What's Happening!!: The Complete First Season

What's Happening!!: The Complete First Season
by Alan Rafkin, Bill Foster, Bud Yorkin, Danny Simon, Dennis Steinmetz

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DVD Reviews of What's Happening!!: The Complete First Season

DVD Review: One of the funniest sit-coms of all-time
Summary: 5 Stars

What's Happening!! goes all the way back to 1976; as such, it is truly one of the pioneer television shows featuring an African-American cast; the only real agenda this show had, though, was to make people laugh and, in its own way, impart valuable lessons about growing up and life in general. This show was basically all about family - a normal family consisting of Mabel Thomas (Mabel King), a divorced mother who works hard to support her family and raise her two kids the right way, Raj (Ernest Thomas) the smart and funny teenager with talent and dreams, Dee (Danielle Spencer) the short and sassy younger sister who could hold her own if not out-do the likes of Fred Sanford and George Jefferson in the smart wise-crack department, and - as the show evolved over the course of the season, Bill Thomas, the ex-husband and father who lived nearby. But of course the extended family has to include close friends Dwayne (Haywood Nelson), Rerun (Fred Berry) and Shirley (Shirley Hemphill).

So what is happening here? Well, the gang spends a lot of time hanging out at Rob's Place, the soda shop where Shirley, the sassiest waitress you'll ever meet, works. They come up with crazy plans to get rich, make more wisecracks than you can count, and basically just hang out - they are no different from teenagers anywhere. A lot of action takes place at Raj's home, where Mama keeps everything on an even keel, coming up with solutions to the crazy problems the kids keep getting themselves into. Nothing goes on without Dee's knowledge, though; she has something to say about everything (especially Raj's mistakes and problems). Dee may be the funniest character in sit-com history. There are a lot of fat jokes on the show, most of them exchanged between Rerun and Shirley, but they are all told without a hint of malice; heck, everybody on this show gets made fun of by their friends and family, although only Dee has the art of sarcasm perfected.

There is not one bad episode among the 21 first-season episodes you'll find here. Some, however, truly stand out. You'll see plenty of Rerun's dance movies throughout the season, but My Three Tons has him winning a spot in a hot dance group called the Rockets; when the gang finds out that the Rockets plan on making fun of him as Fat Freddy, Mama comes up with a killer plan to teach those guys a lesson. Then there is The Burger Queen, wherein Dee finds herself selected as the new spokesperson for a burger joint whose food she can't stand. One of the funniest episodes is The Sunday Father; Raj may have been smart but he was not a model student; in this episode he gets expelled when he manages to pull off some of the funniest gags ever witnessed on his sourpuss history teacher. Yet another classic episode is What's Wrong With Raj? Mama and Raj try to teach Dee a lesson when they discover that she is breaking into Raj's desk and reading his journal, only to learn that pulling the wool over Dee's eyes is easier said than done.

Pure comedy aside, there are also plenty of touching moments scattered across these 21 episodes. Christmas is a great family offering, as Mama frets about spending Christmas alone while her kids are spending time with their father, but of course everything works out in the end. The Hospital Stay lets Dee truly shine. When Raj goes in for knee surgery, Dee alone stands up to the grouchy old man in the bed beside her brother; through Dee, the whole gang comes to recognize the career of a Negro League baseball star and reunite a bitter, lonely old man with his daughter before it is too late.

I could go on and on. Every episode here is a winner. If you are old enough to remember What's Happening!! you already know that it represents quality family entertainment at its best and funniest. If catchphrases such as "Hey-Hey-Hey" (not the Fat Albert version) and "Uh-Uh!!" mean nothing to you, you are missing out on a veritable buffet of comedic delights. Knowing how much this show meant to me growing up, I hate to think of kids out there today who have never had the chance to meet this show's wonderful, unforgettable characters and enjoy comedy at its wholesome best - and to see Rerun dance.

Description of What's Happening!!: The Complete First Season