What's Happening!!

Last updated
What's Happening!!
Whatshappening.jpg
season three title screen
Created by Eric Monte
Based on Cooley High
Starring Ernest Lee Thomas
Haywood Nelson
Fred Berry
Danielle Spencer
Mabel King (Season 1-2)
Shirley Hemphill
Opening theme"What's Happening!!"
Composer Henry Mancini [1]
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes65 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers Bernie Orenstein
Saul Turteltaub
Bud Yorkin
Running time22–25 minutes
Production companies Bud Yorkin Productions
(1976–1978)
(seasons 1-2)
TOY Productions
(1976–1979)
(seasons 1-3)
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseAugust 5, 1976 (1976-08-05) 
April 28, 1979 (1979-04-28)
Related
Seated, L-R: Fred Berry, Ernest Lee Thomas, and Haywood Nelson (back to camera). Standing: Shirley Hemphill. What's Happening partial cast 1977.JPG
Seated, L-R: Fred Berry, Ernest Lee Thomas, and Haywood Nelson (back to camera). Standing: Shirley Hemphill.
Danielle Spencer
Spencer portrayed Raj's younger sister, Dee Thomas. Danielle Spencer 1977.JPG
Spencer portrayed Raj's younger sister, Dee Thomas.

What's Happening!! is an American sitcom television series that first aired on ABC from August 5, 1976, premiering as a summer series. It returned as a weekly series from November 1976 until its April 1979 conclusion. What's Happening!! was loosely based on the Eric Monte-penned film Cooley High . [2] From 1985 until 1988, a sequel series titled What's Happening Now!! aired in first-run syndication, with most of the major cast members reprising their roles.

Contents

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.

Premise

What's Happening!! follows the lives of three working-class African-American teens living in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts. The show stars Ernest Thomas as Roger "Raj" Thomas, Haywood Nelson as Dwayne Nelson, and Fred Berry as Freddy "Rerun" Stubbs. Additional co-stars include Danielle Spencer as Roger's younger sister Dee, Mabel King as Roger and Dee's mother Mabel. Shirley Hemphill stars as Shirley Wilson, a 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

Recurring characters

Notable guest stars

Series changes

During the second season, Fred Berry demanded a higher salary and better studio accommodations for the actors by using the show's first season's success as leverage. The accommodations issue eventually led to a full-fledged 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, forcing them to sign $25,000 promissory notes to return to the show and guard against further walkouts. [3] The dispute was quickly settled, and both returned for the following episode.

In addition, Mabel King had a much-reduced role in the series during the second season, largely due to creative differences with the producers (she wanted the Roger and Dee characters to have married parents, rather than divorced[ citation needed ]). 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."

The show changed significantly in the third season, with Raj and Rerun graduating high school (Rerun after seven years), with the two moving into their own apartment near the University of Southern California. Mabel King finally left the show (her character moved to Phoenix, Arizona to tend to a sick relative), and Shirley moved into the Thomas household as a 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 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 huge 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. [4]

Cancellation

During the third season (1978–79), Berry again threatened to strike over a drastic salary increase (not appearing in the third-season episode "Dee, the Cheerleader"). Thomas joined Berry in the strike threat, which led to a heated meeting with the executive producers, culminating with Berry making accusations of racism. [5] In light of the unverifiable accusations, and being unable to come to terms, the producers opted to cancel the series, which was only moderately successful at the time. [6]

What's Happening!! aired its last episode on April 28, 1979. A year later, Hemphill starred in her own sitcom, One in a Million , which premiered in January 1980 and ended on July 23, 1980, after being on ABC for several months. [7]

Ratings

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

SeasonTime slot (ET)RankRating [8]
1976–1977 Thursday at 8:30-9:00 PM (Episodes 1–4, 10–21)
Saturday at 8:30-9:00 PM (Episodes 5–9)
2520.9
1977–1978 Thursday at 8:30-9:00 PM (Episodes 1–15, 22)
Saturday at 8:00-8:30 PM (Episodes 16–20)
Thursday at 8:00-8:30 PM (Episode 21)
42N/A (Tied with Dallas and The Rockford Files ) [9]
1978–1979 Thursday at 8:30-9:00 PM (Episodes 1–12)
Friday at 8:30-9:00 PM (Episodes 13–18)
Saturday at 8:00-8:30 PM (Episodes 19–22)
2819.8 (Tied with Monday Night Football )

Success and What's Happening Now!!

