User reviews

I have to say that I grew up on these reruns. I was surprised to see and remember how much I enjoyed the show during the recent TV Land marathon. The show was still groundbreaking too. I never understood why Mabel King who played Mama so beautifully left. I still remember Rerun, Dwayne, Raj, Dee, and Shirley as a happy group of people in working class Los Angeles, California. I'm not black but I can relate to the financial struggles that they held despite maintaining a happy suburban life. They provided many memorable moments for me over the weekend. It was nice to see Irene Cara in a guest appearance and Alice Ghostley and others too many to mention. The sitcom was probably criticized in its day but today, I can see it as a brilliant piece of realistic comedy touching on subjects tactfully and carefully like teenage pregnancy, marriage, divorce, single-parent home and of course, financial problems like all families share. I believe it was the first sitcom in my memory to feature divorce in a positive light rather than negative. Enjoy it!

I was a senior in high school when this show debuted and even though I was a white kid in the 'burbs, I found much of what Raj, Rerun and Dwayne did and talked about easy to relate to because even though my own life was pretty far removed from black kids in the city, I think kids are going to be kids at heart, guys are always going to come up with ideas that seem better at their genesis than they actually end up being and "What's Happening!" seems to have been written with that at the show's core. It's a well-done sitcom that doesn't talk down to its audience.

I'll spare the character profiles and such because there are plenty of other reviewers here who've done a good job of that. What I will say is that 40 years after it first aired on ABC, "What's Happening!" holds up nicely. It was definitely an ensemble comedy that changed when Mabel King left the show, but the actors worked well together and had a good on- screen chemistry. Although "What's Happening!" wasn't as popular at the time as other sitcoms based on black families like "Good Times" or "The Jeffersons," it is definitely in their league in terms of the quality of acting and writing.

I didn't give it a "10" rating because there wasn't a lot of character development (hardly unique for sitcoms), Mabel King's exit meant the loss of the one character who seemed able to create order out of the chaos that usually ensued when the guys got into a jam and a sense of staleness was beginning to set in by its last season. Still, it rates a solid "8" with me and that "8" applies in 2017 as well as for 1977. "What's Happening!" endures as one of the better, if underrated, comedies of the late Seventies. Worth watching.

I caught some episodes of 'What's happening!!' on You Tube last year and being a U.S sitcom fan myself, I had to give this one a try. I thought it was very good.

From the writer of Good Times, 'What's Happening!' followed the trials and tribulations of young Raj aka Roger, the family he lives with and his friends, Rerun and and Dwayne.

Raj had a mother, Mabel going by the name of mama, who was single and a sister named Dee. She was somewhat interesting because at times i found some of the things she uttered funny, but also on occasions she'd annoy me. But props go to Danielle Spencer who for someone so young at the time, then possessed so much comedic talent.

Raj, Rerun and Dwayne often hang out at Shirley's café and talk about things together, which a lot of it was humorous but good natured as well. The 3 teens along the way experience love, more about what friendship means and through Raj see his relationship with his sister and mother grow, in addition to experiencing more problems and resolving them. Shirl was a hoot at times and was such a fun character.

What's Happening had a very good run, in spite of the fact it was overshadowed by the likes of The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, Diff'rent Strokes and Good Times. There was a follow-up titled 'What's Happening Now', but that series didn't do so well in contrast to its predecessor.

Being in my 20s and entering my 30s, I've become more used to see shows that I never managed to see when they aired in the U.S via the internet and You Tube because I was too young to know or have heard of them. People lauded the Jeffersons, Good times and What's Happening as great shows and having seen episodes of those programmes I could see why.

This series deals with in particular the notion of how being a child of a single parent doesn't mean one is at a complete disadvantage from other children as seen mostly from Raj's perspective; with friends by your side, such as Re-Run and Dwayne, Raj still was happy, content and had fun in his teen-hood. And later on through the spin-off, What's Happening Now, he got married and a had a wife of his own, whilst still retaining his friends.

What's Happening is good, clean fun and if you love your classic American sitcoms, you should give this one a watch. It's funny, well-written and scripted and the performances are very, very good.

Recommended.

This was one of my favorite tv shows growing up! as other users commented, it was the first thing i would turn on after school! it was not only the funniest show, but it dealt with a single parent home, and i was raised in a single parent home, so i related to it. i miss seeing Raj make a fool out of himself, by being so nerdy and Dee, with all the sarcasm, you never stopped laughing....and Shirley, anything she said, made you laugh. i think if more people posted their comments, than maybe it will impact someone to syndicate the show! as you can see, the cast of the show never really made it, perhaps this could help their careers, so bring us RERUNS of "What's Happening"! we miss Rerun and all his dance moves...."Hey Hey Hey"!

