The Clarissa Explains It All set in the studio
Clarissa Explains It All broke new ground for Nickelodeon, and in some
ways for Children's TV shows in general, by having a strong female
character as the dominating lead and heroine of the series.
The formula was so successful that it encouraged Nickelodeon to continue
with strong female leads in their later series, The Secret World of Alex
Mack.
While Clarissa Explains It All has come to an end after a run of 4 years and a total of 65 episodes, the characters may yet live on. Impressed by the unusual style of the show, CBS have been considering making a sequel series in which Clarissa has moved to New York and is a cub reporter on a leading newspaper. The background to this was established throughout the fourth season, but most particularly in The Final Episode. A pilot for the CBS series was shot early in 1995, and we are now hearing rumours that the series has been picked up and will be in CBS's Monday night schedule for Autumn (Fall) 1995.
The series had two distinct title sequences. The first starts with Clarissa getting out of bed, and then trying on a wide range of different outfits, proffered to her by other members of the cast. The second consists of her multiple attempts to write the programmes title on the screen, each thwarted by the arrival of another member of the cast. The first sequence was used for all of the first season episodes, and a few in the second season. The second sequence was used in the remainder. If the closing titles were short, they were typically played on a plain background. If they were longer, they would be played over the title sequence run in reverse, often at high speed.
Between the first and second seasons, the sets for the Darling household were considerably enlarged leading to some slightly confusing changes. Amongst the key changes were the new staircase leading into the kitchen, and the door through to Marshall's study just by the bottom of the stairs in the sitting room. The shape of Clarissa's room also changed.
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