What's Happening!!

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What's Happening

What's Happening!! opening titles from the show's third season
Format Sitcom
Created by Eric Monte
Starring Ernest Lee Thomas
Haywood Nelson
Fred Berry
Danielle Spencer
Mabel King (Season 1-2)
Shirley Hemphill (Season 2+)
David Hollander (Season 3)
John Welsh (Season 3)
and Earl Billings as Rob
Opening theme Henry Mancini
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 65
Production
Executive
producer(s)		 Bernie Orenstein
Saul Turteltaub
Bud Yorkin
Running time 30 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Original run August 5, 1976 – April 28, 1979
External links
IMDb profile

What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered in August 1976 as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews and, after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly series. It remained a regular show until 1979; ratings were modest. What's Happening!! was loosely based on the American International Picture Cooley High also written by Eric Monte.

Contents

[edit] Premise

What's Happening!! follows the lives of three working-class African-American teens living in the Watts area of Los Angeles. The show stars Ernest Thomas as Roger "Raj" Thomas, Haywood Nelson as Dwayne Nelson, and Fred Berry as Freddy "Rerun" Stubbs. Co-starring are Danielle Spencer as Roger's little sister, Dee; Mabel King as Roger and Dee's mother, Mabel; and Shirley Hemphill as Shirley Wilson, a waitress at "Rob's Place", the boys' favorite restaurant. Recurring characters include Diane Harris (Debbi Morgan), an attractive girl; Rob (Earl Billings), owner of Rob's Place; and Miss Collins (Fritzi Burr), a sarcastic history teacher and the sponsor of the school newspaper.

Unlike Good Times, a contemporary show that also had African-American cast, What's Happening!! only rarely and mildly ventured into social commentary. TV Guide once famously referred to What's Happening!! as "a look at urban black life that manages to capture the offensiveness of Amos and Andy while avoiding that program's fun." Most episodes focused on the goals of teenage males — meeting girls, finding after school jobs, and planning for the future. Episodes sometimes featured subplots involving Mrs. Thomas, Raj's bratty sister Dee, or waitress Shirley.

[edit] Major characters

Roger "Raj" Thomas (Ernest Thomas), the show's protagonist, is a teenager living in a house in Watts with his divorced mother Mabel and his younger sister Dee. Raj is an intelligent, well-mannered, young man who sports large, black horn-rimmed glasses and has aspirations of becoming a writer. Many episodes find Raj taking steps to pursue his dream, such as saving up for a screenwriting course or a typewriter. The show begins while he is still in high school; he later graduates as valedictorian, moves out of his house, and attends college.

Frederick (Freddie) "Rerun" Stubbs (Fred Berry) is an overweight, bumbling, comedic young man, commonly seen wearing a red beret and matching suspenders. He is often teased by his friends for being overweight and unintelligent. Rerun is a very skilled dancer and is commonly seen entering dance contests or trying to get on TV commercials. He is nicknamed "Rerun" because, due to his failures in school, "every summer he has to go to school to rerun the stuff he did all winter." In the third season, Rerun shares an apartment with Raj. (Ironically, the character of Rerun was originally intended to be a skinny white teenager.)

Dwayne Clemens Nelson (Haywood Nelson) is the youngest member of the group. Dwayne has an unassuming, good-natured demeanor and suffers from debilitating shyness and acute Nyctophobia (fear of the dark). While Rerun attempts to enter dance contests and Roger aggressively pursues his dream of becoming a famous writer, Dwayne's plotlines often deal with his problems with girls and bullies. Dwayne's character is well known for his greeting, "Hey, Hey, Hey", which differs slightly from Bill Cosby's Fat Albert "Hey, Hey, Hey".

Mabel Thomas (Mabel King) is Rodge's 'large and in charge' mother. She is typically the voice of wisdom, and the parental authority over the main cast. Mabel's ex-husband drifts in and out of her life during the first season. Her role became less important in later episodes, until eventually she disappeared from the show though her character was never written out and still mentioned off-screen. Purportedly, actress King disagreed with the show's concept and direction and decided to leave the show.

