No matter how many laughs a television show can squeeze from an impish boy, cracking wise and bugging out his eyes at various oppressors, a sudden end to the laughter looms. The comedy often stops when puberty starts. Fox’s Sunday night hit “Malcolm in the Middle” is the latest series to confront the reality of a star hitting adolescence, with all its attendant restructuring of face and physique and vocal cords. … Only one show has succeeded in keeping a kid in the lead for a decade: “The Simpsons” with the animated Bart Simpson. Watching Bart never mature is considered a key to its enduring appeal. “Early on, I know that the powers that be decided that no one would age,” said Tim Long, the show’s current head writer. “A kid with a starter ‘stache, that would just be unpleasant,” he added. “You don’t worry about his future because in a way he has none.” Read More >>>
