Rotten Tomatoes calculated an approval rating of 100%, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's consensus reads, "Malcolm in the Middle blasts out of the gate with a startlingly adept child performance from Frankie Muniz, a robust family ensemble, and a distinctive, punchy visual style." On Metacritic, the season has an 88% score based on 25 reviews, indicating "Universal acclaim". Ratings The series started off with ratings of 23 million for the debut episode, and 26 million for the second episode. References 2000 American television seasons Malcolm in the Middle