Dee Thomas (Danielle Spencer) is Raj's younger sibling. She personifies the typical 'annoying little sister'. Dee is obsessed with making money, usually by blackmailing her brother and his friends a quarter at a time. She is also shrewd, and difficult to keep secrets from. As the series progressed and Dee grew older, her caustic personality mellowed into a sly sense of sarcasm. After Raj moved into an apartment in the third season, Dee remained in the Thomas house with waitress Shirley moving in to help out. Her trademark phrase is "Ooh, I'm tellin' Mama!" Her favorite food is peanut butter.

Shirley Wilson (Shirley Hemphill) is a portly waitress at the local restaurant, "Rob's Place", where the main cast is constantly eating. She is a brash person who likes to take shots at the boys, and most often clashes with Rerun (with whom she exchanges fat jokes, both characters being overweight). Some episodes turn the spotlight briefly on Shirley and her joys and sorrows. Shirley moves into the Thomas house in the last season to supervise Dee after Raj moves out and Mrs. Thomas leaves to tend a sick relative.

[edit] Minor characters

Bill Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala) is Mabel's ex-husband and the father of Roger and Dee. He divorced Mabel, ran out on his family, and became a shady sort of character. When he first appears, he tries to con Mabel out of money. Later episodes in which he appears depict him in a more positive light and culminate with his remarriage. After his remarriage, Bill was not seen on the show, although he is mentioned.

Big Earl Barnett is a detective who lives in the apartment building Rodge and Rerun move into and was introduced in the third and final season.

Little Earl Barnett is the son of Big Earl. Little Earl has a huge crush on Dee (who is about five years older than he is).

Rob (Earl Billings) is the owner of Rob's Place.

The Snake was a basketball player whom Roger tutored. He eventually became a friend of Roger, Dwayne, and Rerun.

Miss Collins (Fritzi Burr)was a high school teacher. She admired Roger, while Rerun had trouble getting along with her.

Marvin (Bryan O'Dell) was a schoolmate of Roger, Dwayne and Rerun at their high school. He was a reporter for the high school newspaper and was sometimes seen at Rob's Place.

Diane (Debbi Morgan) was a classmate of Roger, Dwayne and Rerun. For the first two seasons she was frequently seen in the classroom or at Rob's Place with them, and at a birthday party for Roger.

[edit] The third season

The third season marked changes for the show. Roger and Rerun moved into their own apartment. Mabel King left the show, but the character of Mabel Thomas was not written out. Instead it was said that Mama was working or not around. To take the place of an adult presence in the house for Dee, Shirley would move into the Thomas household as a boarder. Several new recurring characters were introduced. The first was a basketball player whom Roger tutored nicknamed "The Snake" (played by Leland Smith). The other characters were Caucasian 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. These changes/adjustments would ultimately cause the show to "Jump the Shark," as the ratings began to drop.

During the 1978-79 season, which was the third and final season of the teen comedy program, Fred Berry caused problems on the show. Ernest Thomas and Haywood Nelson joined him in the strike, the executive producers of the show had enough of the conflicts (demands for more money and constantly walking out during rehearsals, for example) with the three co-stars and closed the show in April 1979. What's Happening!! aired its last episode on April 28, 1979. A year later, in 1980, Hemphill starred in her very own sitcom, One In a Millon, which premiered in January 1980, and ended on July 23, 1980, after being on ABC for a few months.

[edit] Ratings

What's Happening was a ratings' success breaking in the top 30, during the series run:

What's Happening!! held the title and became the first African-American teen sitcom to break into the Nielsen Ratings, as part of the top 30 Rated Programs from 1976 until 1979, although the 1977-1978 season did not break the top 30.

[edit] Success and What's Happening Now!!

