Editing What's Happening!!

{{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]].

==Premise==
''What's Happening!!'' follows the lives of three working-class [[African American|African-American]] teens living in the [[Los Angeles]] neighborhood of [[Watts, Los Angeles|Watts]]. The show stars [[Ernest Lee Thomas|Ernest Thomas]] as Roger "Raj" Thomas, [[Haywood Nelson]] as Dwayne Nelson, and [[Fred Berry]] as Freddy "Rerun" Stubbs. Additional co-stars include [[Danielle Spencer (American actress)|Danielle Spencer]] as Roger's younger sister Dee, [[Mabel King]] as Roger and Dee's mother Mabel. [[Shirley Hemphill]] stars as Shirley Wilson, a tough but lovable waitress at ''Rob's Place'', the neighborhood [[soda shop]] where the boys are regular patrons. Recurring characters include Rob ([[Earl Billings]]), owner of Rob's Place, and Mrs. Collins ([[Fritzi Burr]]), a sardonic but caring history teacher and the sponsor of the school newspaper.

==Characters==

*Roger Everett Gerald "Raj" Thomas ([[Ernest Lee Thomas|Ernest Thomas]]), the show's protagonist, is a teenager, living in Watts with his divorced mother Mabel, and his younger sister Dee, played as a young man, who usually gets into trouble, once he got into situations he couldn't runaway.
*Dwayne Clemens Nelson ([[Haywood Nelson]]) the youngest of the three friends, portrayed as affable but sometimes slow witted.
*Frederick (Freddy) J. "Rerun" Stubbs ([[Fred Berry]]) another of the three friends, an overweight, humorous boy.
*Deadra "Dee" Thomas ([[Danielle Spencer (American actress)|Danielle Spencer]]) is Raj's sarcastic, meddling younger sibling.
*Mabel “Mama” Thomas ([[Mabel King]]) is Raj and Dee's overbearing, divorced mother.
*Shirley Wilson ([[Shirley Hemphill]]) is a wisecracking waitress at the neighborhood soda shop.

===Recurring characters===
*Bill Thomas ([[Thalmus Rasulala]]) is Mabel's ex-husband and the father of Roger and Dee.
*Gene "Rabbit" Walker (Ray Vitte) is a political science major at the [[University of Southern California]], and a track team member.
*Detective "Big Earl" Barnett (John Welsh) is a police detective.
*"Little Earl" Barnett (David Hollander) is Big Earl's son.
*Rob ([[Earl Billings]]) is the owner of Rob's Place and Shirley's boss.
*Terry "Snake" Simpson (Leland Smith) is a star college basketball player whom Roger tutors in the third season.
*Mrs. Gertrude Collins ([[Fritzi Burr]]) is the boys' high school teacher.
*Marvin (Bryan O'Dell) is the boys' high school classmate and works for the school newspaper as a reporter.
*Diane Harris ([[Debbi Morgan]]) is another classmate of Roger, Dwayne, and Rerun.

===Notable guest stars===
*[[The Doobie Brothers]] appeared as themselves to perform a concert at Jefferson High (which was portrayed as Doobie Brother [[Patrick Simmons]]' [[alma mater]]).
*Actor [[Theodore Wilson]] made three appearances on ''What's Happening!!'' as three different characters.
*Actress [[Chip Fields]] appeared on ''What's Happening!!'' as two different characters.
*The dance group [[the Lockers]], of whom Fred Berry was a founding member, appeared in the first season as a group called the Rockets for whom Rerun auditions.
*[[Sorrell Booke]] appeared as a college-basketball [[Booster club|booster]] who tries to manipulate Snake in the third-season episode "Basketball Brain".
*Actor [[Tim Reid]] appeared as Dr. Claymore in the episode "It's All in Your Head".
*[[Irene Cara]] appeared as Rerun's would-be [[Alien (law)|immigrant]] bride Maria in the episode "Rerun Gets Married".
*Musician and actor [[Slim Gaillard]] appeared as Al in the episode "The Thomas Treasure".
*Noted jazz singer [[Bill Henderson (performer)|Bill Henderson]] appeared in season 2, episode 3, "Trial and Error", as Clarence Hopkins.
*Actor and comedian [[John Witherspoon (actor)|John Witherspoon]] appeared as a disc jockey in season 3 episode 1, titled "Disco Dollar Disaster."

==Production==

The pilot episode, "The Birthday Present", was videotaped in front of a live audience at ABC Television Studios in the [[Los Feliz]] section of [[Los Angeles]] on March 16, 1976.  Three additional episodes were videotaped that June, with the plan to release ''What's Happening!!'' as a short-duration "summer series" in August, 1976.  The first episode aired, "The Runaway", was actually the second episode taped, but was used as the premiere because it featured Fred Berry's dancing skills in a short scene.

