7.2
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
What's Happening!! (1976)
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Center
Viewer Rating
Rating: 7.2
Overview
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly series. It remained a regular show until 1979; ratings were modest. What's Happening!! was loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High, also written by Eric Monte.
Starring Cast
Bias Dimensions
Political: Center
Diversity: Moderate
Overview
What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly series. It remained a regular show until 1979; ratings were modest. What's Happening!! was loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High, also written by Eric Monte.
Starring Cast
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Center
Primary
The show's primary focus on apolitical, universal themes of adolescence, friendship, and family life, coupled with its emphasis on individual and interpersonal solutions to everyday problems, results in a neutral political bias rating. While providing representation for an African-American family, the narrative itself avoids explicit political commentary or ideological promotion.
This sitcom features a predominantly Black cast, showcasing visible diversity in its characters. The narrative focuses on the daily lives and experiences of this community without explicitly critiquing traditional identities or making DEI themes overtly central to its plotlines.
Secondary
What's Happening!! was a 1970s American sitcom focused on the everyday lives of three Black teenagers. Consistent with mainstream television programming of its era, the series did not feature any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes within its narrative. The show's content centered on adolescent experiences, family, and friendships.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The sitcom "What's Happening!!" is an adaptation of the film "Cooley High." While it features new characters and reinterprets some roles, no established character from the source material was portrayed with a different gender in the series.
What's Happening!! is an original sitcom from 1976, not an adaptation of prior material or a historical biopic. Its characters were created for this series, thus there is no established prior racial depiction to be altered.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
7.0
7.4
Critic Ratings
N/A
N/A
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