The show was a modest success in its network run, despite some serious production problems. Many black sitcoms as well as other sitcoms do not achieve the super ratings during their first run, The Cosby Show being an exception. But repeats of the show's 65 episodes did considerably well in syndication. In some markets, the show was perceived to appeal to both children and adults in a similar way that shows like The Brady Bunch and Happy Days did. The show was often aired in transitional hours where stations would go from the cartoons to the evening sitcoms. In a few markets the show actually had far higher ratings in syndication than during the network run. With this in mind, a revival of the show was produced entitled What's Happening Now!!. It ran from 1985 to 1988 in first-run syndication.

In the sequel to What's Happening!!, Raj was a struggling writer who became co-owner of the old hangout, Rob's Place (with partner, Shirley (played by Shirley Hemphill). He married a girl named Nadine Hudson (played by Anne-Marie Johnson). Rodge and Nadine became foster parents to a 9-year old girl, Carolyn (played by Reina King, real-life sister of Regina), Rerun became a used car-salesman, Dwayne became a computer clerk, and Dee was off to college, although she still made appearances from time to time. Actor Fred Berry caused problems in the new version of the series, was dropped from the cast and was written out, along with Reina King, who disappeared after the 1985-86 season. In the 1987-88 season, Martin Lawrence came onto the show as a brand-new character, teenager Maurice, who worked as an assistant in Rob's Place. Maurice's friend Darryl (Ken Sagoes) was another new character. The series ended in 1988.

[edit] DVD releases

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released all 3 Seasons of What's Happening!! on DVD in Region 1.

DVD Name Ep # Release Date
The Complete 1st Season 21 February 3, 2004
The Complete 2nd Season 22 October 5, 2004
The Complete 3rd Season 22 August 23, 2005
The Complete Series 65 June 10, 2008

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • The character of Roger Thomas was specifically written as wearing glasses. However, Ernest Thomas, the actor who portrayed the character, has 20/20 vision. In the series' early episodes, it's clear that the "glasses" he is wearing are actually just empty frames with no lenses in them. Eventually, the show moved to using actual glass lenses that had no prescription, so the light reflection can be seen from the lenses.
  • Tim Pelt, the stepfather of Danielle Spencer, appeared in the first season episode "My Three Tons". In 1977, he was killed in a car accident that also seriously injured Spencer.
  • In the 5th season episode of Family Guy, Stewie Loves Lois, Peter is featured doing the "Rerun Dance". Also, in the episode, "The Courtship of Stewie's Father", Peter asks Stewie (who is trapped on Disneyland's "It's A Tiny World" ride), "Why are you dressed like Rerun?"
  • On the sitcom Big Day, a couple plans to get married to the theme of What's Happening!!.
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
  • Each of the main characters incorporates either their real first or last name into the respective character names (i.e. Ernest Thomas- Roger Thomas; Mabel King- Mabel Thomas; Haywood Nelson- Dwayne Nelson, etc).
  • In the episode of Scrubs "My Drama Queen", J.D. states that when ever he sees two women he has slept with next to each other, he has a fantasy about them doing the Rerun dance with the character Rerun. Dee made a cameo as Rerun in this episode.
  • In the episode "Disco Dollar Disaster," Fred Berry's then-wife Francesca Berry made an appearance on the show as his dance partner Charlene.
  • Fred Berry was an original member of the dance group The Lockers, who made an appearance on "My Three Tons."
  • Actor Theodore Wilson made 3 appearances on "What's Happening!!" as 3 different characters: he played Betty's father in the pilot episode (Betty hosted a house party without her parents permission); a card player alongside Mabel's employer (who gambled away his wife's jewelry but pointed the finger at Mabel as a coverup); and as Al Dunbar (he had Rerun bootleg the Doobie Brothers concert).
  • Actress Chip Fields appeared on "What's Happening!!" as 2 different characters - as Shirley's pregnant sister Norma, and as Rerun's sister Donna (whom Rerun lived with along with her husband Ike before moving out with Raj).

