What's Happening Now!!
Encyclopedia
What's Happening Now!! is an American television
sitcom
spinoff of What's Happening!!
. It ran in syndication
from 1985
to 1988
. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High
(written by Eric Monte
and directed by Michael Schultz
). The show often aired in transitional hours where stations would go from afternoon cartoons to evening sitcoms.
) has become a fledgling writer. He bought half of the restaurant Rob's Place (renamed Rob's) and was running the business with Shirley (Shirley Hemphill
), making money for himself and his new wife Nadine (Anne-Marie Johnson
), who was a social worker. Dwayne (Haywood Nelson
) has become a computer programmer, and Rerun (Fred Berry
) a used-car salesman. Raj and Nadine live in Raj's childhood home while Rerun and Dwayne share an apartment.
The antics and sarcastic one-liners were reminiscent of the first series. Raj's little sister Dee (Danielle Spencer) showed up on a sporadic basis in guest spots, with the explanation that she had gone away to college. Raj and Nadine also became foster parents to a young girl named Carolyn, played by Reina King
(sister of actress Regina King
), who had displayed the sass that was seen in Dee when she was younger.
that their unwillingness to pay Fred Berry his due in both shows led to their early cancellations.
) was a teenager who spent his afternoons as a busboy at Rob's under the supervision of Shirley and Raj while his best friend Darryl (Ken Sagoes
) hung out with him. Together, they had many misadventures not unlike the original trio of Raj, Dwayne, and Rerun.
, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures Television
and LBS Communications on the first two seasons and later by Coca-Cola Telecommunications
on its final season. CPT's successor, Sony Pictures Television
, now has sole distribution rights.
released the first season of What's Happening Now!! on DVD
in Region 1. To date, no other seasons have been released on DVD.
What's Happening Now!! is an American television
sitcom
spinoff of What's Happening!!
. It ran in syndication
from 1985
to 1988
. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High
(written by Eric Monte
and directed by Michael Schultz
). The show often aired in transitional hours where stations would go from afternoon cartoons to evening sitcoms.
) has become a fledgling writer. He bought half of the restaurant Rob's Place (renamed Rob's) and was running the business with Shirley (Shirley Hemphill
), making money for himself and his new wife Nadine (Anne-Marie Johnson
), who was a social worker. Dwayne (Haywood Nelson
) has become a computer programmer, and Rerun (Fred Berry
) a used-car salesman. Raj and Nadine live in Raj's childhood home while Rerun and Dwayne share an apartment.
The antics and sarcastic one-liners were reminiscent of the first series. Raj's little sister Dee (Danielle Spencer) showed up on a sporadic basis in guest spots, with the explanation that she had gone away to college. Raj and Nadine also became foster parents to a young girl named Carolyn, played by Reina King
(sister of actress Regina King
), who had displayed the sass that was seen in Dee when she was younger.
that their unwillingness to pay Fred Berry his due in both shows led to their early cancellations.
) was a teenager who spent his afternoons as a busboy at Rob's under the supervision of Shirley and Raj while his best friend Darryl (Ken Sagoes
) hung out with him. Together, they had many misadventures not unlike the original trio of Raj, Dwayne, and Rerun.
, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures Television
and LBS Communications on the first two seasons and later by Coca-Cola Telecommunications
on its final season. CPT's successor, Sony Pictures Television
, now has sole distribution rights.
released the first season of What's Happening Now!! on DVD
in Region 1. To date, no other seasons have been released on DVD.
What's Happening Now!! is an American television
sitcom
spinoff of What's Happening!!
. It ran in syndication
from 1985
to 1988
. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High
(written by Eric Monte
and directed by Michael Schultz
). The show often aired in transitional hours where stations would go from afternoon cartoons to evening sitcoms.
) has become a fledgling writer. He bought half of the restaurant Rob's Place (renamed Rob's) and was running the business with Shirley (Shirley Hemphill
), making money for himself and his new wife Nadine (Anne-Marie Johnson
), who was a social worker. Dwayne (Haywood Nelson
) has become a computer programmer, and Rerun (Fred Berry
) a used-car salesman. Raj and Nadine live in Raj's childhood home while Rerun and Dwayne share an apartment.
