As someone who lived most of his childhood in the late ’90s, I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s a sucker for nostalgia. When it comes to sequel series like Fuller House, Girl Meets World, and Cobra Kai, I know I’m the target audience. The quality of each of those shows is absolutely debatable, and their existence is even more so. The same can be said for the return of Malcolm in the Middle.

Compared to the likes of Full House, Boy Meets World, and Karate Kid, Malcolm shouldn’t really compare. But when you look at its run contextually, the show’s success was a miracle. It enjoyed seven seasons on Fox’s comedy lineup from 2000 to 2006. During that time, family-based sitcoms were considered washed. The fact that it didn’t have a laugh track made it an even bigger risk. And if you ask me, the biggest risk was the fact that it wasn’t even an animated comedy on Fox’s Sunday night block.

So how did it defy the odds? Brilliant writing, excellent casting, and its brand of absurdity put it over the top. And they did it again.

That was then. This is also… then.

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair takes place 20 years after the original series ended. Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) has since graduated from college and made quite a life for himself working at a non-profit while raising a daughter (Keeley Karsten) of his own. Meanwhile, Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) are still happily married and are planning their 40th wedding anniversary. Not too far from them are Malcolm’s older brother Reese (Justin Berfield), his eldest brother Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson), and his wife Piama (Emy Goligado).

Everybody is here. Well, almost everybody. Dewey is seen on the show living in Paris, but his role was re-cast and is now played by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark. Ellsworth-Clark has a striking resemblance to what Dewey would look like as an adult, so it was a fine casting. A bunch of others make their return too, but I’ll leave that for fans to see for themselves.

Unapologetically Malcolm

One way to know you’re watching a good sequel series is to be able to tune in and still get it. The aforementioned examples of Fuller House, Girl Meets World, and Cobra Kai all did that, but Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair did it better. The real joy from Life’s Still Unfair is that as soon as you load the series up, you already know that, despite some formal differences, you’re watching Malcolm in the Middle.

Each episode in this four-episode mini-season runs for half an hour with no commercials. Outside of that, the one really noticeable difference between this and the original show is there’s some cursing. After all, this is Hulu. At the same time, it’s been 20 years, so it all feels more than earned.

The other main difference is that this feels like a four-part episode because they each revolve around the same plot line. Hal and Lois are about to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, and they want everybody there, but guess who doesn’t wanna be there… Yep, Malcolm.

Malcolm estranged himself from this dysfunctional family that more or less broke him, and it’s because of this that, for the betterment of the show but to the detriment of his character growth, he’s the same person. He’s arguably worse.

Life’s Still Unfair

That’s what makes the show so fascinating. Everybody is the same person. Malcolm still overanalyzes things to a science that usually backfires for him, and in this case, it took 20 years to backfire. Those 20 years did nothing for Reese. He’s still a jerk. Just when you think Francis has discovered some maturity, he proves he’s still a manchild, and as usual, his wife Piyama calls him out on it.

Lois is still too strong for her own good. Hal does some wild stuff in these four episodes that’ll make you respect Bryan Cranston’s craft as an actor that much more.

And these are just the known quantities. There’s still Malcolm’s daughter Leah, who is just like Malcolm, except way more likable as a character. Then there’s Tristan (Kiana Madeira), Malcolm’s girlfriend, whom we spend the first couple of episodes wondering whether or not she and Leah will get along in both the cutest and most hilarious ways. These new characters, along with Kelly (Vaughn Murrae), Malcolm’s youngest sibling, a breathe fresh air into the show you don’t realize is necessary.

We Need More Than Four

There is so much more to go over that we aren’t allowed to talk about yet, but if you were ever a fan of Malcolm in the Middle, Life’s Still Unfair is every bit as enjoyable and funny. The first episode of which ends in such a hilarious but obvious cliffhanger that only Malcolm’s family can pull off, and seeing the comedic chops of Bryan Cranston as Hal again is sure to make people shake their heads in positive disbelief.

The finale of the four-episode engagement also isn’t without its surprises, and now that we sort of have a new Malcolm in his daughter, there definitely are a bunch of ways a renewal to this series can go, and it’s hard to not look forward to the antics.

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair starts streaming on Disney+ and Hulu April 10.