What's Happening Now! (1985)

Name: What's Happening Now!
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 6.2
Cast: Ernest Lee Thomas, Haywood Nelson, Shirley Hemphill, Anne-Marie Johnson, Martin Lawrence

Comedy

Roger 'Raj' Thomas has graduated from the University of Southern California, and become a fledgling writer. He and his wife Nadine, a social worker, move in to his old home in Watts (given to him by his mother, Mabel, now remarried and living in Phoenix, Arizona). His sister Dee is away at college. Childhood friend Dwayne Nelson has become a computer programmer, while Freddie 'Rerun' Stubbs is a used-car salesman. The old soda shop hangout, Rob's Place, has gone out of business and left abandoned. Reminded of his youth, and seeing an opportunity, Raj and Shirley Wilson, who used to wait tables there, decide to buy the business together, renaming it Rob's.

IMDb rating: 6.2 (1,404 votes)
Seasons: 3
Streaming (US): The Roku Channel · Tubi TV
Language: EN
Type: TV series

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Ratings refreshed Aug 19, 2026 · 3 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1985)

6.39 avg 22 episodes 7.6 → 6.6

Rollercoaster

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Raj Returns	7.6	35
2	A Horse Is Not a Home	5.4	30
3	Dwayne's Crush	6.7	24
4	The Houseguest	6.2	21
5	One Enchanted Evening	5.6	21
6	Aunt Shirley	6.9	24
7	The New Kid	6.0	19
8	The Bully	5.8	20
9	That Old Gang of Mine	7.3	24
10	Dueling Menus	6.3	20
11	Dee's Dilemma	6.8	20
12	Raj on the Run	6.8	18
13	The Challenge	5.4	20
14	Married or Not	6.1	18
15	The Improbable Dream	6.3	20
16	Rags to Riches	7.1	20
17	Goodbye, Mr. Ripps	5.8	23
18	Dee and Dwayne	7.8	23
19	Mr. First Nighter	5.2	16
20	Shirley's Pen Pal	6.9	18
21	Nadine's Boss	5.9	17
22	The Wedding	6.6	21

Season 2 (1986)

6.84 avg 22 episodes 7.7 → 3.9

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Nadine's Surprise	7.7	19
2	Shirley's Landlord	7.0	15
3	The Movie Deal	6.2	13
4	Picture Perfect	7.5	20
5	Raj's Nightmare	6.3	19
6	Party Animal	7.4	13
7	Shirley's Little Sister	5.8	18
8	Raj's Big Break	7.1	13
9	Thy Boss's Daughter	7.2	16
10	Cabin Fever	7.1	12
11	Instant Family	7.4	14
12	Old Army Daze	7.4	14
13	The Yard Sale	7.5	15
14	Dwayne's Amiga	6.9	20
15	Sorority Sisters	7.8	19
16	Mad Money	6.6	16
17	Dee's Suitor	6.2	16
18	I'll Be Homeless for Christmas	7.0	16
19	Taking the Rap	7.9	23
20	Opening Day	5.7	14
21	Raj on the Double	6.8	19
22	The HouseKeeper	3.9	15

Season 3 (1987)

6.55 avg 22 episodes 6.1 → 5.3

Rollercoaster

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Ask Al	6.1	15
2	The Boxer	5.1	14
3	The New Employee	7.1	16
4	The Hat Comes Back	7.3	16
5	Dwayne's Big Step	6.9	13
6	Girls Night Out	7.3	14
7	The Candidate	6.9	15
8	Family Life	6.4	11
9	Running Scared	6.4	13
10	Nadine's Wood-Be-Father	6.0	17
11	The Pad	7.2	17
12	Teacher's Threat	7.3	16
13	Daddy's Back	4.8	14
14	I Gotta Be Raj	5.3	13
15	Run, Shirley, Run	6.5	12
16	The Older Woman	7.5	19
17	Happy Face	6.2	14
18	The Fabulous Fortunes	5.5	12
19	Shirley's Debt	7.6	12
20	Man in Motion	7.7	20
21	Members Only	7.7	13
22	Adventures of Kangaroo Kincaide	5.3	16