The antics and sarcastic one-liners were reminiscent of the first series. Raj's little sister Dee (Danielle Spencer) showed up on a sporadic basis in guest spots, with the explanation that she had gone away to college. Raj and Nadine also became foster parents to a young girl named Carolyn, played by Reina King
(sister of actress Regina King
), who had displayed the sass that was seen in Dee when she was younger.
that their unwillingness to pay Fred Berry his due in both shows led to their early cancellations.
) was a teenager who spent his afternoons as a busboy at Rob's under the supervision of Shirley and Raj while his best friend Darryl (Ken Sagoes
) hung out with him. Together, they had many misadventures not unlike the original trio of Raj, Dwayne, and Rerun.
, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures Television
and LBS Communications on the first two seasons and later by Coca-Cola Telecommunications
on its final season. CPT's successor, Sony Pictures Television
, now has sole distribution rights.
released the first season of What's Happening Now!! on DVD
in Region 1. To date, no other seasons have been released on DVD.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
spinoff of What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered 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...
. It ran in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
from 1985
1985 in television
The year 1985 involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1985.For the American TV schedule, see: 1985-86 United States network television schedule.-Events:*January 1 – VH1 launches in the United States....
to 1988
1988 in television
The year 1988 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1988.For the American TV schedule, see: 1988-89 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High
Cooley High
Cooley High is a 1975 American film based upon the real high school located on the near north side of Chicago produced and released by American International Pictures and written by Eric Monte...
(written by Eric Monte
Eric Monte
Eric Monte is an American screenwriter who has written for and created notable shows depicting 1970s African American culture.-Early life and career:...
and directed by Michael Schultz
Michael Schultz
Michael Schultz is an American director and producer of film and television.-Life and career:Schultz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Katherine Frances , a factory worker, and Leo Schultz, an insurance salesman...
). The show often aired in transitional hours where stations would go from afternoon cartoons to evening sitcoms.
Series basis
In the series, Roger "Raj" Thomas (played by Ernest ThomasErnest Lee Thomas
Ernest Lee Thomas is an American actor. He was born in Gary, Indiana. He is most famous for his role as aspiring writer Roger "Rog" Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, and its 1980s syndicated sequel, What's Happening Now!!-Early career and What's Happening!!:Thomas began his...
) has become a fledgling writer. He bought half of the restaurant Rob's Place (renamed Rob's) and was running the business with Shirley (Shirley Hemphill
Shirley Hemphill
Shirley Ann Hemphill was an American stand-up comedian and actress. She was best known for her role on the television situation comedy What's Happening!!, which ran from 1976 to 1979.-Career:...
), making money for himself and his new wife Nadine (Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson is an American actress and impressionist who has starred in film and on television. She is perhaps best known for her role as high school educator Althea Tibbs on the NBC/CBS television drama In the Heat of the Night. She is also known for her role as Nadine Hudson Thomas on...
), who was a social worker. Dwayne (Haywood Nelson
Haywood Nelson
Haywood Nelson is an American actor. He is best known for having portrayed Dwayne Nelson on the television series What's Happening!!, and its spin-off series What's Happening Now!!...
) has become a computer programmer, and Rerun (Fred Berry
Fred Berry
Fred "Rerun" Berry was an American actor best known for the role of Fred "Rerun" Stubbs on the popular 1970s television show What's Happening!!.-Career:Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri...
) a used-car salesman. Raj and Nadine live in Raj's childhood home while Rerun and Dwayne share an apartment.
The antics and sarcastic one-liners were reminiscent of the first series. Raj's little sister Dee (Danielle Spencer) showed up on a sporadic basis in guest spots, with the explanation that she had gone away to college. Raj and Nadine also became foster parents to a young girl named Carolyn, played by Reina King
Reina King
Reina King is an American film and television actress. She began her acting career with the role of Caroline , the adopted child of Roger and Nadine on the TV sitcom What's Happening Now!! -- a sequel to the popular 1970s TV sitcom What's Happening!!...