[edit] List of episodes

1976

  1. The Runaway 8/5/1976 - Roger is told to miss a party in order to babysit his sister, Dee because their mother must work. But Roger sneaks out to the party and Mother returns home to find Dee there with a senile old lady. After taking Dee with her, Roger and his friends return home to find Dee gone and think she ran away.
  2. The Birthday Present 8/12/1976 - Roger needs money to buy his mother a birthday present so he wins it in a dice game. When his mother finds out he was gambling, she takes his winnings, the money needed to buy Mother her present.
  3. When Daddy Comes Marching Home 8/19/1976 - After deserting Roger and Dee as little children, their father returns to town and begins to visit regularly.
  4. My Three Tons 8/26/1976 - Rerun enters a dancing contest to find out he is only entered in as a joke because of his tremendous weight.

1976-1977

  1. Saturday's Hero 11/13/1976 - Rerun is a football star but cannot play due to failing grades.
  2. The Burger Queen 11/20/1976 - When Roger's and Dee's mother is away, Roger enters Dee in a contest to become a burger queen for Bridgeburgers.
  3. Speak for Yourself, Dwayne 11/27/1976 - Dwayne has his eye on a new girl, Nancy but he's too shy to talk to her, so he gets Raj too. However, that turns into a mistake for Dwayne because this leads to Raj falling for Nancy. Raj is left with guilt and one angry friend.
  4. Shirley's Date 12/4/1976 - Raj has sold a kid's story to a children's magazine and to celebrate, throws a party. However, Shirley is reluctant to come because she doesn't want to show up without a date.
  5. A Christmas Story 12/11/1976 - Roger and Dee think their mother is working on Christmas so they are forced to spend it with their father, who recently entered their lives. After a ruined Christmas dinner due to their father's girlfriend's inability to cook, they wind up all having dinner together with Mother.
  6. Puppy Love 12/30/1976 - Raj is tutoring Patrice Williams in exchange for one of the puppies that her dog, Susie is soon to have. However, confusion erupts in the Thomas household, when Dee overhears a conversation between Raj, Dwayne and Rerun which leads her to believe Raj has gotten a girl pregnant.
  7. The Maid Did It 1/6/1977 - Roger's and Dee's mother is fired after being accused of stealing from a home that she serves as a maid at. Roger, Dwayne, & Rerun prove her innocence.
  8. The Incomplete Shakespeare 1/13/1977 - Roger is trying to break into the writing business.
  9. The Hospital Stay 1/20/1977 - Dee helps a dying man reunite with his enstranged daughter who married a white man.
  10. The Sunday Father 1/27/1977 - After being "expelled" (actually suspended) from school for bad behavior in class, Roger softsoaps his father into coming to the school for the conference instead of his mother because Roger knows his father can't punish him.
  11. The Firing Squad 2/10/1977 - Shirley gets fired for arguing with business associate of her boss Rob.
  12. The Boarder 2/17/1977 - When the Thomas family has financial problems, Roger and Dee's father moves in and pays rent to help out, prentending not to know their plight.
  13. Dwayne's Dilemma 2/24/1977 - Dwayne is dating a girl who recently broke up with a violent boyfriend.
  14. The Tickets 3/3/1977 - Roger has two tickets for a Stevie Wonder concert but wants to take both Dwayne and Rerun so he scalps them.
  15. What's Wrong With Raj? 3/10/1977
  16. Nice Guys Finish Last 3/24/1977 - Dee allows her pen pal from prison to visit thinking she was paroled but actually she is still a fugitive.
  17. From Here to Maternity 3/31/1977 - Shirley's sister comes to visit, unmarried and 8 months pregnant.

