Why Bryan Cranston Was Nearly Fired From Malcolm In The Middle

Bryan Cranston made his name on "Malcolm in the Middle," where he played the goofy but lovable dad, Hal, but for a while his casting had the series' producers saying "Yes, no, maybe, I don't know." "Malcolm in the Middle," which returned for a revival on Hulu earlier this year, brought audiences into the chaotic world of a working-class American family. Cranston's eternally nervous and bumbling Hal endeared himself to viewers, becoming a fan favorite who was often embarking on his own misadventures — a result of the series' writers pushing to find Cranston's limits, only to discover there was pretty much no idea too wild for the actor. Despite Hal's eventual popularity, Cranston was almost fired from the show before it even began.

Cranston reflected on his early days on "Malcolm in the Middle" during an appearance on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, recalling that the powers that be at Fox initially wanted to replace him. Talking about taking the show from pilot to a full series, Cranston said, "Often there's cast replacements and Fox said, 'You know what? The dad is not really very good and not very funny. We're going to pick up the show, but we want to replace the dad.'" Cranston went on to reveal that series creator Linwood Boomer was the one who defended his casting. "Linwood Boomer, much to my appreciation, said 'That's not happening,'" said Cranston, claiming Boomer "absolutely refused to fire me" and asked Fox to trust his casting choice.

While looking back on his time as Hal on "Malcolm in the Middle," Bryan Cranston referred to Linwood Boomer as his "champion," discussing the importance of luck and finding people who will stand up for you as an actor. "Any successful actor needs a champion in their lives," Cranston said. "You've got to be in the right place at the right time and have people support you." In Cranston's case, Boomer's support meant he got to continue playing Hal beyond the "Malcolm in the Middle" pilot and even returned to the role in 2026's revival, "Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair."

Cranston also acknowledged that Boomer's decision not to tell him that Fox was pushing to recast Hal probably helped him deliver the performance "Malcolm in the Middle" fans would come to love so much. "He kept it from me and I found out later," Cranston said of Boomer's discussions with Fox. "And I was appreciative that he kept it from me, because I wouldn't want to step in going 'I'm this close to being fired! I'd better be funny!'"

TVLine has reached out to Boomer and 20th Television for comment.