The show was a modest success in its network run, despite some serious production problems, and repeats of the show's 65 episodes did reasonably well in syndication. In some markets, the show was perceived to appeal to both children and adults in a similar way to The Brady Bunch and Happy Days . The show was often aired in transitional hours where stations would change their after-school programming lineup from cartoons to evening sitcoms in the 1980s. In a few markets the show actually had higher ratings in syndication than during the network run. With this success in mind, a revival of the show was produced entitled What's Happening Now!! It ran from 1985 to 1988 in first-run syndication.

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!! [10] On September 2, 2014, they re-released the first two seasons on DVD. [11]

On April 21, 2015, Mill Creek released a budget-priced complete series set, a 6-disc set featuring all 65 episodes. [12]

DVD NameEp #Release Date
The Complete 1st Season21February 3, 2004
September 2, 2014 (re-release)
The Complete 2nd Season22October 5, 2004
September 2, 2014 (re-release)
The Complete 3rd Season22August 23, 2005
The Complete Series65June 10, 2008
April 21, 2015 (re-release)

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 shows reruns of What's Happening!!

On December 2, 2013, the newly rebranded Encore Black channel started airing What's Happening!!

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

Related Research Articles

<i>Happy Days</i> American television sitcom (1974–1984)

Happy Days is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most successful series of the 1970s. The series presented an idealized vision of life in the 1950s and early 1960s Midwestern United States, and it starred Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham, Henry Winkler as his friend Fonzie, and Tom Bosley and Marion Ross as Richie's parents, Howard and Marion Cunningham. Although it opened to mixed reviews from critics, Happy Days became successful and popular over time.

<i>Family Matters</i> American television sitcom (1989–1998)

Family Matters is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of Perfect Strangers, the series revolves around the Winslow family, an African-American middle class family living in Chicago, Illinois. Midway through the first season, the show introduced the Winslows' nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel, who was originally scripted to appear as a one-time character. However, he quickly became the show's breakout character, joining the main cast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Berry</span> American actor and dancer (1951–2003)

Fred Rerun Berry was an American actor and street dancer. He was best known for his role as Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs on the 1970s television show What's Happening!!

<i>Whats Happening Now!!</i> American sitcom

What's Happening Now!! is an American sitcom sequel to the original ABC 1976–79 sitcom What's Happening!! focusing on its main characters as independent people. It aired in first-run broadcast syndication from September 7, 1985 until March 26, 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Lee Thomas</span> American actor (born 1949)

Ernest Lee Thomas is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Roger "Raj" Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, and its 1980s syndicated sequel, What's Happening Now!!, and for his recurring role as Mr. Omar on Everybody Hates Chris.

<i>That Girl</i> American sitcom

That Girl is an American TV series sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966, to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character, Ann Marie, an aspiring actress who moves from her hometown of Brewster, New York, to try to make it big in New York City. Ann has to take a number of offbeat temp jobs to support herself in between her various auditions and bit parts. It was one of the first sitcoms to focus on an unmarried woman who was not a domestic or living with her parents, a forerunner of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

<i>Its a Living</i> American television sitcom

It's a Living is an American ensemble sitcom television series set in a restaurant at the top of the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The show aired on ABC from October 30, 1980 until June 11, 1982. After the series was canceled by ABC, new episodes aired in first-run syndication from September 28, 1985 to April 8, 1989. The series was created by Stu Silver, Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon and produced by Witt/Thomas Productions, later in association with Golden West Television (1985–86) and Lorimar-Telepictures (1986–89). The series is now distributed by Paul Brownstein Productions and Warner Bros. Television Distribution.

<i>The Wayans Bros.</i> American television series (1995–1999)

The Wayans Bros. is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans, comedian John Witherspoon and Anna Maria Horsford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mabel King</span> American actress (1932–1999)

Mabel Elizabeth King was an American actress and singer. She was known for her role as Mabel "Mama" Thomas on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!! from its premiere in 1976 until the end of its second season in 1978. King was also known for portraying Evillene the Witch, a role she originated in the stage musical The Wiz and reprised in Sidney Lumet's 1978 film adaptation. She recorded on the Rama Records and Amy Records labels.

<i>Bosom Buddies</i> 1980–1982 American situation comedy television series

Bosom Buddies is an American television sitcom starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari created by Robert L. Boyett, Thomas L. Miller and Chris Thompson. It aired on Thursday nights for two seasons on ABC from November 27, 1980, to March 27, 1982, and in reruns in the summer of 1984 on NBC. The show features the misadventures of two single men, working in creative advertising, struggling in their industry while disguising themselves as women in order to live in the one apartment they could afford. Gender stereotypes and male/female interpersonal relationships were frequent themes.

