Another point I have on TM may be rather controversial here, being a MITM fan site, but I actually think TM is better than MITM.
Yes, i really did say that.
TM is uniquely from the point of view of the mother instead of the children. Perhaps the show is aimed at adults, considering that those who enjoyed MITM as teenagers are now young adults themselves.
It also has added realism which was lacking in MITM such as the way in which the family have breakfast and evening meals. In MITM, they dined at the table every single morning and night with high quality, specially prepared food. C’mon, can we really believe that a busy family would eat like that every day.
In contrast, the mom on TM shoves a frozen pancake into the microwave for seconds – that is Brick’s breakfast on the first episode. Also, eating dinner as a family is sitting on a couch in front of the TV. Very realistic as I am sure this happens in many American homes.
The TM family also watch real TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars to give a sense of added comedy value. They have a surname and they live in a real state. Perhaps the creators got too much of an influx the first time round from fans asking Malcolm’s surname and location. It is as if they have ironed out all the holes that existed in MITM to give us something better.
As we get close to 2010, it is as if TM is a new show for a new decade. Instead of comparing TM with MITM, we should just enjoy the new show on it’s own merits: the cast and characters are very good, the plots are unique and there are genuine laugh out loud comedy moments.