First of all...GREAT NEWS! What's Happening is now on the Roku Channel-All episodes and seasons! I enjoyed this fun show as a kid and it's still funny! Such a nice family especially the Mama! The kids are wonderful too. And who could ever forget Rerun? He was clearly the fave of the show!

What's Happening!! was one of the greatest shows of the late 70's. What I really liked about the show was that every episode seemed to have a different plot line to it. I gave it a 9 and not a 10 because it was canceled and did not go out on top. The reason why I gave it a 9 was because it captured positive late 70's black culture. It did not have to use " black exploitation" to make it a great show. In the entire run of the show (3 seasons) their never was a violent scene and they never had to use the "N" word to make it funny. My favorite character of the show was Rerun (Fred Berry) because he seemed to play the personality of the "loveable loser" to perfection which made him a great actor. Also, I liked Dee (Danielle Spencer) a lot because she handled the role of childhood star with grace. After her childhood acting days ended she didn't use the money for bad reasons. She went on to become a veterinarian. Which can show people that you can be a childhood star and still live a normal adult life (contatary to popular belief).

On the commemoration of the show's 40th Anniversary,the television series "What's Happening!" remains a bonafide staple of the great African-American comedies of the 1970's. Interesting note about this series that was well received with the critics,but not with the powers that be over at ABC-TV(which aired it for three seasons). "What's Happening!" was loosely based on Eric Monte's 1975 theatrical picture "Cooley High" about a group of teenagers who lived in mid-1960's Chicago that became a huge box office hit on which Eric Monte wrote the screenplay and was directed by Michael Schultz. Eric Monte was also the co-creator of another successful television series "Good Times" and was also the creative force behind this series "What's Happening!" along with the executive production team of Saul Turtletaub, and Bernie Orenstein("Sanford and Son"),and Bud Yorkin("All In The Family")who served as executive producers of this series under there production company T.O.Y. Productions which was Bud Yorkin's second series after he ended his partnership with Norman Lear in Tandem Productions.

"What's Happening!" premiered on ABC's Prime Time Thursday night schedule as a summer replacement series for "Barney Miller" on August 5,1976. From the pilot episode and excellent reviews and astounding ratings the series was given a prime-time slot on Thursday nights preceding "Welcome Back Kotter" on November 13,1976. A total of 65 episodes were produced for this series until its final episode on April 28,1979. During it's three seasons on the air it faced strong competition of CBS' Powerhouse Drama "The Waltons" on it's Thursday night schedule. Throughout the series entire three season-run of "What's Happening!" only actors Ernest Lee Thomas(Roger),Fred Berry(Frederick "Rerun" Stubbs), Haywood Nelson(Dewayne),along with Shirley Hemphill(Shirley),and Danielle Spencer(Dee)were the only cast members that stayed with the series for all 65 episodes. Mabel King was with the series for Seasons 1 and 2 only for 42 episodes(1976-1978). Mabel King left the show due to creative differences with the producers and left the series at the end of its Second Season. "What's Happening!" during the first 2 seasons provided hilarious hijinks and big laughs each week as the lives of three working class African-American teens living in mid-1970's South Los Angeles and the adventures and mischief they get into while learning the lessons from their mistakes. Recurring characters of this series included Rob(Earl Billings)who owns Rob's Place where Shirley is a waitress and where the teens are regular patrons. Other recurring characters included Miss Collins(Fritzi Burr),a sarcastic high school history teacher and was the sponsor of the high school newspaper. Thalmus Rasulala appear in seven episodes of the series as Roger and Dee's father and Mabel's ex-husband. Other characters in recurring roles were Ray Vitte(Gene Walker),Jonathan Welsh("Big Earl" Barnett), David Hollander("Little Earl" Barrett),Leland Smith("Snake"),and Bryan O'Dell("Marvin").

