MOVE over Bart. “Malcolm in the Middle” is trying to become the next signature show for Fox.
Not since Homer Simpson and Al Bundy became the role models for Fox’s comedy dads has the network had such an opportunity to turn a dysfunctional family like the one on “Malcolm” into its poster children.
And with “The Simpsons” perched so far up on the comedy food chain that its viewers could probably support an entire cable channel devoted to it, only “Malcolm” seems to have the kind of heat that can be so useful when defining a network’s character.
Especially for Fox – which in terms of sitcoms, has always straddled the fine line between dubious taste and high comedy.
“I think the pressure is self created,” says “Malcolm” creator Linwood Boomer. “We wanted this [“Malcolm”] to be really, really special.”
It’s a vote of confidence that Fox has devoted its post-Super Bowl time slot to the comedy this year – a mega-audience perch generally reserved for potentially hot new shows or a network’s tried and true war horse.
For the one-hour, post-game special Boomer said he begged and threw money at movie stars and wound up with cameos from a slew of heavy hitters including Christina Ricci, Heidi Klum, and Susan Sarandon who ends up mud wrestling with Malcolm’s mother Lois (Jane Kaczmarek)
“It would have been funny even if we had a complete unknown in the part,” Boomer says.
“But when you have these two really beautiful, glamorous, attractive stars doing it, it’s so surprising and satisfying to see this animalistic wrestling.”
That “Malcolm’s” moment of glory comes at a time when many of Fox’s other comedies are showing signs of weakness works even more in its favor.
While “That ’70s Show,” and “King of the Hill” holds their own and “The Bernie Mac Show” continues to grow, viewers say the laughs are coming and fewer and farther between at Fox, despite the best intentions of the writers at “Titus” and “Grounded for Life,” according to Nielsen numbers.
Fox’s newest comedy, “That ’80s Show” is simply to new to make a judgment call yet, while “Futurama,” “The Family Guy” don’t even rank among the 100 most watched shows of the season-to-date.
And one of the network’s brightest new stars, “Undeclared” is on the verge of getting cancelled because its been pre-empted so much and has failed to find an audience, some observers argue.
That leaves the Emmy-winning “Malcolm” holding the cards.
Want proof?
Two seasons after “Malcolm’s” debut, the movers and shakers of TV business are still pitching shows they claim will be the “next ‘Malcolm.”
“Those are all the people who didn’t want to do ‘Malcolm’ when we first came up with it,” Boomer says.
Fox is a division of News Corp., which also owns The Post.
