streaming on Hulu, along with the original show. I’d encourage any sitcom fan to give this one a shot, and maybe revisit a few of its classic episodes while you’re at it.
Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair SCORE
Entertainment
How to watch Verona vs. AC Milan online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Verona vs. AC Milan in Serie A for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Serie A showcases a number of interesting matchups this weekend, including Verona vs. AC Milan. These teams are at either end of the table, so most fans will be expecting a comfortable victory for the visitors. There’s always the possibility that the slim chance of survival will drive Verona on to do something special at the Marcantonio Bentegodi.
If you want to watch Verona vs. AC Milan in Serie A for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Verona vs. AC Milan?
Verona vs. AC Milan in Serie A kicks off at 9 a.m. ET on April 19. This fixture takes place at the Marcantonio Bentegodi.
How to watch Verona vs. AC Milan for free
Verona vs. AC Milan in Serie A is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
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BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Verona vs. AC Milan for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Live stream Verona vs. AC Milan for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Verona vs. AC Milan without committing with your cash. This isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to live stream select fixtures from Serie A before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?
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Live stream Verona vs. AC Milan in Serie A for free with ExpressVPN.
Entertainment
Meta finally adds direct messages to the web version of Threads
Meta is adding a feature to the web version of Threads that, honestly, probably should’ve been there a while ago.
As spotted by Engadget, Threads executive Connor Hayes posted an image showcasing a new redesign for the web browser version of the Twitter-like social network. It’s a pretty substantial redesign, including a bunch of new elements on the left sidebar such as the ability to easily switch between different feeds. Eagle-eyed viewers will also undoubtedly notice the addition of a direct message inbox. That feature has been available in the Threads mobile app since last June, but web users have been without it for almost an entire year. That, seemingly, will change soon.
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Hayes’ post didn’t include a specific timeframe for when this new redesign will go live, so don’t get too excited just yet if you’re a web-based Threads user who wants to send and receive DMs. The only hint Hayes gave is that users can expect to see some of these updates “in the coming weeks.”
Longtime social media users might find it strange that there has been such a massive gulf in feature availability between the mobile and web versions of Threads, but it makes a certain amount of sense. Threads has actually become pretty popular, but largely on mobile. X is still the preferred microblogging service on web browsers, at least going by user count. Meta is just operating where its bread is buttered. At least now web users can rest assured that they haven’t been forgotten.
Entertainment
At BookCon 2026, Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid and show creator Jacob Tierney sit down to talk about instant chemistry and whats next for the show
The first panel at BookCon drew lines of fans an hour before its start. Fans have shown up in style. I spotted dozens of iterations of t-shirts with the faces of actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storie plastered on them. Boston Raiders, Montreal Metros, and New York Admirals jerseys are in abundance, too. 3,000 fans are here, waiting to see Rachel Reid and Jacob Tierney in conversation for the first time.
But while this may be the first public conversation between the Heated Rivalry author and show creator on a grand stage, it’s clear that these two have been in perfect sync since their first Zoom call. Moderated by former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Versha Sharma, Reid and Tierney took to the stage at BookCon for a session called “Game Changing TV: Heated Rivalry.” The conversations spanned across their entire collaboration, from their very first DM to the music that makes the show, to how their lives have changed since the show aired.
Tierney, whose knack for comedy shines through, discussed how the show moved at a lightning pace. The adaptation kicked off in August 2023, with the first episode airing on November 28, 2025. Heated Rivalry’s inception and creation happened at lightning pace for television. Tierney, who was the co-creator and director of Letterkenny, said that, rather than the show being slowed down by roadblocks, at every turn it appeared to accelerate instead. The show was sold to HBO before it was even finished, with episode six only finishing four days before it aired.
Reid, who has penned six novels in the Game Changers series, has been involved in the journey since the beginning, first meeting Tierney over Zoom. The author said that throughout the process, she felt respected and involved in reading script drafts and audition tapes.
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While the show’s leads, Hudson Williams, who portrays Shane Hollander, and Connor Storie, who portrays Ilya Rozanov, weren’t physically present at the panel, both asked questions on behalf of the pair. Storie’s question was apt, asking the pair what made them such a mutually good fit for this adaptation. The pair said that their visions have felt instinctively aligned, with Reid noting that, as she wrote the infamous kiss between Scott and Kip depicted in episode 5 of Heated Rivalry, she had an image of the cinematic version, which Tierney was able to bring to life.
The show, which has become known for its intimate and plentiful sex scenes, is not there just for the sake of it. Tierney said he wanted to make a show with queer joy and a horny show at that, but more so, sex is a vehicle for the show’s characters to be honest and vulnerable with each other.
Music also came up, with the show’s needle drops, including Tatu’s “All The Things She Said” and Wolf Parade’s “I’ll Believe in Anything,” having a renaissance two decades after their release. There’s no formal equation to the music; instead, they let the songs be like casting the right actor, with Tierney noting that songs should serve a “specific task.”
Tierney is in the midst of writing season two of Heated Rivalry, which takes on Reid’s sequel, Long Game. The writer and director called Long Game “an emotionally sophisticated book” and said that parts of Reid’s Role Model will find their way into season two. For Reid, a new book in the Game Changer series, Unrivaled, is due for a 2027 release. The author is still in the writing stage, mentioning that while she felt pressure writing Long Game, the previous book in the series, Unrivaled presents a whole new challenge because of the show’s massive popularity.
Fans in the room seemed alight, hearing first-hand from the author and creator of Heated Rivalry, basking in an hour dedicated to a show that set the internet and book world ablaze. Moderator Versha Sharma ended on the sentiment that the whole room could agree on: “Rachel Reid’s universe is the world as it should be.”
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