Why The Malcolm In The Middle Revival Replaced Dewey's Actor

"Malcolm in the Middle" is one of the best sitcoms of the 2000s. It's a chaotic, delightfully weird, absurd, and darkly funny comedy about the most dysfunctional family on TV. This is not a simple case of "parents just don't understand," but, rather, a case of deeply flawed grown-ups way in over their heads who also have to deal with having the spawns of Satan for kids.

What made the show so special was its cast. Sure, it's easy to say a series that lasted for seven seasons did so because it had a great ensemble, but "Malcolm in the Middle" was truly perfect in this regard. Whether it's Bryan Cranston being the God of Sweet Buffoons as the patriarch Hal (a role so good it almost cost Cranston his chance at starring in "Breaking Bad") or Justin Berfield basically playing a live-action Bart Simpson as Reese (think about it), both the primary cast and even the supporting players were phenomenal. This is also the reason fans have spent years wondering when the hell we were going to get a follow-up season.

Well, now we're actually getting a "Malcolm in the Middle" revival. The four-episode special will reunite most of the original show's main cast — including Cranston, Berfield, Frankie Muniz (Malcolm), Jane Kaczmarek (Lois), and Christopher Masterson (Francis) — save for Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey. The character will instead be played by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark in a bit of recasting that actually makes a whole lot of sense.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Sullivan isn't reprising his role as Dewey for the "Malcolm in the Middle" revival. Sullivan was 9 years old when "Malcolm in the Middle" first started airing, and he was only 15 when the show ended. After the show, Sullivan slowed down his acting career before completely stopping after appearing in the 2010 Joel Schumacher crime drama "Twelve."

In short, Sullivan simply stepped away from acting after "Malcolm in the Middle" and pivoted to a private life of academia, going on to study Victorian literature. He hasn't shown up to reunions for the show or given interviews since then, having completely walked away from the Hollywood spotlight.

Sullivan isn't the only one. For the most part, Muniz also largely disappeared from Hollywood after his teenage years and instead chose to pursue other interests — including becoming a successful car racer.

Of course, it's entirely up to Sullivan whether he wanted to return for a "Malcolm in the Middle" revival or not. Still, while it's fair to be sad that viewers won't get a full-on reunion of the entire Wilkerson family, what we're getting is the best possible alternative.

The most striking thing about Ellsworth-Clark taking over the role of Dewey is that he bears an uncanny resemblance to Sullivan. If one were to look at a photo of Dewey as a kid in the early seasons of "Malcolm in the Middle," you could easily be fooled into thinking he grew up to become Ellsworth-Clark.

More to the point, in the age of deepfakes and digital de-aging, audiences and Hollywood in general have lost an appreciation for the art of good recasting. Film and TV history is full of great recasting choices that went over viewers' heads, from "Mad Men" recasting Bobby Draper three times to "Bones" doing the same thing as "Malcolm in the Middle" and recasting a young character (namely, Parker Booth) when he returned as a grown-up.

Again, Ellsworth-Clark looks quite a lot like Sullivan, which certainly helps. But there's also the matter of performance. As good an actor as Sullivan was, his absence from the stage for so many years doesn't guarantee that his acting chops will translate to an adult character. Ellsworth-Clark, though perhaps not the best-known actor, has been around for a while and been a part of shows like "Fargo," "The Expanse," and "Hell on Wheels." If you want the focus to be on the characters rather than just seeing the actors together again, this is the best-case scenario for a Dewey recasting.

The "Malcolm in the Middle" reunion will stream on Disney+.