The Worst Episodes of Malcolm in the Middle
Every episode of Malcolm in the Middle ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Malcolm in the Middle!
A gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.
Lowest Rated Episodes Summary
The worst episode of "Malcolm in the Middle" is "Clip Show", rated 6.2/10 from 871 user votes. It was directed by Jamie Babbit and written by Alex Reid, Michael Borkow. "Clip Show" aired on 4/28/2002 and is rated 0.2 point(s) lower than the second lowest rated, "Clip Show 2".
6.2/10 871 votes#1 - Clip Show
Season 3 Episode 19 - Aired 4/28/2002
An embattled psychiatrist probes the boys' naughty behavior patterns in a session framed by flashbacks to past episodes.
Director: Jamie Babbit
Writer: Alex Reid, Michael Borkow
6.4/10 785 votes#2 - Clip Show 2
Season 4 Episode 17 - Aired 4/20/2003
Hal and Lois are penning their will, and think back to all the trouble their sons put them through. It is there that Lois' problems with Francis are finally revealed and how her inability to admit when she is wrong lead to a lot of the problems the family has been dealing with.
Director: Levie Isaacks
Writer: Maggie Bandur, Dan Kopelman
7.2/10 716 votes#3 - Kitty's Back
Season 6 Episode 5 - Aired 12/12/2004
Kitty returns and asks Lois for help getting Kitty's estranged husband back; Francis comes home and puts Dewey through the torturous "Brotherhood Initiation."
Director: Peter Lauer
Writer: Matthew Carlson
7.3/10 726 votes#4 - Softball
Season 5 Episode 12 - Aired 2/15/2004
Malcolm is convinced to play Softball by Lois and ends up doing very badly at it due to Lois's hold on him. Meanwhile, Francis tries to pick fights with Lois, Reese tries to break Francis's record of collecting toilet seats from a local junkyard, and Hal accidentally applies to become a member of the CIA.
Director: Ken Kwapis
Writer: Michael Glouberman
7.3/10 686 votes#5 - Living Will
Season 6 Episode 12 - Aired 3/6/2005
Hal is named executor of his neighbor's living will and must decide whether to keep him on life support or pull the plug. In attempting to make the decision, Hal discovers he is incapable of making decisions on his own because he always defers to Lois. Meanwhile, Craig asks Malcolm, Reese and Dewey to teach him how to fight dirty since a bully from his childhood is coming to town.
Director: Steve Love
Writer: Jennifer Celotta
7.3/10 657 votes#6 - Cattle Court
Season 7 Episode 20 - Aired 4/16/2006
Reese meets a cute vegetarian named Carrie when he goes back to work at the meat plant. At first, he goes along with her political talk, but she catches him with a pork chop. So, to get Carrie back, he sets free all the cows at the meat plant. Malcolm, meanwhile, tries to fool Lois in order to attend a rock concert.
Director: Peter Lauer
Writer: Michael Glouberman
7.4/10 1,301 votes#7 - Francis Escapes
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 2/27/2000
Francis goes AWOL from military school to link up with his girlfriend, a ditsy doozy who's made him gaga.
Director: Todd Holland
Writer: Linwood Boomer
7.4/10 850 votes#8 - Hal Coaches
Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 3/10/2002
Clever Hal invigorates Dewey's soccer team; sly Reese blackmails a philandering neighbor; obsessed Malcolm battles a computer program.
Director: Jeff Melman
Writer: Ian Busch
7.4/10 856 votes#9 - Jury Duty
Season 3 Episode 20 - Aired 5/1/2002
Lois gets jury duty and Hal tries to figure out what case she's working on. Meanwhile, Malcolm and Reese saw Stevie's mom naked and brag about it, they also take Dewey to the sewers and get lost.
Director: Ken Kwapis
Writer: Pang-Ni Landrum
7.4/10 772 votes#10 - Day Care
Season 4 Episode 22 - Aired 5/18/2003
With the arrival of their fifth child, Lois and Hal search for a "creative" daycare solution.
Director: Steve Love
Writer: Gary Murphy, Neil Thompson
7.4/10 727 votes#11 - Polly in the Middle
Season 5 Episode 17 - Aired 4/25/2004
Hal sets up Abe Kenarben on a blind date with Jaime's babysitter Polly but then realizes Lois has also set her up on a blind date - with Craig. Malcolm, Dewey (with his "lucky" shirt) and Reese also meet Reggie Jackson and Francis is embarrassed by Piama in front of his co-workers.
Director: Steve Love
Writer: Matthew Carlson
7.4/10 694 votes#12 - Tiki Lounge
Season 6 Episode 13 - Aired 3/13/2005
When Hal and Lois realize how little time they spend together, Hal turns the garage into a private tiki lounge where he and Lois can retreat. Things go smoothly until they feud over philosophical beliefs. Meanwhile, Mr. Herkabe cons Malcolm into joining the Booster Club, where he learns a lesson about taking one for the team.
Director: Peter Lauer
Writer: Jay Kogen
7.4/10 695 votes#13 - Stilts
Season 6 Episode 20 - Aired 5/1/2005
After Lois and Hal are reminded of the tight budget they must uphold, Hal discovers one of his boys has been dialing a 900 number. His attempt to explain the error to the hotline's billing department turns awry when he forgets to hang up the phone, incurring a whopping $800 charge. Meanwhile, Reese takes a job at a research clinic that pays him to pop experimental pills, and a reluctant Malcolm takes on a mortifying job at the Lucky Aide as a costumed Uncle Sam on stilts.
