“Malcolm in the Middle,” debuting at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on Fox, isn’t doing anything particularly novel or something that can’t already be seen during this current TV season. The new family sitcom is just doing things a little better than most.

The series’ protagonist, Malcolm (played by Frankie Muniz), is the second-youngest of four brothers. The eldest brother, Francis (played by Christopher Kennedy Masterson), who is his favorite, has been shipped off to military school because of his antics.

That leaves Malcolm in the middle between slow-minded Reese (Justin Berfield), whose fists “work exactly twice as fast as his brain,” and youngest brother Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), who is “trapped somewhere between toddler and hamster.”

To make matters worse, math whiz Malcolm, with an IQ of 165, has just been placed in the “gifted” class. To be surrounded by a bunch of social misfits and geeks is an honor he neither sought nor wants.

“Malcolm in the Middle” doesn’t make the mistake that many shows do of portraying the parents as blithering dunderheads. Although they’re not sure how they ended up with a genius son, Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) are just doing the best they can to keep things together until the last of their children turns 18.

Now this comedy does make use of the most overutilized gimmick on TV this season by having Malcolm occasionally break down the fourth wall and address the audience. But it works, since the bright boy has trouble relating either to his family or his gifted peers. He’s just looking for someone who understands.

Muniz is a find as Malcolm, and Cranston and Kaczmarek both add depth to characters who could be one-dimensional in less-skilled hands. The series sometimes slips into easy sentimentalism, but if creator Linwood Boomer and crew can keep its edge, “Malcolm in the Middle” should develop into a pleasure to watch.