Does anybody think it was as good as the earlier series? I've never seen it, but some of the episodes seem good.

Does anybody think it was as good as the earlier series? I've never seen it, but some of the episodes seem good.



I didn;t like it because Rerun wasn't on the show.

I didn;t like it because Rerun wasn't on the show.

He was on the show in season one...

The first season was good but after Rerun left I stopped watching. The original show is still better.

I liked the show and use to watch it every Saturday on channel 5 here in NY. It was a decent sitcom, but nowhere near the quality of the original.

He was on the show in season one...


He still wasn't in every episode of that season

I didn't like it because everyone changed in this series. Everyone "matured." I could have done without the Nadine character because she was simply Raj's wife and did nothing for the series. She did try to do his corny laugh. No Mama, less of Rerun, Dwayne even got smart. This show just hung on.

I liked the updated theme song.

it was ok they really tried hard to bring it up to the stanards of the orignal but somehow it just wasant the same and after fred berry left there was a big hole that even martan lawerence couldnt fill when he came to the show in its last season

I care less about What's Happening Now.

I always look forward to see Dee to visit.

Dee was still funny.

I loved whats happening now just as good as whats happening rerun was in the first season. the first two seasons was the best. I want this show on dvd.

I will get the first season and that's good enough for me.

without the whole group, why bother?

will WHNOW COME ON DVD. I WANT FIRST 2 SEASONS AT LEAST.

did they ever mention how he had left the show

I haven't seen WHNow in so long but from I remember it was OK. The only downside was the introduction of Martin.

lol@ Raj and Nadine living in the same house. I don't know why that used to crack me up. And I think Raj bought Rob's place. Shirley's fro was smaller. Dee still couldn't act, but that's what I liked about her.

If this comes out on DVD, I will mos def be purchasing it.

The original series was much better. The new show had these guys who were now fully grown still acting juvenile which wasn't pretty to see. The new show had its moments though- like the episode where Dee and Dwayne shared a passionate kiss and seeing the then basically unknown Martin Lawrence as a shy, less manic character than he normally plays. The wife Nadine was a functional character, but she wasn't funny.

I vaguely remember Whats Happening Now, but would purchase the dvd.

did they mention how Rerun left the show or did he just disappear like other sitcome charactors do just thought i ask.

did they mention how Rerun left the show or did he just disappear like other sitcome charactors do just thought i ask.they made a few reffrences to rerun later on but i dont think they ever wrote him out in any formal way

He still wasn't in every episode of that season

Quit your childish nitpicking.

I wil by the season sets WHN I do think it will be released.

I am ready to see WHN released on dvd.

I didn't like it because everyone changed in this series. Everyone "matured." I could have done without the Nadine character because she was simply Raj's wife and did nothing for the series. She did try to do his corny laugh. No Mama, less of Rerun, Dwayne even got smart. This show just hung on.
i couldn't stand the character or the actress. too damn skinny. just too white-washed. no offense. just not Raj's type. I didn't care for it that much.

I would really like to have at least S1 of WHN.RERUN was in S1.

I remember the show having some funny moments. One time Dewayne was dating the boss' daughter and she was way too clingy. They even wore shirts with arrows pointing that said that said, "I'm with her" and "I'm with him", at one point they got criss crossed and Dewayne sat next to Shirley and the girlfriend next to rerun. That was funny. I remember it not being that bad. Rob's Place looked TOTALLY different. No effort was made to reconstruct the old set.

What about when Dee wanted to date. Raj would not let her.

i couldn't stand the character or the actress. too damn skinny. just too white-washed. no offense. just not Raj's type. I didn't care for it that much.


And Anne Marie Johnson always seemed to get silly parts in movies/shows.:talk:

I didn't know that the food palce was supposed to be a updated Rob's place. You can tell it's been years since I seen this show

I didn't know that the food palce was supposed to be a updated Rob's place. You can tell it's been years since I seen this show

On one episode Shirley wanted to buy the abandoned Rob's Place but the bank wouldn't foot the entire loan and Roger and his wife put up their "nest egg" to help finance it.

