Followers of Malcolm in the Middle were thrilled when Frankie Muniz shared a new picture reuniting with his former TV siblings, Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield, though the excitement was soon tinged with concern from some who felt Berfield appeared unwell.
“I was told not to post this yet, but then I remembered the theme song,” Muniz, 39, wrote alongside the image shared via Instagram on Thursday, October 23. “I’m just too excited for y’all to see the new episodes and I miss my brothers.”
The photograph showed Muniz standing with Masterson, 45, and Berfield, 39, in front of a structure that seemed to be a studio building. All three men were smiling for the camera, dressed in casual sweaters and jeans; Muniz wore a gray zip-up, Masterson a dark green sweater, and Berfield a navy one.
Although the reunion picture initially seemed full of cheer, numerous fans in the comment section quickly focused on Berfield’s physical appearance, noting that he looked significantly thinner than in their memories.
“He got a lot more skinny than he was during the show!!” one person wrote, while another added, “He looks hella different.”
Several other commenters mentioned they “didn’t even recognize him,” though a number of people promptly defended Berfield. “Not sure why people are commenting about Justin’s looks…the dude is 40 in a few months,” one fan wrote. “He looks like a 40 year old. Lol like is he supposed to look 15 still?”
Another person chimed in and said, “He looks great guys, it’s been almost 20 years.” Berfield portrayed the character of Reese across all 151 episodes of Malcolm in the Middle from the years 2000 to 2006. Following the conclusion of the series, he largely retreated from on-camera work and shifted his focus to a role behind the scenes in producing.
By 2010, he had ascended to the position of Chief Creative Officer at Virgin Produced, the entertainment division of the Virgin Group, where he contributed to the development and packaging of films such as Limitless and Bad Moms.
When news emerged about the show’s planned revival, he was prepared to make a comeback. In February, he confirmed he would once again play the role of Reese, marking his first credited on-screen acting performance in almost twenty years.
The revival of the series, named ‘Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair’, will be a four-episode miniseries streaming on Disney+ that brings together most of the original Wilkerson family, including Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, two decades after the original show concluded.
Regrettably, Erik Per Sullivan, who originally played Dewey, will not be returning to his part. The character has been recast with Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.