Growing up as a teen in the ’90′s, my favorite TV show, hands down, was Clarissa Explains It All. I wanted to BE Clarissa. I coveted her quirky fashion (like MY parents wouldn’t let me wear), her awesomely DIY decorated bedroom (like I wasn’t allowed to do to mine), and Sam, her cute guy BFF who could prop a ladder against the side of her house and scale up into her window without, somehow, being totes creepy.

More than 15 years later (egads!), here’s what the cast has been up to since their days yukking it up in suburban Ohio. 

Melissa Joan Hart (Clarissa Darling) – After Clarissa, Hart went to college at NYU, but dropped out to star in the equally popular Sabrina the Teenage Witch movie and then TV show, the latter of which lasted 7 seasons. After filming a few rom coms and appearing in a Britney Spears video, Melissa dropped out of the spotlight to start a family. She made a comeback on Dancing with the Stars in 2009, and is now, at 34, starring on the sitcom Melissa & Joey with fellow 90′s TV star Joey Lawrence.


Jason Zimbler (Ferguson Darling) – Now 33 (WHAT), Zimbler has transitioned from his role as Clarissa’s bratty little brother into the world of theater. After graduating from Notre Dame with a bachelor’s in business management and a grad degree in theater management,


Sean O’Neal  (Sam Anders) – He charmed us with his portrayal of Clarissa’s BFF Sam (remember that episode where they kissed and then decided to go back to being friends?), but since the show, O’Neal has retreated from acting. He apparently turned down a chance to front a boy band to focus on pursuing a quieter singing career, although I can’t find any details about that, either. His website has a LOLtastic bio, though.


Elizabeth Hess (Janet Darling) – Since playing Clarissa’s health freak mom, Hess is now teaching acting at the Tisch Center for the Arts at NYU.


Joe O’Connor (Marshall Darling) – As Clarissa’s zany dad (aren’t all the dads zany on Nickelodeon?), O’Connor cracked us up with his colorful wardrobe and parental platitudes. Today, he’s still acting and has appeared on shows like Weeds, Mad Men, and Brothers & Sisters.

Were you as big of a Clarissa fan as I was, Lovelies?