On one episode Shirley wanted to buy the abandoned Rob's Place but the bank wouldn't foot the entire loan and Roger and his wife put up their "nest egg" to help finance it.



I have to look at WHN again because the image I have in my head of the place did not look nothing like rob's place.

Because there was not a lot of effort IMO to design it in its original form. The House was too much the same either. Something else I noticed as well, they lived in Watts which was the same neighborhood that Fred and Lamont lived and I thought it was predominantly black. In episode 2 of WHN, Raj accidentally sells the house to a white couple. Nothing meant to offend racially, its just they made it seem as though it was an upper middle class neighborhood. Did Watts change within six years?

I just watched my S3 of WH it was very funny it was just about as good 1 and 2. i do want WHN on DVD. I am sure if we watch it it will be funny. please release WHN on DVD.

I agree that WHN was not as good as WH. But I disagree that the show was not as good BECAUSE it did not stick with the original characters. How the heck are you supposed to stick to the original characters? They grew up..they evolved..they moved on in life.

I believe that during the mid80s, Black sitcoms were, in a sense, erasing the bafoonery of the 70s. The Cosby Show is the prime example. But there were several others. Remember Bustin Loose, staring Jimmy Walker? It was a horrible show, but Jimmy Walker played a half-way normal African American father and husband in middle America. Also, the show with Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight? And Family Matters?

It would have been a travesty if WHN would have had Raj, Dwayne and Rerun acting the same as they did as teenagers. I would not have wanted Dwayne to be as ditsy as he was when he was 17. And I wanted him to be successful in whatever career he chose. I wanted to see Raj with at least a semi-successful career in writing. I wanted Shirley to have the same humor, but not just a financially-strapped waitress with no sexuality. I wanted to see Dee, who we all knew was smart, in college and into academics. That was the logical progression for her character.

WHN moved these characters in a very reasonable direction to be expected 6 years later. The Cooley High antics at age 26 would not have made sense, and certainly would not have been accepted in mid-80s Black sitcoms.

With that said, I did see some flaws with WHN. First the jokes were horrible!! They needed better comedic writers.

Also, I agree that WHN was perhaps a little too much in a social vacuum, especially given the origins of WH. These characters were based in Watts, California, where race is part of culture. Watts, almost by definition, means RACE IN AMERICA. These characters were not in middle America, which is what WHN tried to create. If you recall, the original WH did not really flag race and racism either. They didn't throw race in your face like other sitcoms (like All in the Family or Good Times). But the social and racial authenticity was still there...just not in a way that scared middle America away from the show. I think WHN writers were so concerned about reversing the 70s stereotypes, they overreached to the point where they erased race alltogether. That was a huge, costly (in the ratings), and dishonoring compromise to the original show, in my opinion.

Second, the Nadine character was not a good fit. She was a stable decent actress, but she really didn't have any quality, charm, struggle or flaw...something the audience could rally behind her about. She was basically just a boring housewife... only in the show to create a more balanced Raj. Plus, she was waaaay too skiny!!! I am surprised that wasn't talked about. If she were on TV today, she'd be ostricized big time.

If I were casting WHN, I would have done some things a little differently. I probably would have kept Raj single, and had the threesome doing the crazy things that single guys do in their 20s. I may have considered reintroduing Mama (even if I had to find someone else to play the part...hey its been done before) to give the show that moral fiber that made it so relevant in the 70s. I would have given Shirley Hemphill center stage a little bit more. She was quite funny, but they often only gave her quick jokes just before a fade out. I would have given her faarrrrr more lines. I would have expanded Shirley's character to make her more three dimensional.

I think the best episode of What's Happening Now was when Dee and Dwayne dated.

