LOS ANGELES — Sobbing and sewage might seem an odd combination — unless the subject is "Malcolm in the Middle."

The two elements meshed during the filming of the series finale of Fox's rollicking family comedy in 2006. The memory of that day sparked a smile from actor Jane Kaczmarek, who played no-nonsense mother Lois on the show.

"The youngest son in the show, Dewey, who didn't want to graduate from high school, blew up the sewers," said Kaczmarek recently, referencing her former co-star Erik Per Sullivan, as she sat in the spacious backyard of her Pasadena home. "So all of us were covered in this substance and we were absolutely filthy!"

The messy shenanigans marked a fitting conclusion to the series that premiered in 2000 about a comically dysfunctional family and which became one of Fox's signature hits during its seven-season run. The outrageous antics revolving around the experiences of fretful teen prodigy Malcolm were always anchored by his family's tight bond.

After the cameras stopped rolling and the brown "sewage" was washed off, "we all started crying and holding each other as we said goodbye," Kaczmarek recalled.

The cast members went their distinctly separate ways. Bryan Cranston transitioned from befuddled dad Hal to lethal drug lord Walter White in "Breaking Bad." Frankie Muniz, who played Malcolm, pursued professional race car driving. Kaczmarek focused on her family and three children. They all kept in touch.

But two decades after that final comic bow, the wackiness of "Malcolm" is making a comeback, as the show's ensemble reunites for a four-episode revival, "Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair," premiering this week on Hulu.

The new project reveals that Malcolm has become a single father with a teenage daughter, Leah (Keeley Karsten), and is working in computer systems assisting food banks. To protect his sanity, he has kept away from his family for more than a decade.

While Hal and Lois are excited as they prepare to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, their joy is derailed when they finally confront Malcolm. The shock increases when they learn they have a granddaughter. Mayhem ensues.

Kaczmarek beamed as she talked about getting back together with her former co-stars: "I always thought that show was like lightning in a bottle. 'Malcolm' was a mega-hit and a dream come true. So getting together with everyone again was just wonderful."

When asked about the best part of the project, she quickly responded, "Dancing with Bryan. That's always fun."

Also returning to the "Malcolm" universe is creator and writer Linwood Boomer, along with his wife, Tracy Katsky Boomer.

"It feels very, very weird," said Linwood in a recent video interview. "I've kept in touch with everyone, but going back to work with them was very different."

"It was also very fun," Tracy added. "Someone said it was going back and seeing your favorite people from summer theater camp."

Missing out on the reunion is Sullivan, who has retired from acting and declined to participate in the project. Replacing him as the older Dewey is Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.

Boomer said the key force pushing for a "Malcolm" revival was Cranston. "Bryan came to me while he was in the middle of 'Breaking Bad.' It was incredible. He's got a dump truck full of Emmys, and he's trying to line up something for 'Malcolm,' " he said.

Cranston confirmed that assertion in a separate interview.

"I would describe it as being the irritant in Linwood's underwear," said Cranston, who is also an executive producer. "I kept poking him every year and a half about how we should do this. So many things were left open. Malcolm was going off to college, Lois had gotten pregnant. It really did merit some kind of reexamination."

Kaczmarek said that Cranston was relentless: "He would tell me, 'I really want to get us back together again.' I told him, 'I think you're just tired of murdering people on 'Breaking Bad.' The bottom line was he just wanted to be Hal again and have fun."

But Boomer was resistant, saying they had already filmed 151 episodes of the show and he didn't have anything else to say. "But then Tracy came up with this idea: What if Malcolm had a daughter who was completely like him, the same personality and impulsiveness? That would suck," he said. "Malcolm would have to witness that and realize he's partially responsible for it."

Also going through their own difficulties are Hal and Lois as they encounter Malcolm's feelings about them, while also being shocked by the news that they have a granddaughter.

Currently racing full time for NASCAR, Muniz said in a video interview that he was thrilled to get back together with his TV family. He was particularly upbeat about working with Kaczmarek: "When I saw Jane, it was like I was with my mom again and no time had passed."

Muniz and Kaczmarek were the breakout stars of the original series, featured in numerous profiles and magazine articles. Their popularity overshadowed Cranston's. Kaczmarkek, who at the time called her TV husband "the heart and soul" of "Malcolm," called the imbalance "terribly uncomfortable."

But Cranston, whose role as the antihero Walter in "Breaking Bad" launched a meteoric rise to major stardom, accepted the situation at the time with grace. "When I see Jane and I know what this has done for her, all I feel is happiness," he said in a 2001 interview. "I'm thrilled to death for Frankie."

Before "Malcolm," Kaczmarek was a veteran of several TV series, including "Hill Street Blues," "Frasier," "The Paper Chase" and "Cybill." She played Robert De Niro's wife in "Falling in Love," and appeared in the films "D.O.A.," "Pleasantville" and "The Chamber."

Her portrayal of the strict disciplinarian Lois established her as a distinctive member of prominent TV mothers who included June Lockhart ("Lassie" and "Lost in Space"), Barbara Billingsley ("Leave It to Beaver"), Phylicia Rashad ("The Cosby Show") and Roseanne Barr ("Roseanne").

Her take-no-prisoners portrayal of Lois quickly became a defining career highlight. "Those kids had to be really clever to get one over on eagle-eyed Lois," she said.

She added that the character was always dear to her, as was her parenting style. "I never did anything on the show that I would not have done in real life," she said. "'No' is a complete sentence, and parents should tell their kids that more frequently. On 'Malcolm,' it was a dysfunctional family. But it was also highly functional. We had dinner together every night."

Her goals were clear after the series ended. Her three children were born during the run of the show, and she wanted to devote time to them. She moved to Pasadena and became involved in community work and charities.

"Having a family and kids was always important to me, and I missed that home life," she said, noting that she was married at the time to Bradley Whitford, who had a major role on "The West Wing."

"It was very happy for a long time, and then different priorities took over." Their divorce was finalized in 2010 after a 17-year marriage.

Now that her children are grown, Kaczmarek has recently entered a new phase of life, newly married to her high school sweetheart, with whom she reconnected during their 50th high school reunion.

"I'm 70 years old and I'm madly in love with my husband, who's in Wisconsin," she said, noting she splits her time between the two places. "He loves being here and I love being there. I don't want to be away from him. I want to read, I want to watch Green Bay Packer games. I have a lot of family there, and I really want to enjoy my life. I'm feeling very content."

Every once in a while she will run across an item or article asking the question: "Whatever happened to Jane Kaczmarek?"

She has a quick answer: "I had a life."

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