Clarissa Explains It All

Clarissa Explains It All
Created byMitchell Kriegman
Starring
Narrated byMelissa Joan Hart
Theme music composer
Opening theme"Clarissa Explains It All", performed by Rachel Sweet
Ending theme"Clarissa Explains It All"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5 (see note)
No. of episodes65[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerMitchell Kriegman
Production locations
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time20–26 minutes
Production companyThunder Pictures
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon
ReleaseMarch 23, 1991 (1991-03-23)[2][3] –
October 1, 1994 (1994-10-01)[4]
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Clarissa Explains It All is an American teen sitcom created by Mitchell Kriegman for Nickelodeon.[3][5] In the series, Clarissa Darling (Melissa Joan Hart)[6][7][8] is a teenager who addresses the audience directly to explain the things that are happening in her life, dealing with typical adolescent concerns such as school, boys, pimples, wearing her first training bra, and an annoying younger brother.

A total of 65 episodes were produced and aired from March 23, 1991,[2][3] to October 1, 1994, with repeats airing until August 19, 2001.[4] From August 1992 onwards, the series headlined the popular SNICK (Saturday Night Nickelodeon) lineup. Reruns of the show have appeared intermittently on TeenNick's channel block The '90s Are All That, eventually NickRewind, from 2011 to 2020.[9][10]

A pilot for a spin-off series was filmed titled "Clarissa Now". It featured Clarissa as an intern at a newspaper in New York City. The pilot was not picked up, and aired once as a special on Nickelodeon.

In 2015, Kriegman released a novel, Things I Can't Explain, which serves as a sequel to the series. In the novel, Clarissa is now in her late 20s and trying to navigate life as an adult.[11] In March 2018, it was reported that a sequel to the series was in development at Nickelodeon, with Clarissa now as a mother.[12] In March 2022, Melissa Joan Hart revealed the reboot was not moving forward at the network.[13]

  1. ^ "Clarissa To Explain It All For Final Time". Orlando Sentinel. December 17, 1993. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Television section, New York Times, March 17, 1991, and March 23, 1991.
  3. ^ a b c Lipton, Lauren (March 17, 1991). "Nickelodeon gets inside the head of a 13-year-old named Clarissa Darling". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  4. ^ a b TV Week guide, September 29 – October 5, 1994, Bryan-College Station Eagle.
  5. ^ Witchel, Alex (August 25, 1991). "UP & COMING: Melissa Joan Hart; The Melissa Inside Clarissa Explains It All for Us". New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  6. ^ Hinman, Catherine (June 22, 1991). "Clarissa She's 14, Hip And Hot The Spunky Tv Teen Has Captivated Viewers And Put Orlando-based Nickelodeon Studios On The Sitcom Map". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  7. ^ Minor, Debra K. (February 12, 1991). "New Nickelodeon Show To Be Produced Here". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  8. ^ Shrieves, Linda (January 3, 1993). "Melissa Explains Clarissa". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
  9. ^ Smiley, Brett (March 10, 2011). "Nick At Nite For Twentysomethings On The Way". MTV.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  10. ^ Rice, Lynette (March 10, 2011). "TeenNick goes retro with '90s programming -- EXCLUSIVE". EW.com. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  11. ^ "Clarissa Darling grows up in novel 'Things I Can't Explain'". EW.com. March 23, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  12. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 16, 2018). "'Clarissa Explains It All' Reboot Starring Melissa Joan Hart in the Works at Nickelodeon (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).