What's Happening!! (The Complete Series) – DVD Review

With the advent of releasing TV series onto DVD, television shows long since banished to Nick at Nite have found a new home. One of those shows is What’s Happening!!, a ‘70s sitcom that was the wholesome alternative to Good Times and that spectacularly flamed out. Twice, actually. The first time was in the late ‘70s, though the cast was briefly reunited in the 1980s for What’s Happening Now!! that both ended because of the same problems involving cast members and money.

Focusing on the misadventures of three black teens: Raj (Ernest Thomas) Rerun (Fred Berry) and Dwayne (Haywood Nelson). With Raj’s sister Dee (Danielle Spencer) along to provide witty banter, and waitress Shirley (Shirley Hemphill) to provide sage-like advice to the trio, the series focuses on the late teens of the three. The series has the three focusing on the usual habits of teenage boys: meeting girls and finding hip places to hang out. The show rarely goes after the sort of social commentary that some of its contemporaries would, instead going for the sort of wholesome programming that made The Brady Bunch a favorite in syndication. Indeed, What’s Happening!! found a second life in syndication and scored strong enough ratings on a consistent basis to necessitate the short lived sequel series.

The series itself hasn’t aged as well as some of its counterparts from the era. While it still has the same sort of messages that resonate, the film lives heavily in the era it was made in and has been exposed a bit by time as being more of a product of its era than being able to age gracefully. A lot of the references are dated and someone born in the last 20 years would be able to understand what they’re referring to.

What’s Happening!! is a relic from another time with a solid enough fan base to justify being released on DVD but isn’t by any means “must watch” television.

Presented in a full-screen format with a Dolby 2.0 mono sound, it’s a solid transfer but not a spectacular one. The film shows some wear and tear, as it’s a bit older and definitely not well kept, as the film’s transfer is solid enough for low level systems but is exposed on any top notch a/v system.

None.

What’s Happening!! is not a strong show, and definitely not one of the high points of ‘70s sitcoms. This newest release is a blatant double-dip by Sony, who’ve already released the first three seasons individually. With no new content to speak of, just a cheaper price than collectively buying the first series, one should be a large fan of the show to recommend a purchase of this show. It is well-priced for three seasons of a television show, and if you haven’t bought the show’s three seasons already and loved the show it’s cost-effective, but it doesn’t provide anything new in terms of extras.

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Sony presents What’s Happening!! (The Complete Series). Starring Haywood Nelson, Fred Berry, Ernest Thomas. Running time: 1612 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: June 10, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.