# Some Things I Don't Understand About Malcolm in the Middle **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 30, 2000, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358 "2000-11-30T13:38:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/41 "2001-01-19T20:11:33Z")
Has anyone seen the new show “Grounded for Life,” speaking of family sitcoms? It ain’t exactly Nöel Coward—or “The Simpsons,” for that matter—but my expectations have sunk so low that I don’t actually think it sucks. Worth giving a try to, anyway; good cast. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/42 "2001-01-19T20:20:45Z")
Oh, yeah, **Gunslinger** , when I’m trying to think of words to describe {b]They Might Be Giants\*\*, “new” and “unknown” are the first two that leap to mind. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/43 "2001-01-19T20:40:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gunslinger \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Kricket \* > > \*\*Has anyone caught who sings the theme song? At first I thought it was Weird Al, but now I’m not so sure. \*\* > > Nope. It’s some new, unknown band, but I don’t remember their name. They showed a music video of it after the season premeire, though. \*\* It’s called “You’re Not The Boss Of Me” and it’s by They Might Be Giants. Some new unknown band, indeed. BAH! Gunslinger, you have forgotten the face of your father! ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/44 "2001-01-19T20:42:32Z")
Refresh the thread before posting to it…refresh the thread before posting to it… ::walks away muttering to self:: ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/45 "2001-01-19T20:47:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gunslinger \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Kricket \* > > \*\*Has anyone caught who sings the theme song? At first I thought it was Weird Al, but now I’m not so sure. \*\* > > Nope. It’s some new, unknown band, but I don’t remember their name. They showed a music video of it after the season premeire, though. \*\* New! Unknown! No! It’s They Might Be Giants, who have been around in excess of TEN YEARS! They rule! ---
**Author:** ![urlnotfound](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@urlnotfound](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urlnotfound)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/46 "2001-01-19T20:59:43Z")
Another interesting Malcolm in the Middle/That 70s Show connection is that Francis is dating in real life Laura Prepon, the redheaded hottie on That 70s Show. She is also the cover girl of Maxim magazine this month. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/47 "2001-01-19T21:47:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bouv \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Gunslinger \* > > \*\* > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > \*Originally posted by Kricket \* > > > \*\*Has anyone caught who sings the theme song? At first I thought it was Weird Al, but now I’m not so sure. \*\* > > > > Nope. It’s some new, unknown band, but I don’t remember their name. They showed a music video of it after the season premeire, though. \*\* > > New! Unknown! No! > It’s They Might Be Giants, who have been around in excess of TEN YEARS! They rule! \*\* The #1 most popular band with two members who both have the same name “John.” ---
**Author:** ![Kricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f14d63/32.png) [@Kricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kricket)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2001, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/48 "2001-01-19T21:55:28Z")
Thank you guys, I didn’t mean to start a slam fest with that question. And another hijack about Grounded for life. We watched it with our kids three of them close to teens (damn that’s scary!) two of them girls, and my husband warned them that the way that girl was acting is not true life. After the kids went to bed I told him that he had a real suprise comming! My sister and I put my parents through hell, and I am sure that our girls will too. They are already bickering over stupid little things. And about that 70’s show, my husband is under the opinion that the show is great, but could be so much better if all the young girls were Nekkid. Well, that’s a man for ya’! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tzel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tzel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzel)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2001, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/49 "2001-01-20T00:52:32Z")
Yeah, I agree. Grounded For Life does kind of not suck. But it’s like Fox said, “Hey, Malcolm in the Middle worked, let’s make another show just like it except instead of preteen boys, we’ll use a teenage girl.” The basic premise of both is to try to portray modern family life as realistically as possible while still being funny. They do fairly well, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2001, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/50 "2001-01-20T01:09:00Z")
I always thought the name Reese called them was “crumoids” or “crumbums” or something. I dunno, I’m prolly waaaay off. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2001, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/51 "2001-01-20T01:22:10Z")
turn on the captions, that should tell you a lot about the show because the captions are right from the script. It’s mostly about a dyfunctional family like mine… The show Titus is similar. People with highly functional families might not understand these shows but for me they are a gem. ---
**Author:** ![Skwerl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Skwerl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skwerl)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2001, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358/52 "2001-01-20T03:52:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rastahomie \* > 5. Their yard looks _terrible_! At first I thought it was a gag by the writers as a way of saying: _Hey, these people are so low-class, look at how bad they keep their yard! Har har har!_ But then I thought, ya know, their house seems to be in a nice-enough neighborhood. Surely they aren’t too poor to own a lawn mower. And what with neighborhood covenants and all, their neighbors would probably have sued them out of the neighborhood by now if they kept their yard like that. But then I thought, maybe they live in Southern California, where keeping a yard is pretty tricky, what with the lack or rain and tight water restrictions and all. But then I thought, whoa! You’re taking this way too seriously. But now I’m rambling… So what gives? > > Thanks. \*\* For some reason I remember in the first episode a little joke: as the kids were walking to school, you can see that in each of the neighboring houses’ yards is a For Sale sign. Hehe! I love that show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-things-i-dont-understand-about-malcolm-in-the-middle/43358.md?page=2)