Del said a mouthful. I agree that Nadine wasn't a good addition to the cast, quite plainly she was boring. I also agree that the best episode was when Dee and Dwayne dated. The 2nd season was the least memorable. Martin Lawrence left an impression upon me as the teenager. I actually preferred him in his role here than in his own sitcom where he was a bit too manic for my liking.

This spinoff or continuation or whatever lasted as long as it did because first run syndication was a phenomenon at the time. Even if this came on UPN today I don't think it would last 3 seasons.

Del said a mouthful. I agree that Nadine wasn't a good addition to the cast, quite plainly she was boring. I also agree that the best episode was when Dee and Dwayne dated. The 2nd season was the least memorable. Martin Lawrence left an impression upon me as the teenager. I actually preferred him in his role here than in his own sitcom where he was a bit too manic for my liking.

This spinoff or continuation or whatever lasted as long as it did because first run syndication was a phenomenon at the time. Even if this came on UPN
today I don't think it would last 3 seasons.


Well That was Martin L:awerence first acting GIG

I think the best episode of What's Happening Now was when Dee and Dwayne dated

I agree. I always thought that they should have got together. I guess since Danielle Spencer was only recurring on WHN! that it would have made it hard for Dee and Dwayne to have a real relationship. Too bad it didn't happen.

please release WHN on DVD.

To be quite honest, there were only two good episodes TOPS in the WHN series...

The one with Dee and Dwayne going out ("Dee & Dwayne", Episode #18), and the other one with Nadine, Shirley and Dee going out to that Nottingham's Strip Club (for Dee's 21st B-day, even though technically she hadn't yet reached that platform age!)
("Girls' Night Out", Episode #50)
Anyhow, would it really be worth having WHN on DVD? Think...;) :confused:

yes it would

I care less about What's Happening Now.

I always look forward to see Dee to visit.

Dee was still funny.

I exactly agree on that huge point that alienkattuk makes here...:)
Aside from when Dee visits and makes her always-interesting appearances during WHN, the show itself really didn't interest me all that much.
Dee ROCKS!!!:cool: :happyface

i love this the theme music is the best for this show that what keep me watching the show and Dee is a cute little girl

i love this the theme music is the best for this show that what keep me watching the show and Dee is a cute little girl

I tend to agree with you, damin mance, on the theme music for WH/WHN. Henry Mancini really outdid himself with composing that! :cool:

But I gotta tell ya, by the time WHN came around, Dee wasn't a "little girl" any longer...LOL
Rather, she was a hopeless romantic of a young college woman in WHN...
:lol: :p

Dee is much beautiful. the first season would be worth buying. the second season was good to.

Dee is much beautiful. the first season would be worth buying. the second season was good to.

Dee does look much better in What's Happening Now! She even had that funky 80s style hairdo.

Dee is much beautiful. the first season would be worth buying. the second season was good to.

That is a fact and a half, what you state about Dee, mlingerfelt! (Even though SOME people might think otherwise...ohhh WELL! LOL)

Anyhow, if WHN were to come on DVD, I would hope that it would be available like they have the WH series set up (season-by-season, with 3 discs included).
I just received the first season of WH and now it's completed my whole set.
All that remains is the WHN series...hopefully it'll be out soon on DVD!
:talk: :cool:

let me know Cindy when you hear about it on dvd.

let me know Cindy when you hear about it on dvd.

