Line #11 Series/WhatsHappening


1	[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/6716340585ffee7fb842e4d463c02779.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:325:Hey ''hey'' hey![[labelnote:cast]]\
3	Clockwise from the guy with the glasses: Raj, Dwayne, Shirley, Rerun, Dee, and Mabel.[[/labelnote]]]]
4
5	''What's Happening!!'' is a sitcom that aired on [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] from 1976–79. It was very loosely adapted from the movie ''Film/CooleyHigh'' (which was written by the show's creator, Eric Monte).
6
7	Taking place in the Watts section of Los Angeles, it centered on a African-American teenager named Roger "Raj" Thomas (Ernest Thomas) as he attended school and interacted with his friends and family. Along with Raj, other recurring characters include his friends Dwayne Nelson (Haywood Nelson) and Freddy "Rerun" Stubbs (Fred Barry); his younger sister Dee (Danielle Spencer); their mother Mabel (Mabel King); and Shirley Wilson (Shirley Hemphill), a waitress at the local hangout, "Rob's Place".
8
9	The show started as a 1976 summer pickup, but made into a regular series following decent ratings. It downplayed the African-American cast and settings, with most plots featuring typical teen DomCom staples such as dealing with school, dating, and planning for the future.
10
11	A {{revival}} series, ''What's Happening Now!!,'' ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988. Following up with the characters several years later, it depicts Raj and his wife Nadine (Anne-Marie Johnson) living in the Thomas home, while Rerun and Dwayne share an apartment. HilarityEnsues.
12
13	The entire series is available on DVD.
14	----
15	!! Trope's Happening!!
16
17	* AfraidOfNeedles: Raj. Just mentioning a needle will cause him to whimper nervously.
18	* AltarTheSpeed: One episode combined this with CitizenshipMarriage when Rerun tries to help a girl named Maria (Creator/IreneCara), who needs a green card so that she can stay in the United States. The judge stops the ceremony when he realizes that in addition to them getting married just for a green card, they know ''nothing'' about each other. Raj, Dwayne, and Shirley reach the courthouse shortly thereafter.
19	* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Raj's sister Dee.
20	* BackToSchool: Mrs. Thomas.
21	* TheBigGuy: Rerun. Also...
22	** BigEater.
23	-->'''Rerun:''' I can't help being fat, it runs in my family!
24	-->'''Dee:''' Nobody ''runs'' in your family, they all ''waddle''!
25	* BigShutUp: Almost to the point of being a RunningGag.
26	-->'''Raj:''' "Shut up, Dee!"\
27	'''Mabel:''' "Roger, that's no way to talk to your sister."\
28	'''Dee:''' "That's right. You tell him, Mama."\
29	'''Mabel:''' "Shut up, Dee!"
30	* BlackAndNerdy: Raj.
31	* CargoCult: One episode had a cult that worshipped a head of lettuce. Mabel comes to the rescue posing as Mother Nature. At the end of the episode, she picks up the lettuce, and says, "Ah! Lettuce... go!" and tosses it away, laughing.
32	* CatchPhrase: Nearly all of the main characters had one.
33	** Rerun: [[TitleDrop "What's happening?"]]
34	** Dwayne: "Hey, Hey, Hey!"
35	** Dee: "Ooooohh, I'm tellin' Mama!" and "Gimme a quarter!"
36	** Mabel: "This is true."
37	* CelebrityLie: The final episode of the original series had Rerun pretending to know Sammy Davis, Jr., and then later being pressed to have him appear for a performance at a teen center.
38	* CelebrityStar: Music/TheDoobieBrothers appeared in one episode to perform a concert at the kids' high school, Jefferson High. They were established as former students, with one of the band members being a classmate of Rerun's.
39	* CitizenshipMarriage: Rerun tries to do this for a girl named Maria in "Rerun Gets Married".
40	* ConcertEpisode: The show had a two-part episode where Raj, Dwayne, and Rerun try to get into a concert for The Doobie Brothers. Rerun ends up getting tickets from a bootlegger in order to tape record the concert, but screws up when the recorder falls out of his coat during the show.
41	* CreditCardPlot: In one episode, Rerun gets a bunch of credit cards and goes crazy buying stuff, getting into debt. The gang sell off most of the stuff and get most of the debt paid off. The episode ends with Rerun chopping up his credit cards with a blender.
42	* {{Cult}}: Rerun joins one on "Rerun Sees the Light." They worship Ralph, a head of lettuce.
43	-->'''Raj''': "You worship a head of lettuce?"
44	* CutASliceTakeTheRest: Once, Rerun is handed a bowl of pretzels and is told "Take one and pass it on." Rerun takes out a pretzel, and hands the pretzel to someone else.