The series was picked up after a successful summer run, and additional episodes were ordered for a November, 1976 airdate. Production was moved from ABC to [[Old Warner Brothers Studio|Golden West Videotape Division Studios]], an older, but larger facility, where it would remain for the rest of the series.

During the second season, Fred Berry demanded pay increases and improved studio accommodations for the actors by using the show's first season's success as leverage. The accommodations issue eventually led to a walkout by Berry and Thomas during the second-season episode "If I'm Elected" (leaving Haywood Nelson to carry the entire episode, with Shirley Hemphill stepping to the forefront, along with Bryan O'Dell and [[Debbi Morgan]] in featured speaking parts). Producer [[Bud Yorkin]], in turn, suspended the pair and forced them to sign $25,000 promissory notes to return to the show and prevent further walkouts.<ref>{{cite journal|date=October 20, 1977|title='Messy' Dressing Room Cleaned Up, 'What's Happening' Stars Return|journal=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|volume=53|issue=5|page=57}}</ref>

In addition, [[Mabel King]] offered producers input on her character and storylines during the second season, specifically that her character's ex-husband, Bill ([[Thalmus Rasulala]]), return full-time in order for the children to have (once again) married parents, showcasing what she felt would be a strong Black family. The producers did not incorporate King's suggestion, which resulted in additional tension on-set and a much-reduced role for King during the second season. Her character, Mama, was not written out of the show but rather limited to brief appearances on set (where she would say she was "leaving for work" or "going to the store") or mentioned in passing by other characters as being "at work".

==Series changes==

The show changed significantly in the third season, with Raj and Rerun graduating high school (Rerun after seven years, ostensibly due to a [[learning disability]]), with the two moving into their own apartment near the [[University of Southern California]]. Mabel King left the show (her character, in storyline, moved to [[Phoenix, Arizona]], to "tend to a sick relative"), and Shirley moved into the Thomas household as a [[Boarding house|boarder]] and Dee's guardian. Also, several new recurring characters were introduced. The first was a basketball player whom Roger tutored and nicknamed "The Snake" (played by Leland Smith). The other characters were [[white American|white]] police detective "Big Earl" Barnett (played by John Welsh) and his son "Little Earl" Barnett (played by David Hollander), who were neighbors in the apartment building where Roger and Rerun lived.

What became the role of "Little Earl" was initially created to be filled by ten-year-old [[Gary Coleman]] at the suggestion of ABC President [[Fred Silverman]]. Silverman was a proponent of Coleman and, feeling that breakout stardom was around the corner for the young talent, wanted him added to the show.  When Silverman left ABC in 1978 to head rival network NBC, he had ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'' created for Coleman; it ran for eight years and was highly rated.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwC6uJ6djs4 | title=Producer Bernie Orenstein on Casting "What's Happening!!" | website=[[YouTube]] | date=8 September 2016 }}</ref>

==Cancellation==
During the third season ([[1978–79 United States network television schedule|1978–79]]), Berry, still dissatisfied with his pay, again threatened to strike (as a result he did not appear in the third-season episode "Dee, the Cheerleader"). Thomas supported and joined Berry in his efforts which led to a heated meeting with the executive producers, culminating with Berry accusing them of racism.<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| date=4 May 2021 }}</ref> Unable to come to terms, the producers opted to cancel the series.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Huff, Dominique|date=April 19, 2006|title='The Exploitation of Fred 'Rerun' Berry|journal=The Signal|publisher=Georgia State University}}</ref>

''What's Happening!!'' aired its last episode on April 28, 1979. A year later, Hemphill starred in her own [[situation comedy|sitcom]], ''[[One in a Million (American TV series)|One in a Million]]'', which premiered in January 1980 and ended on July 23, 1980, after being on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] for several months.<ref>{{cite journal|date=May 1980|title=Shirley Hemphill: A Star is Born|journal=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|volume=35|issue=7|page=93}}</ref>