1977-1978

  1. Rerun Gets Married 9/22/1977 - Rerun attempts to marry an illegal allien so she can stay in the country.
  2. It's All in Your Head 9/29/1977 - Dee's visit to a school psychologist for a friend's problem is misinterpreted and her family is suddenly extremely nice to her. She then takes advantage and they find out.
  3. Trial and Error 10/6/1977 - Roger wrecks his work bicycle after running into a moving car.
  4. Raj Goes to Press 10/13/1977 - Roger, Dwayne, and Rerun begin an underground newspaper to protest Miss Collin's surprise quizzes.
  5. Nothing Personal 10/20/1977 - Shirley is offered a highly skilled job because she is black, though she is unqualified.
  6. If I'm Elected 10/27/1977 - Dwayne is helping his father campaign for election to city councilman. Meanwhile, he gets very upset when his uncle is suddenly fired as campaign manager. (Roger and Rerun do not appear in this episode
  7. The Play's the Big Thing 11/3/1977 - Out of pity, Roger uses Rerun in a skit for their theatre arts class.
  8. Give Me Odds 11/10/1977 - Dwayne is in a lucky streak with the system he uses to make bets. This leads Rerun to pass along Dwayne's tips to his brother-in-law, Ike, who bets $500 on a football game. It's only after he's made the bet that everyone discovers just what kind of system Dwayne uses.
  9. Bill Gets Married 11/17/1977 - Bill has become serious with his latest girlfriend and announces that they plan on getting married. Almost everyone is happy for the couple including Mama who even lets them have the ceremony in her house. However, it's Dee who refuses to accept their marriage and refuses to be the flowergirl in the wedding.
  10. Mama, the School Girl 11/24/1977 - Mama begins taking courses at Raj's school and even gets his teacher, Miss Collins. A fellow classmate takes an instant liking to Mama and she falls head over heels for him, unknown to her he's only using her to write his term paper for him.
  11. One Strike and You're Out 12/8/1977 - Rerun being fired from the supermarket is the last straw for Raj who rallies the rest of the workers to take some action against their boss Mr. Pronson. However, when the staff goes on strike, Raj finds himself in a jam, since Mama has lost her job and the family now has no source of income.
  12. The Testimonial 12/15/1977 - Miss Collins is being honored for 25 years of teaching and this prompts Raj to play a trick on her after she gives him detention for being tardy. However, he soon finds his trick is totally inappropriate and sets out to right his wrong.
  13. Black and White Blues 12/22/1977 - While watching a football game at Raj's house, the black and white set goes beserk and Rerun suggests that they "borrow" the new color TV set that is being offered as a prize at a church raffle. However, once they get it to Raj's house, Rerun and Dwayne accidentally drop it.
  14. Going, Going, Gong 1/5/1978 - Raj has become the manager of a kid's song and dance group and believes that they're so good that they may have a chance to get on The Gong Show. However, once at tryouts, Raj discovers he has some competition, from Rerun.
  15. Dee's First Date 1/21/1978 - Dee's is going out on her first date with a boy who's sister Raj has made into the object of his affection. His plan is to buddy up to Dee's boyfriend to get close to his sister. However, he quickly finds he has another thing coming.
  16. Doobie or Not Doobie (Part 1) 1/28/1978 - The Doobie Brothers are set to put on a concert at the guys' high school and they leave Rerun to get the tickets. However, by the time Rerun gets to the ticket booth, they're sold out. Later, two shady characters offer Rerun free tickets if he just tape records the concert. It is only later that Rerun learns that they are bootleggers and they threaten Rerun, Raj and Dwayne if they don't comply
  17. Doobie or Not Doobie (Part2) 2/4/1978 - The bootleggers force the guys into tape recording the concert but while everyone is jumping around, the tape recorder falls out from under Rerun's coat and right in full view of the Doobie Brothers. After some explanations, the guys and the Doobie Brothers set up a trap to catch the bootleggers.
  18. Rerun Sees the Light 2/11/1978 - Rerun encounters a strange woman on the street who goes by the name of Love-is-Life and she lures him into attending one of her cult gatherings. Rerun enjoys his new found faith and how it makes him feel but Dwayne and Raj are a bit leery about a group that worships a head of lettuce.
  19. Raj and the Older Woman 2/18/1978 - When Raj goes down to a photographer to get his yearbook picture taken, he is instantly smitten with a beautiful model. Raj lies about his age and says he's 21 and that he's a movie star and the girl is instantly taken by him. That is until, she learns the truth.
  20. Diplomatic Immunity 2/25/1978 - Rerun borrows a car so the guys can get to a Lakers game but after the game Rerun becomes the victim of a hit and run driver. Dee surprises everyone by coming forward with news that she was a witness and saw the driver, which turns out to be the son of a foreign diplomat.
  21. Shirley Takes Over 4/13/1978 - With Mama out of town, Raj gets Shirley to babysit Dee who gets Shirley thinking about her past. Meanwhile, Raj and Rerun's graduation is approaching but right at the last minute Rerun gets himself in trouble by cheating on a final exam which prompts Shirley to give him some guidance.
  22. The Apartment 5/11/1978 - On graduation day, Raj gives a speech riddled with hints to Mama about his plans on moving in to an apartment with Rerun but after some conversation, Mama finally agrees to let him move out. However, Rerun and Raj quickly find themselves with little privacy with Mama constantly coming over.

