Watch Clarissa Explains It All Online - Full Episodes

The series originally aired on the Nickelodeon network for five seasons. It is a teen based sitcom following the adventures of the main character Clarissa. The most notable feature of the character is that Clarissa directly speaks to the audience by looking into the camera and talking. The series was created by Mitchell Kriegman and debuted in 1991.

Clarissa Marie Darling is the main character of the show. The show centers around Clarissa, Janet her mother, Marshall her father and a younger brother named Fergueson. She also has a best friend named Sam. It is important to note that her best friend Sam is a boy. There were not many shows airing on television at the time that featured best friends of different genders.

This show was Nickelodeon's first series that centered around a female in the leading role. The thinking among network executives at the time was that a show with a female lead would not equally appeal to both boys and girls. Clarissa Explains It All shattered that myth and indeed proved that female lead shows would do well. The ratings for the show remained strong among both boys and girls throughout its run.

While the show was set in an imaginary suburb in Ohio the show was actually filmed on Nickelodeon's Florida studio in Orlando. The show's continued popularity made it the headline for Nickelodeon's Saturday night television line up. The series ended on December 3, 1994 airing a total of 65 half hour episodes. Upon completion the show immediately went into syndication, where it aired nationwide and continued to garner excellent ratings.