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.

[24] 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.

[28] 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.

He wrote, "It’s not the show’s worst foray into risqué territory, but Pearl Harbor really belongs in 2004 when it first aired.

"[32] In 2020, Ricky Fernandes da Conceição of Goomba Stomp named "Reese Comes Home", "Pearl Harbor", "Dewey’s Opera" and "Billboard" as among the "30 Best Episodes of Malcolm in the Middle".