It turns out we won’t be getting any new explanations from a middle-aged Clarissa. In 2018, it had been reported that Melissa Joan Hart would return as the titular character in a Clarissa Explains It All revival for Nickelodeon. She was also on board to produce the series with Mitchell Kriegman in talks to write and direct. Updates have not been fruitful since, and the reason for this, as it turns out, is that Nickelodeon has since scrapped the project.
As reported by People, Hart revealed the fate of the revival during an appearance at 90s Con on Saturday. She confirms that the series was in early development at Nickelodeon and that things were looking good. Unfortunately, a change in leadership at the company resulted in the Clarissa revival getting lost in the shuffle, and now it appears to be dead in the water. As Hart explains:
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Perhaps another 90s show with Hart in the lead could be rebooted instead. At 90s Con, Hart reunited with her Sabrina the Teenage Witch co-stars Beth Broderick (Zelda), Caroline Rhea (Hilda), Jenna Leigh Green (Libby), and Nate Richert (Harvey). Knowing that the Clarissa reboot is toast, Rhea joked, “I guess [Melissa is] gonna have to reboot us!”
What Would the Clarissa Revival Have Been Like?
According to the 2018 report, the Clarissa revival would have been written and directed by Mitchell Kriegman, the original show’s creator and author of the 2015 novel Things I Can’t Explain. The book served as a sequel to the original series, and though the character would be older in the TV revival than in the novel, its plot may have given us some clues about where a new show could have gone. You can read the official book description below.
Clarissa Explains It All originally aired for five season from 1991-94. It starred Melissa Joan Hart, Jason Zimbler, Elizabeth Hess, Joe O’Connor, and Sean O’Neal.