Unlike Eric Monte's other series "Good Times","What's Happening!" only rarely and mildly ventured into social commentary. Most of the episodes focused of meeting girls, finding after school jobs, and planning for the future. All of that would changed dramatically by the show's third and final season when the main central character was written out of the show and replaced by Caucasian characters that really brought the series down in the ratings. The guest star appearances on "What's Happening!" were seasoned actors like Chip Fields, Vernee Watson, Debbi Morgan, Henry Robinson, Greg Morris, Tim Reid, David White, Dick Van Patton, to notable guest stars like Sorrell Brooke, Nathaniel Taylor, Judy Pace, Wolfman Jack, Stu Gilliam, Rosalind Cash, Percy Rodriguez, Malachi Throne, Theodore Wilson, Alice Ghostley, Joe Morton, Irene Cara, Renn Woods, Raymond Allen, Kene Holliday, Harold Sylvester, Alan Oppenheimer, to other guest stars Richard Deacon, Hal Williams, Faye Hauser,and Mark Warren. Not to mention "The Doobie Brothers" featuring Michael MacDonald appearing as themselves in a two-part episode "Doobie or Not Doobie"(Season 2,Episodes 16 and 17).

The best episodes from the first two seasons of "What's Happening!" are considered classics and I start with the show's pilot episode "The Runaway"(Season 1, Episode 1),and "The Birthday Present"(Season 1, Episode 2),"The Burger Queen"(Season 1, Episode 6),"The Christmas Episode"(Season 1, Episode 9),to notable others including "When Daddy Comes Marching Home"(Season 1, Episode 3),"My Three Tons"(Season 1, Episode 4),"Roger and the Older Woman"(Season 2,Episode 19),"The Testimonial"(Season 2,Episode 12),"Going,Going,Gone"(Season 2,Episode 14). Third season episodes include "Shirley's Fired"(Season 3,Episode 15),"Disco Dollar Disaster"(Season 3,Episode 1)and the final episode of the series "The Benefit Show" (Season 3, Episode 22). The phenomenal success of "What's Happening!" spawned continue repeats in national syndication after its three season prime time run at ABC.

A spin-off "What's Happening Now!" airing in first-run syndication from 1985-1988 with most of the major cast members in reprising roles. Even after 40 years this is a grand series that still entertains so Happy Anniversary to Roger,Dewayne and Rerun!!!!

The man went from a Soul Train line dancer to TV fame. The musical sequences with him dancing were the only thing entertaining in the whole vapid cliched unfunny series.

It goes to show what people will accept when they are unhappy not seeing themselves on screen. Even something as awful and pathetic as this series seems good to them and gets ludicrously praised.

There wasn't a single funny joke the entire run of the show. It would die a quick death these days, but back then with so little competition it kept going for three seasons.

Shouldn't it tell you something that no one from the series was ever heard from again? Unlike Good Times where the main actors were skilled comedic and drama actors with long careers before and after, and the show tackled many serious issues thoughtfully and with good writing.

Fast forward to the dance scenes and skip the rest.

My God this show is so hilarious after over 40 years. I'm only 33 but watched some of these episodes and its sequel when I was a kid in the 80s. So funny, I would recommend it to anyone that likes to travel back in time and catch some of the great comedies of its time. Thanks to anyone in the cast that's still alive. I don't think anyone is the cast was the weak link. They all bring something to the show. Love the mom's performance. Raj, is so skinny and hilarious watching him TRY to dance, and Rerun makes my ribs hurt. Love it when Shirley calls someone "sucka" Dee has such a smart mouth, and Dwayne is so naïve its hilarious. Thanks again for a timeless classic.

This is one of my favorite shows of all time, if not my favorite show of all time. From Raj mumbling under his breath, to Rerun worshiping a head of lettuce, to Dwayne just being along for the ride, What's Happening was as much a slice of Americana as such shows as "I Love Lucy" and "Friends". I loved seeing them get into one mess after another. For instance, the episode when the guys apparently broke a brand new TV set that was used for a church raffle when they dropped it at Raj's house. They counted on Rerun to win the set, since he purchased about 80 tickets. How ironic that the one ticket he used to pay off his lunch tab to Shirley the waitress was the winning ticket for the TV? So Shirley wound up with the TV.

In any event, I heard that there will be a What's Happening marathon sometime in November on TVLand. If this is true, please let me know! Thanks for reading my post. Peace!

I did like this show at that time but as someone pointed out it was stereotypical which basically all the black sitcoms were. They were either living in ghettos or from broken homes, working as maids or always broke along with the skinny husband, heavy black women which were portrayed in all the sitcoms of that time. It's interesting when we're young we don't realize what's really going on but when we're older, we do see what really was going on. I see in older films some blacks were given decent parts but in the 70s they went backwards. Unfortunately very young people wouldn't know this as some of them weren't even born yet. I actually liked What's Happening Now much better which came a few years later which was a little more positive.

"What's Happening" was a happening show with popping and locking and all kinds of other hip stuff.

