Editing What's Happening!! (section)

{{short description|American sitcom (1976–1979)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
 | image         = Whatshappening.jpg
 | caption       = S3 title screen 
 | genre         = [[Sitcom]]
 | runtime       = 22–25 minutes 
 | creator       = [[Eric Monte]]
 | based_on      = ''[[Cooley High]]''
 | executive_producer = [[Bernie Orenstein]]<br/>[[Saul Turteltaub]]<br/>[[Bud Yorkin]]
 | starring      = [[Ernest Lee Thomas]]<br/>[[Haywood Nelson]]<br/>[[Fred Berry]]<br/>[[Danielle Spencer (American actress)|Danielle Spencer]]<br/>[[Mabel King]] (S1–2) <br/>[[Shirley Hemphill]]
 | opentheme     = "What's Happening!!"
 | music        = [[Henry Mancini]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074071/fullcredits|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database|IMDB]]|title=Full cast and crew for What's Happening!!|access-date=July 8, 2007}}</ref>
 | num_seasons   = 3
 | num_episodes  = 65
 |list_episodes  = List of What's Happening!! episodes
 | country       = United States
 | network       = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
 | company       = [[Bud Yorkin|Bud Yorkin Productions]]<br/>(1976–1978)<br/>(seasons 1–2)<br/>[[Bud Yorkin|TOY Productions]]<br/>(1976–1979)<br/>(seasons 1–3)
 | first_aired   = {{Start date|1976|08|05}}
 | last_aired    = {{End date|1979|04|28}}
| related        = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[What's Happening Now!!]]''
}}
 }}
[[File:What's Happening partial cast 1977.JPG|thumb|270px|{{center|Seated, L–R: [[Fred Berry]], [[Ernest Lee Thomas]], and [[Haywood Nelson]] (back to camera). Standing: [[Shirley Hemphill]] }}]]
[[File:Danielle Spencer 1977.JPG|thumb|270px|{{center|[[Danielle Spencer (American actress)|Danielle Spencer]] }}Spencer portrayed Raj's younger sister, Dee Thomas.]]
'''''What's Happening!!''''' is an American [[sitcom]] television series that first aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] from August 5, 1976, premiering as a summer series. It returned as a weekly series, from November 13, 1976, to April 28, 1979. Created by [[Eric Monte]] (of ''[[Good Times]]''), ''What's Happening!!'' was loosely based on the film ''[[Cooley High]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|date=June 1978|title=What's Happening!!: ABC's popular teen-age sitcom succeeds in spite of itself|journal=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|volume=33|issue=8|page=76|issn=0012-9011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CM4DAAAAMBAJ&q=What%27s+Happening%21%21+cooley+high&pg=PA74}} </ref> It was television's first African-American show that dealt with teenagers, which was also a groundbreaking sitcom.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/what-s-happening-star-ernest-thomas-show-s-impact-race-t215884| title='What's Happening!!' star discusses show's impact on race and his favorite episode |publisher=today.com |date=May 4, 2021 |accessdate=May 13, 2025}}</ref>  

From September 7, 1985 to March 26, 1988, a sequel series titled ''[[What's Happening Now!!]]'', aired in first-run syndication, with some of the major cast members reprising their roles.

''What's Happening!!'' was [[Bud Yorkin]]'s second series after he ended his partnership with [[Norman Lear]] and [[Tandem Productions]]. The show was produced by TOY Productions, which was formed by Yorkin, [[Saul Turteltaub]], and Bernie Orenstein after their split.

Compared to many other popular sitcoms of the 1970s, ''What's Happening!!'' was the first non-Norman Lear sitcom to also have tackled some challenging and complex issues such as: [[friendships]], [[communication]], [[obesity]], [[divorce]], financial struggles, [[unemployment]], [[poverty]], [[racism]], [[gambling]], [[education]], [[teen pregnancy]], [[adolescence]], overcontrolling and [[marriage]].