Director: Linwood Boomer
Writer: Michael Glouberman
7.4/10 681 votes#14 - College Recruiters (2)
Season 7 Episode 12 - Aired 1/29/2006
A broke Francis gets talked into getting a real job by Dewey, but one of Francis' rocker friends decides to offer him the position of tour manager of his band instead. Back home, Hal takes over the college recruiters, which Malcolm refuses to meet with, and treats each one as a suitor. However, Hal's plans are ruined when Malcolm chooses to go Harvard.
Director: Peter Lauer
Writer: Jay Kogen
7.5/10 1,066 votes#15 - High School Play
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 12/10/2000
Malcolm gets a role in the high school play and is so captivated by high school gossip that he forgets his lines. Lois discovers the joys of massage. Hal and Dewey build a society of model buildings in the living room. Francis tries to show his individualism at school when the commandant cracks down on personal belongings.
Director: Jeff Melman
Writer: Pang-Ni Landrum, Maggie Bandur
7.5/10 1,000 votes#16 - Old Mrs. Old
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 1/7/2001
Dewey starts carrying a purse to school. Francis's friend Richie joins him at military school. Malcolm becomes a slave to an old woman in the neighborhood.
Director: Todd Holland
Writer: Alan J. Higgins
7.5/10 943 votes#17 - Malcolm's Girlfriend
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 11/28/2001
Francis has to stay a couple of days in a small county jail and enjoys it more then he expected. Malcolm finds himself with a girlfriend, which add to his usual social anxiety. Dewey makes friend with a new kid in the area, helping the kid's mother to compose Dewey's dream birthday party for his new friend.
Director: Ken Kwapis
Writer: Ian Busch
7.5/10 800 votes#18 - Kicked Out
Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 3/9/2003
After Lois is out of town, Malcolm and Hal got into a fight leading Malcolm to get expelled from his house. Malcolm lives with his girlfriend in her attic, as Hal put signs for "Missing Malcolm."
Director: Jeff Melman
Writer: Alex Reid
7.5/10 790 votes#19 - Hal's Friend
Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 3/30/2003
Malcolm tries to emancipate Dabney from his overbearing mother while Hal invites his ne'er-do-well old buddy to the house. At the ranch, Francis is forced to share a room with Otto.
Director: Jeff Melman
Writer: Dan Kopelman
7.5/10 769 votes#20 - Academic Octathalon
Season 4 Episode 16 - Aired 4/13/2003
An academic competition faces the Krelboynes in an event Malcolm derides. Especially when he learns his teacher has a cheating plan. Also: a commitment to a formal dance ruffles Reese, who's now trying to ditch his date.
Director: Todd Holland
Writer: Rob Hanning
7.5/10 793 votes#21 - Reese's Party
Season 4 Episode 18 - Aired 4/27/2003
When Hal and Lois go out of town for a "last chance" getaway before the baby comes, Reese has a big bash that gets out of hand. College-age thugs show up, cancel the party and set up a drug-making operation in the garage. All Reese and Malcolm can do is knuckle under. The good news is, Dewey's not around. The bad news is, his baby sitter is Lois's annoying co-worker Craig. Meanwhile, Hal and his very pregnant wife are off at a romantic retreat---feuding.
Director: Levie Isaacks
Writer: Andy Bobrow
7.5/10 794 votes#22 - Future Malcolm
Season 4 Episode 19 - Aired 5/4/2003
Leonard, a cynical, genius chess player with no friends or job, makes Malcolm think he could grow into a similar adulthood. Determined to prevent this undesirable fate, Malcolm tries to help Leonard change his life by lining him up for a job interview with the obnoxious Craig. Meanwhile, Francis finds employ as a nude model and begins to delight in the exposure.
Director: Ken Kwapis
Writer: Michael Glouberman, Andrew Orenstein
7.5/10 807 votes#23 - Vegas
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 11/2/2003
When Dewey's pet rabbit does good in a state contest, the family must travel to Las Vegas for the nationals. But Reese unknowingly sells the rabbit to a restaurant. Now it is up to Dewey (with a little help from a "choking" Reese) to try and save the rabbit. Meanwhile, Malcolm tells Hal and Lois that they embarras him, and that is why he didn't tell them he won state science honors. As a form of repayment, Malcolm gets great seats for him and Lois to see Lois' favorite singer. Lois then gets lucky and is invited backstage where all she really wants to do is figure out why Malcolm doesn't want her around. Hal, on the other hand, is looking all across Las Vegas for a slot machine that he has had dreams of winning the jackpot on. Francis is also in trouble when he gets behind on duties at the ranch, and for the first time sees that Otto isn't just a pushover for everything.
Director: Bryan Cranston
Writer: Michael Glouberman, Andrew Orenstein
7.5/10 732 votes#24 - Hot Tub
Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 1/25/2004
Jamie's babysitter coerces Malcolm into doing a "small" task for her; Dewey finds a friend, only to lose him to Reese; Francis persuades Otto to confront an old adversary that once courted Gretchen.
Director: James Simons
Writer: Andy Bobrow
7.5/10 735 votes#25 - Malcolm Visits College
Season 5 Episode 16 - Aired 3/28/2004
Lois tags along with Malcolm as he visits a college, but she's determined to room in the dorm Malcolm is staying in when she learns the room is co-ed. Meanwhile, after his father denies him a piano, Dewey begins stealing objects from around the house to amuse himself and to drive Hal crazy. Reese meets a girl, who he thinks is a narc, and he pretends he is a dealer, unaware that she is really an undercover cop.
Director: Peter Lauer
Writer: David Wright