The star was Ernest Thomas who played the skinny, glasses-clad Roger 'Raj' Thomas. His best friend was Freddie 'Rerun' Stubbs (Fred Berry). They called him Rerun, if I'm not mistaken, because he was held back in school a time or two. If Rerun could do anything, he could dance. Raj's other friend was Dwayne Nelson (Haywood Nelson). It seemed like Raj and his boys were always trying to keep from being caught by Raj's mother (played by Mabel King) for doing something or other. Mama had her sentinel they had to watch out for too: Raj's sister, Dee (Danielle Spencer).

It was fun times. Whenever they weren't at Raj's house they could most likely be found at the diner where Shirley (played by Shirley Hemphill) worked. She would trade barbs with Rerun and they usually had to do with weight.

"What's Happening!!" sort of reminded me of "Good Times" but less serious and more of an actual good time.

Believe me, WHATS HAPPENING came out on a perfect time. There was'nt a better TV show to grow up on! Who could ever forget 1)Raj, the wise, bird-cracklin nerdish dude who could never sit in a chair the right way! 2) Rerun, the round, always-in-step party mover 3) Dwayne, the not so smart, heckling nervous breakdown "They cut off your fingers and your toes, man!" 4) And good ol' bratty sister Dee, who reminded you of everyone's sister!

WHATS HAPPENING is really missed by this commentator. Come on TVLAND, give us some RERUNs! RERUNs!

Interesting note about this show. It was the creative brainchild of producer Eric Monte(who also co-created and produced "Good Times"),and produced under Saul Turtletaub, Bernie Orenstein and Bud Yorkin(of "Sanford and Son",and "All In The Family"),"What's Happening!" premiered on ABC as a summer replacement for "Barney Miller" on August 5,1976 but returned on November 13,1976 as a regular series running three seasons and 65 episodes until April 28,1979.

This was one of my fondest memories of childhood back in the day,coming home and watching the antics of Roger,Dewayne,and Rerun getting into all sorts of trouble only to get Roger's smart-mouth sister Dee and Roger's mother get them out of unsuspected situations. Interesting note on "What's Happening!!",though.....it got the idea from a 1975 film "Cooley High"(on which the show was based)about three Chicago kids who were having fun and getting into all sorts of trouble......The show(getting back to "What's Happening"!!) was based in the residental section of Los Angeles where the mom was the single parent with two children in the household. The show itself was side-splitting hilarious indeed catching the gang down at the soda stop coming up with some crazy scheme or another,and catching Rerun and Shirley(the waitress) battling it out,or getting some girl to go out with them. The show was a major top ten hit for the ABC network(which started off as a trial run,but returned in the fall as a weekly series). The theme score to the show was done by the great Henry Mancini,and its a classic. Some of the cast members reunited for a spin off called "What's Happening Now!!",with Roger getting married off,and Rerun and Dewayne having a business of their own,and the waitress Shirley who brought Rob's Place and is the owner. Rumor has it that two of the cast members of that show Dewayne,(played by Haywood Nelson),and Dee(played by Danielle Spencer) are living in North Carolina now,and Roger(played by Ernest Thomas)is doing feature films(notably seen in Denzel Washington's movie "The Hurricane") nowadays. Great show,as it celebrates it Golden 40th Anniversary!!! Happy Anniversary Roger, Dewayne and Rerun!!!

What's Happening was loosely based on the movie "Cooley High". It is sometime shown in reruns along with its vastly inferior sequel, What's Happening Now.

The heart of the show was the relationship among the three high school buddies, studious Roger, dim bulb Dwayne, and clownish Rerun. The late Shirley Hemphill got off some good zingers as the surly waitress of the malt shop the guys hung out in. Dee was the perfect snide and bratty kid sister to Roger, and Mama dished out discipline and love.

One of the best episodes was a two-parter that is seldom shown in reruns. Roger, Rerun and Dwayne were forced into illegally taping a Doobie Brothers concert (the rock group appeared as themselves) by some criminals. The tape recorder is discovered when it falls out from underneath Rerun's coat, and one of the musicians sees it. The Doobie Brothers then work with the three buddies to catch the criminals.

