Splitsider

Matthew Klickstein’s series on the shows of the golden-age of Nickelodeon continues today with an in-depth interview with Clarissa Explains It All creator Mitchell Kriegman. Here’s a taste:

Clarissa was smart. She wasn’t trying to be a “star.” Being a star for Clarissa would have been a step down. Her character wasn’t aspiring to be famous in a rock and roll star kind of way. She admired smart people. She admired Madonna, but she admired a scientist, for that matter. She was way more cool than the characters from these other shows.

The shows that came after are supposed to be “aspirational,” but [their characters] are really aspiring be show business stars, which is about the least functional, least useful thing in the world. American Idol and all these shows are great, but being a scientist or being a journalist or being a painter or being anything is more important.

(Source: splitsider.com)