1978-1979

  1. Disco Dollar Disaster 9/21/1978 - A dance contest has Rerun scrambling to get enough money for the entrance fee and ends up having people buying shares in his prospective winnings. However, he finds himself facing stiff competition from a notorious disco dancer and the prospect of two thugs breaking his hands if he doesn't win.
  2. Shirley's Boyfriend 9/28/1978 - Raj, Rerun and Dwayne learn how lonely Shirley's life is and decide that the best thing for her is a blind date with Ed Roberts. Things start getting serious between Shirley and Ed but then Dee learns that Ed is married.
  3. Basketball Brain 10/12/1978 - Raj is coerced into tutoring a basketball star and gets plenty of encouragement thanks to a generous salary for doing so. However, Raj finds himself in trouble with tutoring Dee and Dwayne as well, he has little time to do his own studying.
  4. The Creep Detective 11/2/1978 - Rerun and Raj are arrested after Rerun unknowingly stores stolen goods. While, Dee and Earl combine their efforts to save the guys.
  5. Shirley's Cookies 11/9/1978 - Shirley brings some homemade cookies into Rob's Place as a gift for Rerun and the guys and they are so taken with how good they are that they suggest that she try selling them at Rob's. She decides to try it but soon finds that her small business venture has attracted the likes of a con man who talks her into a long-term contract that is binding.
  6. The Landlady 11/16/1978 - The rent is due for Raj and Rerun's apartment but they are short since Raj hasn't been able to find a job. When the landlady stops by to collect the rent she takes Raj aside and tells him not to worry and then proceeds to give Raj signals that convince him that she's interested in him romantically. Raj soon begins acting more mature since she's in her 30's and he's 19
  7. Charge 11/23/1978 - Rerun gets a credit card and goes on a spending spree, buying everything in sight from food processors to new furniture. He soon applies for more credit cards and quickly finds himself sinking into debt but he continues to spend totally refurnishing the apartment. He takes out a loan, but soon finds a repo man on his doorstep.
  8. Raj Moves Out 11/30/1978 - Raj's study date with an attractive girl, Jean, goes awry thanks to Rerun's annoying presence. Thus, it's no surprise when Raj jumps at the chance to move in with Jean to get away from Rerun. However, Dee makes a shocking discovery, Jean as a distinct motive for the roommate proposal.
  9. No Clothes Make the Man 12/14/1978 - Raj needs a job and gets one selling meat, but when he learns the company is a fraud and has been busted by the FBI, he begins searching for another one. He finally finds one that pays $35 an hour but involves him posing nude for an art class.
  10. Positive Identification 12/21/1978 - The Christmas spirit has touched everyone except for a burglar who has just robbed Rerun and Raj's apartment. As he's getting away, Raj and Rerun inadvertently help him, leaving them with only a glimpse. Thus, when they're asked to pick the robber out of a line-up, Raj and Rerun just aren't positive if they identified the right guy.
  11. Making Out 1/11/1979 - Raj and Rerun each have a girls, April and Cindy, in their lives and finding free time to spend alone in the apartment is a challenge. Soon, it becomes a bet to see how far each one can go with each girl. Rerun ends up striking out with both of them but Raj, hits pay dirt with April, who happens to be the girl Rerun has his heart set on.
  12. Dee, the Cheerleader 1/25/1979 - Dee has her heart set on joining the cheerleading squad and while preparing she also helps out her friend Julie who also want to be on the squad. With Dee being better than her, Julie doesn't think she has a chance, however, everyone is in for a shock when Julie is picked and Dee isn't.
