Get ready to laugh yourself crazy with the third and final season of "WHAT'S HAPPENING!!", the coolest comedy of the '70s. Raj, Rerun, Dwayne, Shirley and Dee are back in 22 outrageous episodes. Raj and Rerun are sharing a... more »n apartment this year, with more chances for wacky situations. Don't miss Rerun dreaming he's the Fonz, Raj's attempts to play it cool and impress an older woman, Dee's cheerleading tryout, Shirley's chance at true love, and Dwayne in drag as Suzanne Somers! Along for the ride are Raj's college buddy Snake, cop Big Earl and his son Little Earl (who has a crush on Dee). Is there money hidden in the house? Will Shirley's cookies mean big bucks? Can Rerun win the big disco contest? How hard can you laugh? Get all the answers in this collection of one of TV's greatest hits.« less
"Just for the information, Season Three (September 1978 - April 1979) was the highest in it's rating reaching 28th by oudience size out of the best 30 TV shows.
In 1978 Raj and Rerun graduated from High School and moved into a shared apartment nearby. While Raj Entered College and rerun went to work. Their new neighbors were Big Earl (Police Detective) and his son Little Earl.
Six years after the 3rd season the show returned with a new name "What's Happening now" with most of the original cast.
I hope they will release "WHAT'S HAPPINING NOW" show so we can have all of the 1980's seasons too. Thanks.
"
Just stick with the first 2 seasons on dvd!
W. gallegos | 12/28/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I am a big fan of this show and own the first 2 seasons on dvd. Sadly,those are the only seasons on dvd that I will ever own. I have seen every episode on syndication and must say that the episodes from the final season were not all that. It could be one of many reasons why the show got canned following the 3rd season. Perhaps they got rid of their original writers and decided to go with the less expensive,amateur writers who just weren't as good? Perhaps it was the departure of Mabel King (Miss Thomas) that led to the downfall? Maybe it was the addition of Big and Little Earl to the cast that killed it? Or maybe,just maybe it was the young cast who were slowly converting from hilarious teenagers to somewhat maturing young adults? Let's see...Rerun went from a flunking highschooler to a responsible roommate working at ABC as a studio tour guide. Dwayne went from this young airhead kid with a big afro with his famous "hey,hey,hey" line to a more mature young adult just trying to act like an airhead. Roger was now renting an apartment with....can you believe,Rerun? And Dee went from a blackmailing brat to a young woman who just wasn't getting on her brother's or Rerun's nerves anymore. If I had a top ten list of my best What's happening episodes,I am afraid not one episode from the 3rd season would make the list. I just can't think of an episode from season 3 that compares to the episode when Rerun's brother-in-law loses 500 dollars in a football bet or when Rerun marries an illegal alien to keep her in the country or when the gang meets the legendary Doobie brothers. Overall,I will still give this show 3 out of 5 stars because of the love I have towards the series. Hey,hey,hey!!!!"
The Spark is Gone
RJ | Phoenix, AZ | 01/11/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Season Three of "What's Happening" no longer had the magic that the first two seasons did.
With Mama no longer a cast member (though mentioned as if she was still around) the majority of the action happened at Raj's and Rerun's new apartment. Two new cast members are added in the form of their upstairs neighbors, "Big" Earl and his son, "Little" Earl. Shirley is now renting Raj's old room. And Dee, in the show's effort to include her character, starts spending more time at the soda shop and Raj's apartment.
As you watch season three, you start realizing the fat jokes aimed at Shirley and Rerun begin to get redundant. Dee, now that she has grown up, is more annoying than cute and her bad acting really starts to grate. The fact that the three seasons have now been released and there were no extras included in any of the box sets is really disappointing.
Still, it is fun to watch Raj, Dwayne, and Rerun together and the season does have some highlights such as "Making Out" where Raj and Rerun both embellish how well they do on their dates and "The Last Page" where Rerun imagines he's "The Fonz" and "Mork."
Overall, if you're a fan of the show, you'll want to get all three seasons (I did) but if you're like me, you'll spend more time on seasons one and two."
Still likeable but not as good.
Patrick Simmons | Stone Mountain, GA | 11/19/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Mabel King left the show after the second season and it went downhill from there. Rerun, Dwayne and Raj are still the same funny, likeable guys they always were and Dee shows a lot of maturity but the formula with Raj and Rerun as roommates just doesn't feel the same. The interaction with "Mama' Thomas was just as much a part of the show as the interaction with the guys, especially with Dee's "Imma tell mama!" threats and Raj giving her money to shut her up. The addition of Big and Little Earl Barnett did absolutely nothing for the show. Except for maybe the purpose of "whitening" things up a little, I really don't know why they were there.
All isn't that bad though. Season Three still had a few decent episodes such as the one where Rerun went credit card crazy and got everything in the apartment repossessed. Anyone who enjoyed watching Rerun dance should get a kick out of the episode where he entered the dance contest after promising everyone who contributed to the entry fee double on their investment. Nothing else, however, was very memorable or compelling. Some say that the series was cancelled too early but given the direction it was going, it was probably about time. All of the starring cast, except for Mabel King, would come back a few years later in the "What's Happening Now" series.
"What's Happening" however, remains one of my favorite sitcoms of all time and the characters are all unforgettable. I would still recommend all three seasons if, for nothing else, to complete the collection and to have a piece of television history in your DVD collection. Don't expect nearly as much out of Season Three as the first two though."
AN EARLY END TO A GREAT SERIES
Tamra J. Gibson | Los Angeles,CA | 09/09/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Although the third season of What's Happening had a couple of minor changes (minus the mother Mable King, and the addition of Big Earl and Little Earl) in direction, it was a fresh change of pace for the show's characters. I really enjoyed the storylines surrounding Rerun and Raj being roommates, especially the episode when they compete to see who can score with the ladies and stretched the truth!!!
However, I must admit that the evolution of Dee's character was somewhat a disappointment. First of all it seemed like the producers were not sure if they wanted to grow her up by having her go back and forth wearing her hair in those stupid ponytails. Then it seemed like she just read her lines without the zest she had in the first 2 seasons. I am happy to say that storylines surrounding Shirley's character were even funnier when the producers made her presence stronger in the Thomas family home.
All in all it was a great season but was cancelled way too soon! I'm just glad that all three seasons were released on dvd for fans old and new to enjoy!!!"