The sixth season of Malcolm in the Middle premiered on November 7, 2004, on Fox, and ended on May 15, 2005, with a total of 22 episodes. Frankie Muniz stars as the title character Malcolm, and he is joined by Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan. Episodes Cast and characters Main Frankie Muniz as Malcolm Jane Kaczmarek as Lois Bryan Cranston as Hal Christopher Kennedy Masterson as Francis Justin Berfield as Reese Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey Recurring Craig Lamar Traylor as Stevie Kenarban Amy Bruckner as Zoe Cameron Monaghan as Chad Danny McCarthy as Hanson David Anthony Higgins as Craig Feldspar Emy Coligado as Piama Cloris Leachman as Ida Production In April 2004, Fox renewed Malcolm in the Middle for a sixth season. Main cast members Frankie Muniz, Jane Kaczmarek, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan return as Malcolm, Lois, Hal, Francis, Reese and Dewey respectively. Masterson made fewer appearances in the season, and it was written into the storyline that he has been fired from the ranch he joined in season four. Release Broadcast history The season premiered on November 7, 2004 on Fox, and ended on May 15, 2005 with a total of 22 episodes. Home media The season was released on Region 2 DVD on May 27, 2013, and on Region 4 DVD on September 4, 2013. Reception John Leonard of New York wrote, "[T]hose of you who have followed Malcolm to a military academy, a dude ranch, and Afghanistan, through jury duty, hangovers, shoplifting, book clubs, hot tubs, and Oliver North, ought to know better than to doubt for a second the savage savvy of Lois in her solitary splendor. All in one, she is Mother Jones, Mother Courage, Mother Goose, Mother Superior—and Pol Pot." At the 57th Primetime Emmy Awards, the song "The Marriage Bed" that was written by Eric Kaplan and composed by Charles Sydnor for the episode "Dewey's Opera" was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics. In the same ceremony, Kaczmarek was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and Cloris Leachman for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series. In 2019, Angelo Delos Trinos of Screen Rant included the episode "Pearl Harbor" in his list, "10 Episodes Of Malcolm in the Middle That Aged Poorly". He wrote, "It’s not the show’s worst