Description: What's Happening!! was first seen in August of 1976 and was yet another urban situation comedy that came out in the 1970's and joined the ranks of Chico and the Man and Good Times. The series was loosely based on the 1975 movie Cooley High. The series centered around three black teens, Roger "Raj" Thomas, Dwayne Clemens, and Freddie "Rerun" Stubbs. Rerun had gotten his nickname because he kept on having to repeat high school courses that he had flunked. Also, by the end of the first season, Dwayne's last name had been changed to Nelson. The stories revolved around them struggling to grow up in a lower-middle class neighborhood. Others in the cast include, Raj's divorced mother, Mabel "Mama" Thomas who had her hands full with working full time and handling Raj and his bratty little sister Dee Thomas. Shirley Wilson was the sassy waitress who worked at the local hangout, Rob's Place. Raj and Dee's dad, Bill Thomas, was seen occasionally during the first two seasons. In the third and final season, Raj and Rerun had graduated high school and they moved in together and shared an apartment. By that time, the character of Mama had been dropped and Shirley was now living in the Thomas household. In 1985, the series returned in syndication under a new name, What's Happening Now!!. The revamped series had almost all the original stars returning to their roles and ran until 1988. First Telecast: August 5, 1976 Last Telecast: April 28, 1979 Episodes: 65 Color Episodes Theme Song: "What's Happening!!" Written by: Henry Mancini Performed by: Henry Mancini (Instrumental) Spin-offs: What's Happening Now!! ABC Broadcast History August 1976----Thursdays----8:30 p.m. November 1976-December 1976----Saturdays----8:30 p.m. December 1976-January 1978----Thursdays----8:30 p.m. January 1978-April 1978----Saturdays----8:00 p.m. April 1978-January 1979----Thursdays----8:30 p.m. February-March 1979----Fridays----8:30 p.m. March-April 1979----Saturdays----8:00 p.m. Nielsen Ratings: (Top 30 or Better) #25 in the 1976-1977 Season #29 in the 1978-1979 Season