The First Season

Clarissa Explains It All is one of many shows I grew up watching. The series first aired in 1991 on Nickelodeon and lasted for five seasons. This show was Melissa Joan Hart's (Sabrina the Teenage Witch) first big break as an actress. The series is about the world from the perspective of one Clarissa Darling (Hart). The show is filmed in a manner where Clarissa goes about her daily live and she talks directly to the camera and explains what's going on. A similar approach was done with Saved By the Bell. Clarissa is a young girl in junior high school, and while her insights and views on life are a bit premature, the series proves to be entertaining. It is lighthearted in its family-oriented comedy and while geared towards a young audience, the show is actually a lot smarter than it appears.

Clarissa commonly makes references to things one would consider above her age group. For instance, she makes several references to key figures in history like Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud, the Constitution, and many other concepts I completely missed when I was a young teenager watching this series. There are also other rather advance concepts Clarissa gets into. In one episode, "No T.V." she setups a frequency modulator to convert an analog television signal into a digital signal, which she wires into a RGB computer monitor, such that it functions as a television set. Furthermore, Clarissa is quite the computer programmer. In many of the episodes she creates simulations, or rather video games of different situations going in her life.

What really brings this show together is the way Clarissa and the other characters interact. The most interesting relationship is Clarissa and her younger brother Ferguson (Jason Zimbler). He is your stereotypical annoying little brother. He kisses up to mom and dad (who usually buy it), yet he is truly sneaky and devious. The relationship comes off pretty cute and sometimes realistic in terms of sibling rival. The other character who helps Clarissa on a day to day basis is her neighbor and best friend Sam Anders (Sean O'Neal). As an individual character, Sam doesn't add a lot to the show. He seems to show up just to help Clarissa out, and he usually disappears as quickly as he appeared. The other characters include Clarissa's parents Janet (Elizabeth Hess), a health nut whose health conscious ways are the butt of jokes or problems for Clarissa, and Marshall (Joe O'Connor), an architect who builds weird themed buildings and a somewhat clueless guy.

Another interesting aspect of the show is the way Clarissa, Sam, or Ferguson can blow certain things completely out of portion. Their irregular and unreal perception of life really adds to their youthfulness. Basically, they run into common everyday situations that afflict young kids and treat the situations as if it were the end of the world. The episode "The Bully" is a good example, were Ferguson gets taken advantage of by the local bully. You know that one big kid who wants your lunch money! There are also common daily situations for the entire family. In "No T.V.", Janet bans television for everyone and the outcome is pretty crazy. In general the situations we see Clarissa and family get into are common problems a young kid gets into or family problems, which are blown slightly out of proportion, but always very fun.

Overall, I really enjoyed this chance to be reacquainted with Clarissa Explains It All. The series is quite rich with light hearted comedy, and while not always serious, the young perspective allows these diversions from reality. This season is enjoyable and should really work for people of all ages who enjoy good family oriented fun.

Episode Guide
1. Clarissa's Revenge
2. School Picture
3. No T.V.
4. Urge to Drive
5. Clarissa News Network
6. Haunted House
7. The Bully
8. New Addition
9. Brain Drain
10. Clarissa Makes a Cake
11. Parents Who Say No
12. Cool Dad
13. Sick Days

The DVD

Video:
The video is given in its original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame color. The quality is fairly good considering its age. There is a noticeable grain and minor compression artifacts. However, the defects aren't so bad that it ruins the presentation. They are common to what you'll find on most TV on DVD releases.

Audio:
The audio is given in English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo sound. The sound quality is very basic. It is adequate for the presentation and offers a flat dialogue driven track. There is nothing really impressive or disappointing about it. This DVD release also supported closed captioning.

Extras:
The special features included for Clarissa Explains It All are found on disc 2. The first is MTV Cribs Tour, which is a seven minute segment from MTV Cribs. In it, Hart shows off home. The screen cap to the right is "Witches' Brew", which is the bar in her house. I think it was pretty cool this segment was included as an extra. The last extra is Nick Time Capsule. It doesn't really have anything to do with Hart or the show, but it helps set the time period for when the show aired. It is nine different TV spots for Nickelodeon, where the Nickelodeon logo gets flashed. It is a real trip (nostalgia) and brings back all sorts of memories.

Final Thoughts:
When I first started watching Clarissa Explains It All, I was barely in my teens. And now in my mid-twenties, I have found this show is still funny and entertaining. It is cute in such a way that it is really hard not to enjoy. The light hearted comedy that results from a young teenage girl's perspective on life as she tackles what appears to be big life situations to her is done very well. Overall I think this show is a very fun family oriented sitcom that people of all ages can enjoy.