One of the best sitcoms made. It is a shame TV Land or Nick at Nite does not have "What's Happening!!" on their network. This show deserves to be played again, there are so many people who have not seen it. "What's Happening!!" was not meant to be a permanent show on ABC. It went for a trial run on ABC,but viewers like it so much it returned in the fall. One thing I like about "What's Happening!!" is it deals with a single parent in the house hold. When the father comes around the children sometimes have bad experiences with him. We do not see this anymore in sitcoms that much. If you look at family sitcoms today most of them have the two parents. But "What's Happening!!" was not affraid to be different, not afraid to show how a child's parent (the father) could not be a good person. But then again "What's Happening!!" also showed the good times Roger, Rerun & Dwayne could have (getting into unsuspected trouble). This is a great show and I hope to see it repeated on television.

Anyone who is in their late thirties to forties should remember laughing to the antics of Raj(Ernest Thomas), Dwayne(Haywood Nelson), & Rerun(late Fred Berry) from the popular sitcom "What's Happening!" The show was centered around three ghetto Los Angeles black high school boys & their hilarious high jinks. Roger Thomas(studious & spectacled), Dwayne Nelson(nervous but loyal), & Freddy Stubbs(chubby & dimwitted) were the best of friends who spent a lot of time together at school & at Rob's Soda Shop. At Rob's was Shirley(late comedian Shirley Hemphill), the wise-cracking & worldly waitress who provided sparkling wit with insults to spare. When not with Dwayne & Rerun, Raj came home to strict but loving divorcée mother Mabel Thomas(late Mabel King) & cute but pain in the keister little sister Dee Thomas(Danielle Spencer). From one kind of trouble or silly situation to the next, the three guys never split up, always help each other, & find a way to persevere when the going gets tough.

The show was quite successful & can be shown in reruns on TVLand or Nick at Nite. Oldschoolers & kiddies alike can enjoy a show that gave me hours of unadulterated pleasure as a kid. "What's Happening!" did expand to an unsuccessful spin off called "What's Happening Now!" which featured the core cast all grown up. Raj & Shirley bought & co-owned a diner while Raj pursued a writing career. Raj also is married in this show to Ann-Marie Johnson & cares for her niece. Dwayne & Rerun are off on their careers while sharing an apartment. Dee Thomas is all grown up & in college. The comedy was not as sharp as the original series but kept loyal fans watching. The show did not last but entertained some nonetheless.

All said, "What's Happening!" holds fond memories of a time long gone. Three of the show's actors have passed on in recent years & the core thespians have been low key since the show ended. For those who watched & enjoyed the show, you know that successful sitcoms are hard to come by. Those of you who have not seen "What's Happening!", you missed out on a small piece of 70's Americana.

What a great show! What's Happening is so funny! There isn't one character I don't like. Rerun is one crazy kid. He sure can dance though. He is one of those characters you'll always hear about because they were so funny, like Kramer from Seinfeld. Mama is funny too. I love her. She is you typical crazy tough seventies mother, loving to teach her kids a lesson with a belt to the butt. Sherley was an underrated character. She had an unusual attitude that was hilarious. Raj was always in some situation. He has to have one of the funniest dance moves out there. He reminds me a lot of comedian Vince Morris. They look a lot alike and act a lot alike. Dee is one pain in the butt sister. Hate to have her around. Finally there's Dwayne. He had one crazy afro especially in the earlier years. Its a surprise that this show didn't last very long. It was just as funny as The Jeffersons or Welcome Back Kotter. I'm glad TV Land shows the re-runs of this show show we can all watch Rerun again. Ha!

I was a "What's Happening" fanatic as a child. I used to love watching that show everyday when I came home from school. I used to love Raj, Rerun, Dwayne, and Dee who always used to say " I'm tell mama" and then always blackmailing Raj to give her a quarter to keep her mouth shut. I definitely wish Nick-at-Nite or TV Land would bring the old reruns of this show back on television.

This show was full of comedy and humor. I would love this to come back on the networks as a classic comedy show. So producers of Nick-at-Nite or TV Land bring "What's Happening" back to life.

This was probably one of the funniest sitcoms of the 1970's. The only problem that I had with it was that it tended to have a negative stereotype of African-Americans being fat (Rerun, Shirley and Roger's mother). However, once you looked past the stereotypes, it was a very funny show, especially during the first two years. Unfortunately, after Mabel King left the show before the third season, the show went downhill after that. However, it will always be remembered for being one of the most beloved shows of the 1970's.

What's happening has to be one the most comical black sitcoms from back in the day. The time when Roger wants to sneak out to a party and bribes his sister Dee with some money to keep her mouth shut. This show was hilarious at one point. I haven't seen it in years,and I don't remember too many memorable moments. At one time cable companies aired this show on Nick-At-Nite. Though I don't recall seeing it played. I wonder if cable stations like TV Land can air this sitcom or Nick-At-Nite.