As a '90s icon, Melissa Joan Hart has had an impact on multiple generations through her work on Sabrina the Teenage Witch as well as Nickelodeon's Clarissa Explains It All. Gen Z and Alpha still talk about the impact of the Clarissa and Sabrina characters on social media. However, some Gen X and Millennial fans are now wigging out after Hart played a grandmother in a Lifetime movie. As a result of the buzz, the actress herself made some pitch-perfect jokes involving her past work.
The Sabrina the Teenage Witch star went viral unexpectedly after fans couldn’t believe she portrayed a grandmother in the Lifetime movie Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story. Though the film premiered months ago, the trailer only recently seemed to catch social media users' attention. As disbelief swept the internet, the TV icon took to her Instagram account to address the uproar. She expressed how flattered she was by fans’ response while also sharing witty twists on her classic shows, saying:
Let me explain.... While I'm proud of my performance in my most recent movie #WouldYouKillForMe, I couldn't be more flattered that people don't think of me as a grandmother (no matter how possible it is at the age of 47). It's also refreshing to go viral for my work and not something controversial.I guess now Clarissa can Explain AARP or play the Middle-Aged Witch.
It was great to see Melissa Joan Hart taking the profound disbelief in stride. She wasn’t wrong by insinuating that women in their 40s (or 30s) can have one or more grandchildren. It is honestly somewhat jarring to that she's now at the point where it's possible for her to play such a role. While Hart isn’t bothered by the shock, the thought of her playing a nana is probably unfathomable to some, because she is the mother of three young sons.
What's hard not to make note of here, though, are the clever Clarissa and Sabrina quips she shared. Those sound like they could make for some pretty interesting spinoffs. Seriously though, fans have long wanted reboots of those particular properties. It would be nice to see where either the quirky teenage writer or the resourceful witch are at this stage of life. Of course, a Clarissa Explains It All reboot was in development at one point, yet it unfortunately didn't get off the ground. I'm not sure if these jokes will help renew or spark interest in either of those revivals. But what I do know is that I got a kick out of the comments the actress had regarding her casting as a grandmother.
Check your local listings if you want to watch Lifetime's Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story, which aired alongside fare on the 2023 TV schedule. Those who are feeling nostalgic for Melissa Joan Hart's classic shows can hop on streaming platforms to binge the episodes. All seasons of Clarissa Explains It All are available through a Paramount+ subscription. Sabrina the Teenage Witch can be found on the same platform and is also available for Hulu subscription holders and Amazon Prime Video subscribers.