==Ratings==
''What's Happening!!'' was a modest ratings success.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season !! Time slot (ET) !! Rank !! Rating<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle |date=2007 |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present |publisher=Ballantine Books |page=1688 |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |edition=Ninth }}</ref>
|-
| [[1976–77 United States network television schedule|1976–1977]] || Thursday at 8:30–9:00 pm <small>(Episodes 1–4, 10–21)</small><br/>Saturday at 8:30–9:00 pm <small>(Episodes 5–9)</small> || 25 || 20.9
|-
| [[1977–78 United States network television schedule|1977–1978]] || Thursday at 8:30–9:00 pm <small>(Episodes 1–15, 22)</small><br/>Saturday at 8:00–8:30 pm <small>(Episodes 16–20)</small><br/>Thursday at 8:00–8:30 pm <small>(Episode 21)</small> || 42 || N/A <small>(Tied with ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' and ''[[The Rockford Files]]'')</small>
|-
| [[1978–79 United States network television schedule|1978–1979]] || Thursday at 8:30-9:00 pm <small>(Episodes 1–12)</small><br/>Friday at 8:30–9:00 pm <small>(Episodes 13–18)</small><br/>Saturday at 8:00–8:30 pm <small>(Episodes 19–22)</small> || 28 || 19.8 <small>(Tied with ''[[Monday Night Football]]'')</small>
|}

==Success and ''What's Happening Now!!''==
{{main|What's Happening Now!!}}
''What's Happening!!'' was widely [[television syndication|syndicated]] in the 1980s. Appealing to both children and adults in a similar way to ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' and ''[[Happy Days]]'', it accordingly aired during transitional hours where stations would change their after-school programming from cartoons to evening sitcoms. In many markets, ''What's Happening!!'' garnered higher ratings in reruns than during its initial broadcast.

With this success in mind, a spinoff of the show was produced entitled ''[[What's Happening Now!!]]'', airing from 1985 to 1988. Over its 66 episodes, the show was a modest success.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

==Home media==
[[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]] has released all three seasons of ''What's Happening!!''

On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including ''What's Happening!!''<ref>[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Site-News-Mill-Creek-Sony-License-Deal/18902 Mill Creek Entertainment Signs Deals With Sony Pictures Home Entertainment To Expand Their Distribution Partnership] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006134321/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Site-News-Mill-Creek-Sony-License-Deal/18902 |date=2014-10-06 }}</ref> On September 2, 2014, they re-released the first two seasons on DVD.<ref>[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Whats-Happening-Seasons-1-and-2/20008 Mill Creek to Re-Release 'Seasons 1 & 2' on DVD] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707094850/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Whats-Happening-Seasons-1-and-2/20008 |date=2014-07-07 }}</ref>

On April 21, 2015, Mill Creek released a budget-priced complete series set, a 6-disc set featuring all 65 episodes.<ref>[http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Whats-Happening-The-Complete-Series/20760 'The Complete Series' Returns to DVD this Spring] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213035228/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Whats-Happening-The-Complete-Series/20760 |date=2015-02-13 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!DVD name
!Ep #
!Release date
|-
| The Complete 1st Season
| 21
| February 3, 2004<br> <small>September 2, 2014 (re-release)</small>
|-
| The Complete 2nd Season
| 22
| October 5, 2004<br> <small>September 2, 2014 (re-release)</small>
|-
| The Complete 3rd Season
| 22
| August 23, 2005
|-
| The Complete Series
| 65
| June 10, 2008<br> <small>April 21, 2015 (re-release)</small>
|}

== Episodes ==

{{Main|List of What's Happening!! episodes}}

==Syndication==
The show was syndicated on many local channels (with all 66 episodes of sequel series ''What's Happening Now!!'' joining the syndication package in the fall of 1988 to total 131 episodes) and continued in an on-again, off-again manner until 2009.

[[BET]] reran both series from September 20, 1993, to October 27, 1995.

[[TV Land]] reran the show during the 2005–2006 season.

As of March 1, 2013, cable network [[TV One (American TV channel)|TV One]] shows reruns of ''What's Happening!!''

On December 2, 2013, the newly rebranded [[Encore (TV channel)|Encore]] Black channel started airing ''What's Happening!!''

Starting January 2, 2017, the digital broadcast network [[Antenna TV]] began airing the original series.

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0074071|title=What's Happening!!}}
* TVParty.com's three part series on ''What's Happening!!'':
** [http://www.tvparty.com/recwhats.html What happened to What's Happening!!?]
** [http://www.tvparty.com/recwhats2.html What's Happening!! soars to the top, then a deadly car crash, walkouts, drugs and death...]
** [http://www.tvparty.com/recwhats3.html The show is revived, Rerun quits (again) and three cast members die...]

[[Category:1976 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1979 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1970s American black sitcoms]]
[[Category:1970s American black television series]]
[[Category:1970s American multi-camera sitcoms]]
[[Category:1970s American teen sitcoms]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television series about families]]
[[Category:American television series about teenagers]]
[[Category:Television series by Sony Pictures Television]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Live action television shows based on films]]
[[Category:Mass media portrayals of the working class]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company sitcoms]]