<i>Too Close for Comfort</i> American television sitcom (1980–1987)

Too Close for Comfort is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from November 11, 1980, to May 5, 1983, and in first-run syndication from April 7, 1984, to February 7, 1987. Its name was changed to The Ted Knight Show when the show was retooled in 1986 for what would turn out to be its final season, due to Ted Knight's death. The original concept of the series was based on the 1980s British sitcom Keep It in the Family. Knight plays work-at-home cartoonist Henry Rush, who is married to Muriel, and their two adult daughters, Jackie and Sara, live in the downstairs apartment of their San Francisco two-flat. An episode involving the daughters moving across the bay to Oakland and the family complaining about crime, undrinkable water, and constant sound of police sirens saw the episode being briefly protested by Oakland politicians. The family moves to Marin County for the show's final season, where Henry Rush becomes a co-owner of the local weekly newspaper.

Tandem Productions, Inc. was a film and television production company that was founded in 1958 by television director Bud Yorkin and television writer/producer Norman Lear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danielle Spencer (American actress)</span> American actress and former child star (born 1965)

Danielle Spencer is an American actress and former child star best known for her role as Dee Thomas on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, which ran from 1976 until 1979. She would later reprise the role on the series' sequel, What's Happening Now!!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Hemphill</span> American actress and comedian (1947–1999)

Shirley Ann Hemphill was an American stand-up comedian and actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Wilson</span> American actor (1943–1991)

Theodore Rosevelt "Teddy" Wilson was an American stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for his recurring roles as Earl the Postman on the ABC sitcom That's My Mama, and Sweet Daddy Williams on the CBS sitcom Good Times and Phil Wheeler on Sanford Arms (1977). Throughout his television and film career, Wilson was credited interchangeably with either Theodore (36) or Teddy (50) as his given name.

<i>Clueless</i> (TV series) American television series based on the movie of the same name

Clueless is an American teen sitcom based on the 1995 film of the same name. It premiered on ABC on September 20, 1996, as a part of the TGIF lineup during its first season. The series then spent its last two seasons on UPN, ending on May 25, 1999. Alicia Silverstone had a development deal with Columbia-TriStar at this time, and did not reprise her role from the film.

Sanford is an American sitcom television series and a sequel to the original 1972–1977 sitcom Sanford and Son. It was broadcast on NBC from March 15, 1980 to July 10, 1981.

<i>Sanford Arms</i> American TV series or program

Sanford Arms is an American sitcom television series produced as a spin-off and continuation of Sanford and Son, that aired Fridays at 8:00-8:30 PM on NBC from September 16 to October 14, 1977.

One in a Million is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC for one season in 1980. The show was developed as a starring vehicle for comic actress Shirley Hemphill after the success of What's Happening!! (1976–1979), in which she played a supporting role. The show was not a success and was canceled after just 13 episodes. The series was broadcast on Saturdays at 8 p.m Eastern time.

<i>The Hogan Family</i> American television series

The Hogan Family is an American sitcom television series that began airing on NBC on March 1, 1986, and finished its run on CBS on July 20, 1991, for a total of six seasons. It was produced in association with Lorimar Productions (1986), Lorimar-Telepictures (1986–1988), and Lorimar Television (1988–1991).

References

  1. "Full cast and crew for What's Happening!!". IMDB . Retrieved July 8, 2007.
  2. "What's Happening!!: ABC's popular teen-age sitcom succeeds in spite of itself". Ebony . Johnson Publishing Company. 33 (8): 76. June 1978. ISSN   0012-9011.
  3. "'Messy' Dressing Room Cleaned Up, 'What's Happening' Stars Return". Jet . Johnson Publishing Company. 53 (5): 57. October 20, 1977.
  4. "Producer Bernie Orenstein on Casting "What's Happening!!"". YouTube .
  5. "'What's Happening!!' star discusses show's impact on race and his favorite episode". 4 May 2021.
  6. Huff, Dominique . (April 19, 2006). "'The Exploitation of Fred 'Rerun' Berry". The Signal. Georgia State University.
  7. "Shirley Hemphill: A Star is Born". Ebony . Johnson Publishing Company. 35 (7): 93. May 1980.
  8. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (Ninth ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1688. ISBN   978-0-345-49773-4.
  9. |1977–78 Ratings History|http://www.tvratingsguide.com/2017/07/1977-78-top-30-ratings-abc-does-its.html
  10. Mill Creek Entertainment Signs Deals With Sony Pictures Home Entertainment To Expand Their Distribution Partnership Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Mill Creek to Re-Release 'Seasons 1 & 2' on DVD Archived 2014-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
  12. 'The Complete Series' Returns to DVD this Spring Archived 2015-02-13 at the Wayback Machine