  13. A Present for Dee 2/9/1979 - Dee's 14th birthday has Raj and the gang preparing a surprise birthday party. Dee quickly gets word of it but is not without a surprise thanks to Little Earl's birthday gift. The atrocious necklace he gave her turns out to be stolen and Dee is accused of shoplifting when she tries to exchange it.
  14. Dwayne's Dream 2/16/1979 - Dwayne gets a new job in concessions at ball games and the owner wants him to handle all of the games all over town. Dwayne quickly realizes the job could turn into a full time employment and considers quitting school. However, he has serious doubts thanks to a talk from Raj and Rerun. This all leads to Dwayne having a crazy dream about the future.
  15. Shirley's Fired 2/23/1979 - Shirley has decided to ask Rob for a raise and he is shocked but he also has a shock for her, he's decided to hire an additional waitress, Liz. However, her forever clumsiness gets on Shirley's nerves so much that she quits. Later, Shirley witnesses Liz skimming the till.
  16. Food Poisoning 3/2/1979 - Rerun has one of Rob's hamburgers and suddenly becomes ill. He is taken to the hospital and it's assumed that he has food poisoning. Suddenly, Rob finds himself with no business since no one wants to take a chance eating his food. However, Rob has bigger problems on his hands when a greedy Rerun decides to sue Rob's place for $100,000.
  17. The Eviction 3/9/1979 - Rerun and Raj have gotten a new landlord and he has been totally neglecting all of the repairs that are needed in the apartments. Fed up, Rerun calls a tenants meeting and Raj is roped into handing the landlord a list a demands. However, things don't go quite as planned and the landlord evicts Raj and Rerun which forces them to move into the Thomas household with Dee and Shirley.
  18. The Thomas Treasure 3/16/1979 - After reading an article in a newspaper, Raj learns that Mama's house was once used as a hideout by some bank robbers and that they may have hid some loot somewhere in it. This leads him, Rerun, Dee, Dwayne and Shirley on a mad search for the money. Meanwhile, they are all unaware the bank robbers are plotting to come back to claim their money.
  19. The Last Page 3/31/1979 - The gang fantasizes about being TV characters from famous ABC shows, such as Three's Company and Happy Days.
  20. First Class Coach 4/7/1979 - Big Earl has been coaching Little Earl's basketball team and has been pushing the kids constantly to do their best, so when Big Earl gets an undercover assignment he must get a temporary coach and finds one in Dwayne. However, Dwayne proves to be the exact opposite of Big Earl and suddenly the team is finding themselves winning a game for a change. This leads the team to decide whether or not to keep Big Earl.
  21. Dwayne's Debate 4/21/1979 - When another classmate drops out of a high school campaign, two attractive girls talk Dwayne into running. When the news reaches his dad's ears, Dwayne can't even get a word in to tell him he doesn't want to run but eveyone convinces him that he would be perfect. However, the worst is yet to come, when Dwayne learns that there will be a debate between him and the other candidate.
  22. The Benefit Show 4/28/1979 - A local teen center is in serious financial trouble and the gang tries to come up with a way to save it. They finally decide to put on a benefit show and Rerun has someone in mind who will be sure to attract attention, Sammy Davis, Jr. However, Rerun does his best to get a hold of Sammy but soon realizes he must announce that Sammy won't be coming to the benefit.

