‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Stars Declare “Good Sex” Keeps Hal & Lois Together

Despite five unruly boys (and counting) making their lives hell in Malcolm in the Middle, Hal and Lois are still together 20 years after the show’s finale.

While discussing the revival Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, all four episodes of which are available to stream Friday on Hulu, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek spoke to Deadline about what keeps their fictional flame burning so hot, following the original show’s 2000-’06 run on Fox.

“They have good sex. I mean, I have to say,” said Kaczmarek. “And I don’t think they let anything get in the way of them being the real tentpole of the family.”

The actress referenced the parent series’ Season 1 episode ‘Malcolm Babysits’, in which their house is fumigated and the family is forced to live in a tent outside. With tensions running high, the parents realize they’re at each other’s throats because they haven’t had sex in days. Wearing nothing but gas masks, Hal and Lois sneak inside the noxious home to do the deed in privacy from their kids.

“But that was a good indication,” Cranston quipped.

As one of many grand gestures of his love, Hal reunites with his a cappella group, The Gentlemen Callers, to serenade Lois with Bruno Mars’ ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ in the aisles of the Lucky Aide.

“He’s a romantic,” explained Cranston. “I think he does it out of fear though. I think Hal does all these things because, ‘Oh, is she ever gonna leave me? I feel like I need to keep showing her how much I love her.’ … I never doubt that she loves me, or she never doubts. And I think that gives the audience a sense of security, emotional security, that this couple is going to stay together no matter what. This family will stay together as crazy as they are, and there’s satisfaction in there. And from that, you can springboard to any kind of shenanigans you want, because we’ve got this at the foundation.”

Kaczmarek praised the “incredible writing” on the show for its depiction of their marriage. “We were just so lucky to be able to play characters like that for so long,” she said.

In Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, Frankie Muniz reprises his once-angsty teenage character, who is now a father of his own. When his parents Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek) demand his presence at their anniversary party, Malcolm is forced to stop avoiding his dysfunctional family while attempting to protect his daughter Leah (Keeley Karsten) from their chaotic dynamic.