Sure thing, mlingerfelt... we sure will let you know when I hear about WHN being on DVD. :cool: You'll be the first to know, from me! (At least, ONE of the first...LOL)

Anyways, in about some WHN episodes in particular, when Dee comes on and is exhibiting her young-woman issues, antics, and the like---it's as if Raj is always overprotecting her!
I know he's always gonna be her big brother and all that, but GEEZ, Raj!
He should've just backed off a little---rather, a whole LOT, as far as Dee was concerned (in WHN)...she was a grown woman in college!!!
:happyface :rolleyes:

One of the WHN eps that aired doing the marathon, the Father Bill had showed up to surprise Raj and when raj finally saw him he said-"what do u want"?-lol I was like-"did something happening during season 3 of What's Happening between them that I forgot about?-lol

One of the WHN eps that aired doing the marathon, the Father Bill had showed up to surprise Raj and when raj finally saw him he said-"what do u want"?-lol I was like-"did something happening during season 3 of What's Happening between them that I forgot about?-lol

RetroTV, you bring up a good question in the latter portion of what you wrote, concerning Raj and Bill (the father) in WHN.
If anything occurred between them before that WHN episode, it had to have been in Season 2 of WH (namely when Bill got married to Lee). We didn't see Bill anymore after that particular showing in WH.
:confused: :cool:

I agree that WHN was not as good as WH. But I disagree that the show was not as good BECAUSE it did not stick with the original characters. How the heck are you supposed to stick to the original characters? They grew up..they evolved..they moved on in life.

I believe that during the mid80s, Black sitcoms were, in a sense, erasing the bafoonery of the 70s. The Cosby Show is the prime example. But there were several others. Remember Bustin Loose, staring Jimmy Walker? It was a horrible show, but Jimmy Walker played a half-way normal African American father and husband in middle America. Also, the show with Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight? And Family Matters?

It would have been a travesty if WHN would have had Raj, Dwayne and Rerun acting the same as they did as teenagers. I would not have wanted Dwayne to be as ditsy as he was when he was 17. And I wanted him to be successful in whatever career he chose. I wanted to see Raj with at least a semi-successful career in writing. I wanted Shirley to have the same humor, but not just a financially-strapped waitress with no sexuality. I wanted to see Dee, who we all knew was smart, in college and into academics. That was the logical progression for her character.

WHN moved these characters in a very reasonable direction to be expected 6 years later. The Cooley High antics at age 26 would not have made sense, and certainly would not have been accepted in mid-80s Black sitcoms.

With that said, I did see some flaws with WHN. First the jokes were horrible!! They needed better comedic writers.

Also, I agree that WHN was perhaps a little too much in a social vacuum, especially given the origins of WH. These characters were based in Watts, California, where race is part of culture. Watts, almost by definition, means RACE IN AMERICA. These characters were not in middle America, which is what WHN tried to create. If you recall, the original WH did not really flag race and racism either. They didn't throw race in your face like other sitcoms (like All in the Family or Good Times). But the social and racial authenticity was still there...just not in a way that scared middle America away from the show. I think WHN writers were so concerned about reversing the 70s stereotypes, they overreached to the point where they erased race alltogether. That was a huge, costly (in the ratings), and dishonoring compromise to the original show, in my opinion.

Second, the Nadine character was not a good fit. She was a stable decent actress, but she really didn't have any quality, charm, struggle or flaw...something the audience could rally behind her about. She was basically just a boring housewife... only in the show to create a more balanced Raj. Plus, she was waaaay too skiny!!! I am surprised that wasn't talked about. If she were on TV today, she'd be ostricized big time.

If I were casting WHN, I would have done some things a little differently. I probably would have kept Raj single, and had the threesome doing the crazy things that single guys do in their 20s. I may have considered reintroduing Mama (even if I had to find someone else to play the part...hey its been done before) to give the show that moral fiber that made it so relevant in the 70s. I would have given Shirley Hemphill center stage a little bit more. She was quite funny, but they often only gave her quick jokes just before a fade out. I would have given her faarrrrr more lines. I would have expanded Shirley's character to make her more three dimensional.
I agree with most of the points made above, except wasn't Nadine not a housewife, but a social worker? Also, she was wrong for Raj, too lighthearted, too happy, too perky and not serious for Raj.. if he had a wife or a girlfriend, it should have been someone else.

Well, I thought WHN was just as good as WH. And I liked Nadine.