Where was Malcolm in the Middle based? (location, The Simpsons, shows)

[LABoundKid]

I have always wondered but never known. Over here in Oz its shown every day on the comedy channel.

[daffysentry]

You may have to try and find a Malcolm guru to answer this one. While I have seen a bunch of episodes, and laughed at most of them, I do not recall them ever revealing where exactly they live.

Perhaps, it doesn't matter. (Like 'The Simpsons' live in Springfield------the most American of towns).

[FarNorthDallas]

I thought it was California bcause the school had exterior hallways, not inside ones.

[cdc3217]

I'm pretty sure it was Southern California, but I don't know exactly where.

[TonyT]

To the best of my knowledge, the show never mentions the name of a city or town. However, in location shots and such you can see very obvious Southern California landmarks and California license plates. Strangely, later in the shows run they began showing cars with Oklahoma license plates. Seems like the producers really didn't want the show to have a specific locale.

[Rusty Shackelford]

The Simpsons is based on the state that Matt Groening was born and grew up in
it has all the same landmarks as The Simpsons version of it
but i will leave it to you to figure it out.....
a little hint try typing in Matt Groening into google......

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by Rusty Shackelford

The Simpsons is based on the state that Matt Groening was born and grew up in
it has all the same landmarks as The Simpsons version of it
but i will leave it to you to figure it out.....
a little hint try typing in Matt Groening into google......

Portland, Oregon.

And yes, Malcolm in the Middle was based in California. They never "tied" the show to California but you can see California plates as well as California Highway Patrol cruisers in a few episodes.

[mjacqu4]

I have thought for years that malcom was set in Cali, but I recently found myself looking it up again because of what I saw while re-watching "Hal's Chirstmas Gift." I usually don't participate in these discussions, but I always like a clue into where shows are set. 5:15 (netflix time) into this episode, you can clearly see that the licence plate on the car says "Cherokee State." Though it LOOKS like a Cali plate, a google search revealed that the Cherokee tribe was primarily located in the south east/mid west US.

I'm not here to try and "break down the establishment", just wondering what other people think. I always thought California fit for them, just wondering why they chose that name on the plate if they meant it to be on the west coast. Maybe trying to make it an "impossible state" like the simpsons?

[Mark S.]

Malcolm's family lives in one of the L.A. 'burbs. Not sure where Francis's military school was. I think it was sort of suggested it was in the South somewhere.

[legalsea]

How I love this show!

One thing to watch, for those new to Malcolm: with the passing of the seasons, the family's house (the exterior shots) becomes ever more run-down. It was a nice touch.