Clarissa Explains It All

Clarissa Explains It All was a quirky situation comedy television series from Nickelodeon starring a then unknown Melissa Joan Hart. Sixty-five episodes were shown from 1991 to 1994. In the series, Clarissa, a teenager, breaks the fourth wall and describes the things that are happening in her life (dealing with typical teen concerns such as school, pimples and aggravating little brother) to her television audience.

Related Topics:
Situation comedy - Nickelodeon - Melissa Joan Hart - 1991 - 1994 - Fourth wall - School - Pimple

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The main characters in the show are Clarissa Darling, her family (consisting of her father Marshall, her mother Janet and her brother Ferguson) and her best friend Sam.

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The show was filmed at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida. It was an enormous success, generating some of the highest ratings for a cable production, remarkable given its status as a "kids" TV show. The final season of the show headlined the popular SNICK (Saturday Night-Nick) lineup, which was a fantastic lead-in to shows like "All That", and "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Despite its seemingly innocent reputation, in hindsight "Clarissa" probably pushed a few boundaries at the time, even making subtle references to sex and teen partying, though in a light-hearted, contemporary fashion. In one episode in the series, Clarissa's character even shoplifts lingerie--albeit accidentally.

Related Topics:
Orlando, Florida - SNICK - All That - Are You Afraid of the Dark? - Sex

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A pilot for a follow-on series, Clarissa Now, was shot for CBS in 1995, but was not picked up. However, the pilot was shown on a few occasions on Nickelodeon after the original series had ended production. The series would have revolved around Clarissa's internship at a New York City newspaper. Comedian Robert Klein co-starred as the newspaper's crusty editor, Hugh Hamilton.

Related Topics:
CBS - Robert Klein

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In 2002 Hart said that she would not be interested in a cast reunion project; "No. Shirley Temple taught me one thing. And that was once you finish a career, you move on."

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In May 2005, the show's first season (with forthcoming seasons a few months down the road) was released on DVD by Nickelodeon's sister company, Paramount Pictures.

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