'The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story' exclusive sneak peek: 'Clarissa Explains It All'

Melissa Joan Hart discusses the groundbreaking legacy of "Clarissa Explains It All."

Video transcript

MELISSA JOAN HART: Clarissa Darling was, uh, she was a lot like me. She was just a girl who was tough, thick-skinned, creative. She was very stylish, which I was not.

- Talk about a wardrobe, huh?

MELISSA JOAN HART: You know, just kind of nonconformist-- doesn't care what anyone thinks, and is gonna to pave for her own way.

- All I know is I like to change my mind all the time

ALAN GOODMAN: "Clarissa Explains It All" changed the world. She was the first female character who wasn't sitting by the phone waiting for the boy to call.

- Clarissa is a smart, independent, self-assured 14-year-old girl. Clarissa is a feminist.

- I think girls are fantastic. I think they're really interesting. And I think actually boys like girls. Even though they say they don't I think they deeply do. I just think they don't like girlish shows because they're produced in a stupid way. They hit on stereotypes of girls.

ALAN GOODMAN: You know, the wise people of show business were always quick to tell you that girls will watch shows starring boys, but boys will not watch shows starring girls.

MELISSA JOAN HART: And "Clarissa" kind of debunked that, really. When "Clarissa" came on there were just as many boy viewers in the demographic as there were girls. So it kind of-- I think the ratings were better than they expected because it had a it had a much wider demographic.