Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Unfair exceeded expectations by garnering 8.1 million views globally in its first three days, marking a significant success for the show's cast and fans. This revival has reignited interest in the original series, recording an increase of 18 million viewing hours compared to the previous week. But what should come next? You could turn to Agent Cody Banks to see more of the talented Frankie Muniz, but with a score of 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, that might not be the best idea. The best option is Netflix, which has the perfect 9-season sitcom to meet your needs: The Middle.

The Middle was initially set to premiere in 2007 with Ricki Lake in the lead role, but ABC changed its mind, opting to recast nearly all the roles and requesting a second pilot test, ultimately choosing the underappreciated Patricia Heaton instead of Lake. The restructured series takes place in the fictional town of Orson, Indiana, and premiered on September 30, 2009. Interestingly, Heaton plays a character named "Frankie." Frankie is the mother of the Heck family and serves as the narrator throughout the series, depicting a lower-middle-class family that loves each other deeply but struggles to make ends meet.

Following the traditional style of sitcoms, the Heck family possesses unique traits that complicate the most ordinary situations. Frankie is a frustrating, overburdened woman who is often stressed by the chaos she creates (procrastination, laziness, and ultimately the lies that trouble her), yet she inflicts pain on anyone who dares to wrong her family. Her husband Mike (Neil Flynn) is the rational voice of reason and Frankie’s perfect complement, a working-class man who is practical, approaches work without jokes, and avoids sentimentality and social interactions.

The family includes three children: Axl, Sue, and Brick. The oldest son Axl (Charlie McDermott) is sarcastic, unmotivated, and overly confident, often wearing only boxers at home. Axl, a talented athlete, is smart despite the "dumb jock" stereotype and enjoys annoying his siblings. The middle child Sue (Eden Sher) is characterized by her flawed optimism; despite her quirky style and experiences of failure leading to social ostracism, she maintains a surprisingly positive outlook on life. The youngest, Brick (Atticus Shaffer), is an intellectual who prefers reading books over everything else and is characterized by his mysterious "whispering" sounds, whispering the ends of his sentences, licking objects, and his passion for fonts.

Supported by memorable side characters like the eccentric neighbor Rita Glossner (Brooke Shields), Brad (Brock Ciarlelli), and the famous young preacher Reverend Tim Tom (Paul Hipp), The Middle is truly a great show, and ABC deemed it worthy of a full season renewal after airing just two episodes. The choice to center the story around a lower-middle-class family was a clever move, highlighting a demographic often overlooked in sitcoms and presenting relatable moments like choosing between fixing the dishwasher or having dinner. Unlike the trope of a wife constantly berating a childish husband seen in Heaton's previous show Everybody Loves Raymond, Frankie and Mike form a team.