Malcolm in the Middle fans have a bright future these days, namely because of the upcoming reboot series Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair arriving soon. But sadly, Erik Per Sullivan — also known as Malcolm’s hilarious younger brother, Dewey — won’t be joining despite an allegedly generous offer to return.
TV mom Jane Kaczmarek revealed during a recent interview with The Guardian that Per Sullivan, now 34, is currently “studying Dickens and is an incredible student. They offered him buckets of money to come back, and he just said, ‘No thank you.’”
It was first reported that Per Sullivan would not return to the series due to working on his masters at Harvard back in June 2025. Bryan Cranston, who plays Hal, said at the time: “I talked to Erik and I said, ‘Hey, we got the show! It’s going to come back.’ He goes, ‘Oh, that’s fantastic!’ And I go, ‘Yeah, so we’re looking forward to having you back.’ He goes, ‘Oh, no, no, I don’t want to do it. But it’s fantastic.’
“He’s actually going to Harvard,” Cranston added. “He’s really, really smart, and he’s getting his master’s at Harvard right now. He said, ‘Oh God, no, I haven’t acted since I was nine or something. So I’m not into it.’” Following the show’s original run from 2002-2006, Sullivan stepped back from acting just four years later at age 19 to pursue other interests.
That said, if you’re a Malcolm fan, you’ll be happy to know that the rest of your favorite familiar faces are set to return. Frankie Muinz will be back as Malcolm, Bryan Cranston reprises his role as TV dad Hal, Christopher Kennedy Masterson and Justin Berfield return as Malcolm’s brothers Francis and Reese, and Kaczmarek rounds out the returning group as TV mom Lois. Emy Coligado, who recurred on the show from season 3 to the end of the original show, will also return as Francis’ girlfriend-turned-wife Piama.
As for grown up Dewey, Caleb Ellsworth-Clark will be taking on the role for the four-part miniseries. When it comes to new additions to the crew, there’s actually quite a few folks joining the fray. Anthony Timpano and Vaughan Murrae will play the family’s youngest siblings Jamie and Kelly, one of which appeared on the series as a baby (that would be Jamie, of course). Additionally, Keeley Karsten joins the fam as Malcolm’s daughter Leah and Kiana Madeira will play Malcolm’s girlfriend Tristan.
Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair — which centers on Malcolm’s return to the family when his parents request his presence at their 40th anniversary celebration — will premiere on Hulu and Hulu for Disney+ on April 10.
Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
