Watch The Best of Clarissa Explains It All

TV-G
1991
5 Seasons
7.1 (9,227)

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.

Filter by Source

Do you have Paramount+?

What are you waiting for?

Nice! Browse Paramount+ with Yidio.

Ad Info

13. The Last Episode

October 1, 1994

Clarissa ponders how weird the time space continuum is. Clarissa's last assignment for the Dispatch will be an article dedicated to the future...where will everyone be in 20 years?

12. Clarissa Gets Arrested

July 23, 1994

Clarissa is tired of people being apathetic about important issues and she decides it's time to take action. She discovers that Woolcott Industries is still doing animal testing at the local plant. Clarissa is determined to write an editorial blasting them and, in addition, she and Sam stage a peaceful protest outside the plant. Both Sam and Clarissa wind up in jail debating over whose parents to call and come bail them out.

11. U.F.O

July 16, 1994

Clarissa discovers that real science can be really weird. After interviewing a woman who supposedly spotted a U.F.O., Clarissa decides to get to the bottom of the U.F.O. phenomena herself.

10. Ferguson Explains it All

April 23, 1994

Ferguson commiserates on being the youngest in a family. No matter what...he's always the victim. But starting today, things will never be the same. Ferguson has ordered a pair of mind control glasses. A mere glance will have people in his power. He searches everywhere for Clarissa--she's the first family member he's going to put under his mind control spell.

9. Dear Clarissa

March 12, 1994

Since Clarissa has so many opinions these days, she thinks it would be really cool to be a professional opinion-giver. Her advice column has been in the school paper for a few days and the response has been great but the letters have been pretty silly.

8. Janet & Clarissa, Inc.

February 5, 1994

Clarissa has a class assignment to invent and market an environmentally safe product. Janet is in the kitchen making health treats which are delicious and they bounce when dropped on the floor. What a great idea for a fun new food product: "Bouncy Balls". Clarissa actually has people interested in ordering Bouncy Balls, but could she and her mom go into business for real??

7. Educating Janet

October 16, 1993

Janet's a substitute teacher at Clarissa and Ferguson's school for two weeks. Clarissa feels it's cramping her style and is miserable when Janet is offered a permanent position.

6. The Zone

July 10, 1993

Clarissa goes to music class and the only instrument left is the flute. It used to be a drag to play but she's been playing effortlessly and beautifully. Mrs. Doppeldew, the music teacher, wants Clarissa to do a flute solo at next week's music recital.

5. Hero Worship

June 26, 1993

Eve, the meek and mousy new girl in school, worships Clarissa and starts copying her style. Clarissa gets fed up when she starts taking over her life.

4. Roadtrip

May 8, 1993

The annual family vacation to Lake Winnemucca is usually filled with doom and disaster. But this year is going to be different. . .the whole family is going to the Grand Canyon!

3. Editor in Chief

November 23, 1993

Clarissa becomes the editor in chief for her school newspaper. Sam also decides to work for the paper by writing alternative music reviews. Clarissa explains she has to be objective and can't play favorites.

3. Commitment

April 17, 1993

Clarissa likes Clifford, but she isn't ready to go steady. He dates another girl who spreads a rumor that Clarissa is too fickle to commit. Clarissa decides to prove her wrong by going steady with another boy.

2. A New Mom

November 13, 1993

Clarissa has a history assignment: take something old, tired, and worn out and reinvent it. Clarissa tries to remodel her mother.

2. ESP R Us

March 27, 1993

Clarissa and her friend Olivia often share the same thoughts and tastes, so Olivia is convinced she's a psychic. Clarissa decides to have Olivia take a psychic test to prove her wrong. When the test results arrive they're accompanied by a bill for 99.95. Now it's up to Olivia to use her ESP to pick the winning Lotto number so they can pay the bill.

1. The Cycle

October 23, 1993

Clarissa is dropping hints about how badly she wants a car, but her parents just keep saying "NO CAR"! But they didn't say "NO MOTORCYCLE"!

1. The Flu

March 13, 1993

When Marshall and Janet come down with the flu, it's up to Clarissa and Ferguson to take care of the household chores.

Description

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.

The Best of Clarissa Explains It All is a series that is currently running and has 5 seasons (70 episodes). The series first aired on March 23, 1991.

Where to Watch The Best of Clarissa Explains It All

The Best of Clarissa Explains It All is available for streaming on the Nickelodeon website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch The Best of Clarissa Explains It All on demand at Apple TV Channels, Paramount+, Amazon Prime, Amazon, Vudu, Microsoft Movies & TV and Apple TV.