45	* CutHimselfShaving: Occurs in the episode "One Strike and You're Out". A strike breaks out at Raj's workplace, and he goes home to find that his mother is too ill to work and was counting on his income to make up the difference. He goes to work to break the strike and comes home with his shirt torn and staggering. When pressed,Raj admits he was beaten up and lied about who did it because he didn't want to reveal his attacker was his boss's elderly mother.
46	-->'''Raj:''' "I fell down."\
47	'''Dee:''' "Where, down an elevator shaft?"
48	* DeadpanSnarker: Dee.
49	* DevilInPlainSight: Raj's sister Dee; in fact she codifies this trope practically.
50	-->'''Dee:''' "Oooooh, I'm tellin' Mama!"
51	* TheDitz: Dwayne.
52	* DomCom
53	* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: On one episode, Raj goes to a party instead of watching Dee like he was supposed to. As punishment, his mother asked him for his belt. When Raj replied he wasn't wearing one, Rerun offered his, prompting:
54	-->'''Mabel:''' "Rerun, I want to whip him, not ''hang'' him!"
55	* EthnicMenialLabor: In the series, Mabel Thomas worked as a maid. Mabel King's objection to the portrayal was one reason why she eventually left the show.
56	* FreudianTrio: Raj (Ego), Rerun (Id), and Dwayne (Superego).
57	* GameShowAppearance: Rerun becomes a contestant on ''Series/TheGongShow''. Naturally, he's a big hit.
58	* HeldBackInSchool: Rerun, who has been held back a couple of times. In fact, he got the nickname "Rerun" because he had to repeat in the summer what he didn't learn in the winter. At one point in the series he has the chance to pass and finally graduate, but he's afraid to even take the test -- despite studying hard for it -- because he's not sure what he can do beyond high school.
59	* HighSchool: Raj, Rerun, and Dwayne attend Thomas Jefferson High School.
60	* HypocriticalHumor: Anytime Rerun and Shirley make fun of each other's weight.
61	* InWithTheInCrowd: Played straight when Rerun joins the school football team and becomes popular, to the point of dating the head cheerleader while snubbing Raj and Dwayne. When he is told that he will be kicked off the team for failing English, he asks Raj to help him pass by writing a speech that he has to give. Raj sabotages the speech, Rerun fails English, [[StatusQuoIsGod is kicked off the team, and is friends with Raj and Dwayne again.]]
62	* InstrumentalThemeTune: Composed by Music/HenryMancini.
63	* LocalHangout: Rob's Place. In ''What's Happening Now!!'', it's changed to Rob's Diner and Shirley and Raj own it.
64	* NotWhatItLooksLike: In one episode, Dee's friend Robin wanted to run away from home, but asked Dee to talk to the guidance counselor about it. The counselor ends up thinking [[IHaveThisFriend Dee was the one who wanted to run away,]] which results in Raj and Mabel being nicer to her as a result. Dee ends up taking advantage of it to get them to buy her things, only to have her face the repercussions when the matter is straightened out.
65	* ProWrestlingEpisode: ''What's Happening Now!!'''s "The Challenge."
66	* PutOnABus: Much like Esther Rolle on ''Series/GoodTimes'', Mabel King did not like the direction in which the show was going and left after the second season. As a result, the third season had Raj and Rerun moving into an apartment, while Shirley moved in as a border in the Thomas house.
67	* {{Revival}}: ''What's Happening Now!!'': Raj is a successful author and married, Rerun is a used car salesman, Dwayne is a computer programmer, and Dee is in college. Ran for three seasons in the late 1980s.
68	* RunningGag: Whenever Raj gets in trouble and someone asks him what happened, he [[TheUnintelligible mumbles his response]] before repeating it in his normal voice.
69	* SassyBlackWoman: Shirley and Dee, in a younger version of the trope. Mrs. Thomas also filled the role when necessary.
70	* SignatureHeadgear: Rerun's signature red beret.
71	* SternTeacher: Miss Collins, the history teacher.
72	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dee loves her peanut butter. Rerun loves ''[[BigEater everything]].''
73	* VerySpecialEpisode: The two-parter where [[Series/GoodTimes Sweet Daddy Williams]] forces the gang to illegally record a Doobie Brothers concert.
74	** [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil Analog Piracy Is Evil]]
75	* VisitByDivorcedDad: Raj and Dee's father, Bill (Thalmus Rasulala), shows up in a few episodes. He eventually marries Lee Henderson (Lee Chamberlin).
76	* YouAreFat: One of the show's biggest [[RunningGag Running Gags]] is Rerun and Shirley throwing one fat joke after another against each other with neither backing down at any point.

Context Series / WhatsHappening