[edit] Cultural references

  • The 2004 song Biscuits by Ghostface Killa references What's Happening, when Ghostface refers to his pistol as "Big Shirley"
Don't move, turn around!
Act like James Brown
And get down!
Get slapped with the put down
Wasn't you the same clown
Uptown, yappin'?
I keep big Shirley on my side,
So What's Happenin'?
  • In the Friends episode The one with all the poker, Chandler asks Ross (who is staring at Rachel) "Could you want her more?". Ross says "Who?" to which Chandler replies "Dee, the sarcastic sister from What's Happening."
  • In the Scrubs episode "My Drama Queen", Amy Smart and Sarah Chalke's characters dance with Rerun under his guidance. Later in the episode, J.D. and Turk dance with Rerun in a fantasy of J.D.'s. Scrubs in general contains many references to What's Happening!! as well as other sitcoms of the 70's, partly due to characters J.D and Turk being fans of those shows.
  • The Bloodhound Gang song 'Mope', includes the lyrics 'Reruns of Rerun, so What's Happening!! Dee's knocked up and Raj on crack again'
  • In the episode "Kitty's Birthday (Is That Today!?)" of That '70s Show, Jackie asks Donna if she would like to go to the mall where Rerun is opening a Dairy Queen.
  • Newhart: Reading, Writing, and Rating Points - The show is mentioned by name.
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000: Village of the Giants - Beau says "What's happening?" (Mike hums the theme).
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Starfighters - Mike says "Hi Dwayne, what's happening?"
  • Married with Children: The Joke's on Al - Gary Coleman is misidentified as Rerun.
  • Bullet- Characters are referred to as Rerun and Raj
  • Saturday Night Live: Chris Rock/The Wallflowers - Mentioned by Tori Spelling and Nat X
  • Chasing Amy
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Horror of Party Beach - "Get outt here Rerun'
  • The Bad Boys of Saturday Night Live - Mentioned by Nat X
  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of Chris Rock - referenced during the Nat X sketch
  • Big Money Hustlas - Fred "Rerun" Berry appears in his Rerun costume from "What's Happenin," and gives his trademark "Heyheyhey" catchphrase. Another character calls him "Rerun," before correcting himself and calling him his character name of "Bootleg Greg."
  • Freaks and Geeks: Noshing and Moshing - Bill dances like Rerun
  • Saturday Night Live: Renée Zellweger/Eve - Referenced on Weekend Update
  • Saturday Night Live: Cameron Diaz/Jimmy Eat World - Mentioned on Weekend Update
  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell - Mentioned during Weekend Update clip
  • Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star - dialogue
  • My Baby's Daddy - A character is called Rerun, as in the show
  • Tripping the Rift: Love Conquers All... Almost - Quoted by Whip
  • House M.D.: Heavy - Foreman tells Jessica Simms that he when he was a kid, he was fat, and the other kids called him "Rerun," in reference to a character from this series.
  • Roll Bounce - one of the character mentions that the show will come on in the afternoon.
  • Lost: One of Them - Sawyer calls Hurley 'Rerun'
  • Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 2 - In "Homestarloween Party", Bubs' Halloween costume is of Rerun
  • 30 Rock: Fireworks - Character mentions it.
  • 30 Rock: Somebody to Love - Tracy is preparing for his What's Happening! sketch
  • Sally Forth is watched in one of the comic strips
  • A Madtv episode had an Antiques Roadshow parody which involved a What's Happening plate.
  • Another Madtv episode had a character saying he had the same last name as someone from What's Happening!!
  • On an episode of Johnny Bravo Donny Osmond mentions the main characters of the show while singing

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