Alicia Silverstone was one of the most popular actresses in the 1990s, with one of her most successful movies being the teen comedyClueless, which got a spinoff TV series a year later with a big twist. The 1990s was home to some now-classic movies from different genres, but it was especially filled with rom-coms and teen comedies. One of the most successful and popular ones isClueless, written and directed by Amy Heckerling, and a loose adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1815 novelEmma.
Cluelesstakes viewers to Beverly Hills to meet Cher Horowitz (Silverstone), a popular wealthy teenager who wants to do “good deeds”, though she’s not very clear about what that means. When new girl Tai (Brittany Murphy) arrives at school, Cher sees this as an opportunity to do her good deed and make her popular, but in the process, she starts looking for her own perfect match.Cluelesswas a critical and commercial success, and it led to a series of books and a spinoff TV show– however, the latter had a major difference from the movie.
Clueless’ Success Led To A Spinoff TV Show (Without Alicia Silverstone)
Clueless Continued Living Over At Nickelodeon
Cluelesstells a full story, with Cher finding her happy ending and keeping her best friends Dionne (Stacey Dash) and Tai close to her, who also get their happy endings. However, there were other stories from Cher’s life in high school that could have been explored, whether before, during, or after the events of the movie. Luckily,Nickelodeon saw the potential to expandCluelessand took it by making a spinoff TV seriesalso titledClueless– however, it didn’t have Alicia Silverstone back as Cher.
Another key difference is that theCluelessTV show didn’t follow the continuity of the movie.
Despite Silverstone’s absence,theCluelessTV show followed Cher Horowitz and her different adventuresat Bronson Alcott High as one of the most popular and wealthiest girls. Along with returning characters Dionne, Amber (Elisa Donovan), and Murray (Donald Faison), Cher went through many ups and downs in her personal and social life throughout the show. Another key difference is that theCluelessTV show didn’t follow the continuity of the movie.
In fact, there are various differences between theCluelessmovie and the TV show, most notably that Josh, now played by David Lascher, wasn’t Cher’s romantic interest and didn’t really have an actual role in her story. Tai, recast with Heather Gottlieb, only appeared in three episodes; Christian wasn’t included in the TV series, nor was Travis, and Murray’s friend, Sean, was brought back but in a much bigger capacity.TheCluelessTV show only lasted three seasons, and unfortunately, it’s not one of Nickelodeon’s most memorable shows.
Why Alicia Silverstone Didn’t Play Cher In The Clueless TV Show
Cher Was Played By Rachel Blanchard
Cher Horowitz is one ofAlicia Silverstone’s best characters, so it was a big surprise for fans of the movie that she didn’t reprise her role in theCluelessTV show. As mentioned above, Silverstone was a big star in the 1990s, even bigger after the success ofClueless, and this is what got in the way of her potential return to Bronson Alcott High as Cher. By the time theCluelessTV show was in development,Silverstone had signed a multi-picture contract with Columbia TriStar, which didn’t let her play Cher in the TV series(viaLA Times).
Right afterClueless, Silverstone starred inThe Babysitter,True Crime, andBatman & Robin, where she played Batgirl. Silverstone’s most notable post-Cluelessprojects includeScooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,Vamps,The Killing of a Sacred Deer, andY2K. On TV, Silverstone was part ofMiss Match,American Woman,The Baby-Sitters Club, andAmerican Horror Stories.
Clueless Almost Got A TV Reboot In 2020
Luckily, The New Clueless TV Reboot Didn’t Happen
In addition to the 1996 spinoff TV series,Cluelessalso got a series of books, a comic book series, a stage musical, and video games – however, in 2020, it was very close to getting yet another TV show. In 2019, CBS was reportedly working ona new TV adaptation ofClueless, which was later revealed to be centered on Dionne and with a dark twist.Dionne would take the show’s lead after Cher goes missing, so she has to step in as the new queen bee (viaDazed).
The following year, the project was moved to Peacock, but by May 2021, thenewCluelessTV show was revealed to not be moving forwardat Peacock, but would be redeveloped at CBS Studios – however, there haven’t been any updates on it since then.Cluelessis one of those now-classic movies that should be left intact, more so as it already tried being a TV show, and though it did well, it doesn’t need to do it again.
Sources:LA Times,Dazed.
Clueless
Clueless is a television series adapted from the 1995 teen film, first airing on ABC as part of TGIF in September 1996. The show, set in a high school environment, portrays the life and adventures of Cher Horowitz and her friends, continuing until its conclusion on UPN in 1999.