(sister of actress Regina King
Regina King
Regina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
), who had displayed the sass that was seen in Dee when she was younger.
Second Season
By the second season, both Fred Berry and Reina King left the series. To cover this, the writers wrote Carolyn finding out she had an aunt to move in with while Rerun disappeared due to Fred Berry asking for more money than the rest of the cast (believing he was the reason people tuned in). Berry's widow, Essie Berry told Urbanite magazine at Georgia State UniversityGeorgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
that their unwillingness to pay Fred Berry his due in both shows led to their early cancellations.
Third Season
During the third season, the series introduced a pair of characters that harkened back to the original incarnation of What's Happening!!. Maurice Warfield (Martin LawrenceMartin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
) was a teenager who spent his afternoons as a busboy at Rob's under the supervision of Shirley and Raj while his best friend Darryl (Ken Sagoes
Ken Sagoes
Ken Sagoes is an American actor who has starred in films and in television. He is best known for his role in the 1987 horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors as Roland Kincaid and reprised his role in the 1988 hit sequel A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.Sagoes'...
) hung out with him. Together, they had many misadventures not unlike the original trio of Raj, Dwayne, and Rerun.
Production
The show was distributed during its original run by Colex EnterprisesColex Enterprises
Colex Enterprises was a joint venture company between Columbia Pictures Television and LBS Communications, Inc., active from 1984 to 1988. The joint venture's name was a combination of the two companies' names .The company was responsible for distributing the Screen Gems...
, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
and LBS Communications on the first two seasons and later by Coca-Cola Telecommunications
Coca-Cola Telecommunications
Coca-Cola Telecommunications was a short-lived first-run syndication unit of Columbia Pictures Television created in 1986 that was a merger between CPT's first-run syndication department and The Television Program Source...
on its final season. CPT's successor, Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
, now has sole distribution rights.
DVD release
On June 12, 2007, Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
released the first season of What's Happening Now!! on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Region 1. To date, no other seasons have been released on DVD.
What's Happening Now!! is an American television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
spinoff of What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered 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...
. It ran in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
from 1985
1985 in television
The year 1985 involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1985.For the American TV schedule, see: 1985-86 United States network television schedule.-Events:*January 1 – VH1 launches in the United States....
to 1988
1988 in television
The year 1988 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1988.For the American TV schedule, see: 1988-89 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High
Cooley High
Cooley High is a 1975 American film based upon the real high school located on the near north side of Chicago produced and released by American International Pictures and written by Eric Monte...
(written by Eric Monte
Eric Monte
Eric Monte is an American screenwriter who has written for and created notable shows depicting 1970s African American culture.-Early life and career:...
and directed by Michael Schultz
Michael Schultz
Michael Schultz is an American director and producer of film and television.-Life and career:Schultz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Katherine Frances , a factory worker, and Leo Schultz, an insurance salesman...
). The show often aired in transitional hours where stations would go from afternoon cartoons to evening sitcoms.
Series basis
In the series, Roger "Raj" Thomas (played by Ernest ThomasErnest Lee Thomas
Ernest Lee Thomas is an American actor. He was born in Gary, Indiana. He is most famous for his role as aspiring writer Roger "Rog" Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, and its 1980s syndicated sequel, What's Happening Now!!-Early career and What's Happening!!:Thomas began his...
) has become a fledgling writer. He bought half of the restaurant Rob's Place (renamed Rob's) and was running the business with Shirley (Shirley Hemphill
Shirley Hemphill
Shirley Ann Hemphill was an American stand-up comedian and actress. She was best known for her role on the television situation comedy What's Happening!!, which ran from 1976 to 1979.-Career:...
), making money for himself and his new wife Nadine (Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson is an American actress and impressionist who has starred in film and on television. She is perhaps best known for her role as high school educator Althea Tibbs on the NBC/CBS television drama In the Heat of the Night. She is also known for her role as Nadine Hudson Thomas on...
