What's Happening!!
| What's Happening!! | |
|---|---|
S3 title screen | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Eric Monte |
| Based on | Cooley High |
| Starring | Ernest Lee Thomas Haywood Nelson Fred Berry Danielle Spencer Mabel King (S1–2) Shirley Hemphill |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
| Opening theme | "What's Happening!!" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 65 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Bernie Orenstein Saul Turteltaub Bud Yorkin |
| Running time | 22–25 minutes |
| Production companies | Bud Yorkin Productions (1976–1978) (seasons 1–2) TOY Productions (1976–1979) (seasons 1–3) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | August 5, 1976 – April 28, 1979 |
| Related | |
What's Happening!! is an American sitcom television series that first aired on ABC from August 5, 1976, premiering as a summer series. It also returned as a weekly series, that later aired for the rest of the three seasons, 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. It was television's first African-American show that dealt with teenagers, which was also a groundbreaking sitcom.
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.