What's Happening Now!!
| What's Happening Now!! | |
|---|---|
Opening titles from 1985
|
|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Eric Monte |
| Based on | Cooley High |
| Written by | Eric Monte |
| Directed by | Michael Schultz |
| Starring |
Ernest Thomas Haywood Nelson Fred Berry (1985–1986) Shirley Hemphill Anne-Marie Johnson Reina King (1985–1986) Danielle Spencer Martin Lawrence (1987–1988) Ken Sagoes (1987–1988) |
| Composer(s) |
Henry Mancini Bruce Miller |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 66 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Michael S. Baser Mike Milligan Kim Weiskopf |
| Producer(s) | Larry Balmagia Bob Peete Michael S. Baser Kim Weiskopf |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Columbia Pictures Television |
| Distributor |
Columbia Pictures Television (1985—1996) Columbia TriStar Television (1996–2002) Sony Pictures Television (2002–Present) |
| Release | |
| Original network | First-run broadcast syndication |
| Original release | September 7, 1985 – March 26, 1988 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | What's Happening!! |
What's Happening Now!! is an American sitcom sequel to the original ABC 1976–79 sitcom What's Happening!! focusing on its main characters as adults. It aired in first-run broadcast syndication from September 7, 1985, to March 26, 1988, and, 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).
In the series, Roger "Raj" Thomas (played by Ernest Thomas) 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 displayed the sass that was seen in Dee when she was younger.
By the second season, both Fred Berry and Reina King left the series. The writers wrote Carolyn out of the series by saying she had moved in with an aunt she didn't know she had.
Berry's departure, however, was more acrimonious. After the first season, Berry went to the producers and asked for a significant raise. Due to the popularity of his character, Berry believed he was the only reason viewers tuned in every week and that it should be reflected in his salary. Berry quit the series when the producers would not acede to his demands, and in retaliation the writers removed Rerun from the series continuity altogether (a practice referred to as "Chuck Cunningham syndrome", where a character is dropped from a series and then treated as if he/she never existed). Berry's widow, Essie Berry, told Urbanite magazine at Georgia State University that their unwillingness to pay Fred Berry his due in both shows led to their early cancellations.
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