), who was a social worker. Dwayne (Haywood Nelson
Haywood Nelson
Haywood Nelson is an American actor. He is best known for having portrayed Dwayne Nelson on the television series What's Happening!!, and its spin-off series What's Happening Now!!...
) has become a computer programmer, and Rerun (Fred Berry
Fred Berry
Fred "Rerun" Berry was an American actor best known for the role of Fred "Rerun" Stubbs on the popular 1970s television show What's Happening!!.-Career:Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri...
) a used-car salesman. Raj and Nadine live in Raj's childhood home while Rerun and Dwayne share an apartment.
The antics and sarcastic one-liners were reminiscent of the first series. Raj's little sister Dee (Danielle Spencer) showed up on a sporadic basis in guest spots, with the explanation that she had gone away to college. Raj and Nadine also became foster parents to a young girl named Carolyn, played by Reina King
Reina King
Reina King is an American film and television actress. She began her acting career with the role of Caroline , the adopted child of Roger and Nadine on the TV sitcom What's Happening Now!! -- a sequel to the popular 1970s TV sitcom What's Happening!!...
(sister of actress Regina King
Regina King
Regina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
), who had displayed the sass that was seen in Dee when she was younger.
Second Season
By the second season, both Fred Berry and Reina King left the series. To cover this, the writers wrote Carolyn finding out she had an aunt to move in with while Rerun disappeared due to Fred Berry asking for more money than the rest of the cast (believing he was the reason people tuned in). Berry's widow, Essie Berry told Urbanite magazine at Georgia State UniversityGeorgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
that their unwillingness to pay Fred Berry his due in both shows led to their early cancellations.
Third Season
During the third season, the series introduced a pair of characters that harkened back to the original incarnation of What's Happening!!. Maurice Warfield (Martin LawrenceMartin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
) was a teenager who spent his afternoons as a busboy at Rob's under the supervision of Shirley and Raj while his best friend Darryl (Ken Sagoes
Ken Sagoes
Ken Sagoes is an American actor who has starred in films and in television. He is best known for his role in the 1987 horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors as Roland Kincaid and reprised his role in the 1988 hit sequel A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.Sagoes'...
) hung out with him. Together, they had many misadventures not unlike the original trio of Raj, Dwayne, and Rerun.
Production
The show was distributed during its original run by Colex EnterprisesColex Enterprises
Colex Enterprises was a joint venture company between Columbia Pictures Television and LBS Communications, Inc., active from 1984 to 1988. The joint venture's name was a combination of the two companies' names .The company was responsible for distributing the Screen Gems...
, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
and LBS Communications on the first two seasons and later by Coca-Cola Telecommunications
Coca-Cola Telecommunications
Coca-Cola Telecommunications was a short-lived first-run syndication unit of Columbia Pictures Television created in 1986 that was a merger between CPT's first-run syndication department and The Television Program Source...
on its final season. CPT's successor, Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
, now has sole distribution rights.
DVD release
On June 12, 2007, Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
released the first season of What's Happening Now!! on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Region 1. To date, no other seasons have been released on DVD.
What's Happening Now!! is an American television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
spinoff of What's Happening!!
What's Happening!!
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered 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...
. It ran in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
from 1985
1985 in television
The year 1985 involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1985.For the American TV schedule, see: 1985-86 United States network television schedule.-Events:*January 1 – VH1 launches in the United States....
to 1988
1988 in television
The year 1988 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1988.For the American TV schedule, see: 1988-89 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High
Cooley High
Cooley High is a 1975 American film based upon the real high school located on the near north side of Chicago produced and released by American International Pictures and written by Eric Monte...
(written by Eric Monte
Eric Monte
Eric Monte is an American screenwriter who has written for and created notable shows depicting 1970s African American culture.-Early life and career:...
and directed by Michael Schultz
Michael Schultz
Michael Schultz is an American director and producer of film and television.-Life and career:Schultz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Katherine Frances , a factory worker, and Leo Schultz, an insurance salesman...
). The show often aired in transitional hours where stations would go from afternoon cartoons to evening sitcoms.
