What's Happening!!

What's Happening!! was a television sitcom that aired on ABC from 1976-1979. What's Happening!! follows the lives of three working-class African-American teens living in the Watts section of Los Angeles. Most episodes focused on the goals of teenage males — meeting girls, finding after school jobs, and planning for the future.

Major characters included:

• Roger "Raj" Thomas is an intelligent, well-mannered, young man who sports large, black horn-rimmed glasses and has aspirations of becoming a writer. Many episodes find Raj taking steps to pursue his dream, such as saving up for a screenwriting course or a typewriter.
• Frederick (Freddy) "Rerun" Stubbs is an overweight, bumbling, comedic young man, commonly seen wearing a red beret and matching suspenders. He is often teased by his friends for being overweight and unintelligent. Rerun is a very skilled dancer and is commonly seen entering dance contests.
• Dwayne Clemens Nelson has an unassuming, good-natured demeanor and suffers from debilitating shyness and acute Nyctophobia (fear of the dark). Dwayne's character is well known for his greeting, "Hey, Hey, Hey".
• Mabel Thomas is Raj's 'large and in charge' mother. She is typically the voice of wisdom, and the parental authority over the main cast.
• Dee Thomas is Raj's younger sibling. She personifies the typical 'annoying little sister'. Dee is obsessed with making money, usually by blackmailing her brother and his friends a quarter at a time. She is also shrewd, and difficult to keep secrets from. Her trademark phrase is "Ooooohh, I'm tellin' Mama!" Her favorite food is peanut butter.
• Shirley Wilson is a portly waitress at the local restaurant, "Rob's Place", where the main cast is constantly eating. She is a brash person who likes to take shots at the boys, and most often clashes with Rerun (with whom she exchanges fat jokes, both characters being overweight).