Series basis
In the series, Roger "Raj" Thomas (played by Ernest ThomasErnest Lee Thomas
Ernest Lee Thomas is an American actor. He was born in Gary, Indiana. He is most famous for his role as aspiring writer Roger "Rog" Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, and its 1980s syndicated sequel, What's Happening Now!!-Early career and What's Happening!!:Thomas began his...
) has become a fledgling writer. He bought half of the restaurant Rob's Place (renamed Rob's) and was running the business with Shirley (Shirley Hemphill
Shirley Hemphill
Shirley Ann Hemphill was an American stand-up comedian and actress. She was best known for her role on the television situation comedy What's Happening!!, which ran from 1976 to 1979.-Career:...
), making money for himself and his new wife Nadine (Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson is an American actress and impressionist who has starred in film and on television. She is perhaps best known for her role as high school educator Althea Tibbs on the NBC/CBS television drama In the Heat of the Night. She is also known for her role as Nadine Hudson Thomas on...
), who was a social worker. Dwayne (Haywood Nelson
Haywood Nelson
Haywood Nelson is an American actor. He is best known for having portrayed Dwayne Nelson on the television series What's Happening!!, and its spin-off series What's Happening Now!!...
) has become a computer programmer, and Rerun (Fred Berry
Fred Berry
Fred "Rerun" Berry was an American actor best known for the role of Fred "Rerun" Stubbs on the popular 1970s television show What's Happening!!.-Career:Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri...
) a used-car salesman. Raj and Nadine live in Raj's childhood home while Rerun and Dwayne share an apartment.
The antics and sarcastic one-liners were reminiscent of the first series. Raj's little sister Dee (Danielle Spencer) showed up on a sporadic basis in guest spots, with the explanation that she had gone away to college. Raj and Nadine also became foster parents to a young girl named Carolyn, played by Reina King
Reina King
Reina King is an American film and television actress. She began her acting career with the role of Caroline , the adopted child of Roger and Nadine on the TV sitcom What's Happening Now!! -- a sequel to the popular 1970s TV sitcom What's Happening!!...
(sister of actress Regina King
Regina King
Regina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
), who had displayed the sass that was seen in Dee when she was younger.
Second Season
By the second season, both Fred Berry and Reina King left the series. To cover this, the writers wrote Carolyn finding out she had an aunt to move in with while Rerun disappeared due to Fred Berry asking for more money than the rest of the cast (believing he was the reason people tuned in). Berry's widow, Essie Berry told Urbanite magazine at Georgia State UniversityGeorgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
that their unwillingness to pay Fred Berry his due in both shows led to their early cancellations.
Third Season
During the third season, the series introduced a pair of characters that harkened back to the original incarnation of What's Happening!!. Maurice Warfield (Martin LawrenceMartin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
) was a teenager who spent his afternoons as a busboy at Rob's under the supervision of Shirley and Raj while his best friend Darryl (Ken Sagoes
Ken Sagoes
Ken Sagoes is an American actor who has starred in films and in television. He is best known for his role in the 1987 horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors as Roland Kincaid and reprised his role in the 1988 hit sequel A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.Sagoes'...
) hung out with him. Together, they had many misadventures not unlike the original trio of Raj, Dwayne, and Rerun.
Production
The show was distributed during its original run by Colex EnterprisesColex Enterprises
Colex Enterprises was a joint venture company between Columbia Pictures Television and LBS Communications, Inc., active from 1984 to 1988. The joint venture's name was a combination of the two companies' names .The company was responsible for distributing the Screen Gems...
, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
and LBS Communications on the first two seasons and later by Coca-Cola Telecommunications
Coca-Cola Telecommunications
Coca-Cola Telecommunications was a short-lived first-run syndication unit of Columbia Pictures Television created in 1986 that was a merger between CPT's first-run syndication department and The Television Program Source...
on its final season. CPT's successor, Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
, now has sole distribution rights.
DVD release
On June 12, 2007, Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
released the first season of What's Happening Now!! on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Region 1. To date, no other seasons have been released on DVD.