Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Remembering Danielle Spencer of What's Happening!!; Trailer for Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building

Danielle Spencer

Actress and veterinarian Danielle Spencer, who was best known for her role as Dee Thomas in What's Happening!!, has died. She died from stomach cancer at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, on August 11. Ms. Spencer was 60.

What's Happening!!

Spencer starred as Dee Thomas in the 1976-1979 ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, which aired for three seasons. What's Happening!! follows the lives of three working-class African-American teens living in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts. The show stars Ernest Thomas as Roger "Raj" Thomas, Haywood Nelson as Dwayne Nelson, and Fred Berry as Freddy "Rerun" Stubbs. Deadra "Dee" Thomas is Raj's sarcastic, meddling younger sister. The series also stars Mabel King (seasons 1 and 2) and Shirley Hemphill. Recurring cast members included Thalmus Rasulala (1976-1977), Bryan O'Dell (1976-1977), John Welsh (1978-1979), David Hollander (1978-1979), and Leland Smith (1978-1979).

What's Happening!! kids on The Brady Bunch Hour

The kids from What's Happening!! appeared in a 1977 episode of the ABC variety show The Brady Bunch Hour. Spencer guest starred as Emma Sheridan in a 1978 episode of the NBC anthology series Special Treat (also known as NBC Special Treat).

What's Happening Now!!

She reprised the role of Dee Thomas in 16 episodes of the 1985-1988 first-run syndicated sitcom What's Happening Now!!, which aired for three seasons. In the sequel series, Roger "Raj" Thomas (Ernest Thomas) has graduated from the University of Southern California, and become a fledgling writer. His sister Dee is away at college. The cast included Anne-Marie Johnson, Haywood Nelson, Fred Berry (season 1), Shirley Hemphill, Regina King (season 1), Martin Lawrence (season 3), and Ken Sagoes (season 3).

After her acting career, Spencer became a veterinarian in 1996. She portrayed a veterinarian in the hit 1997 film As Good as It Gets and appeared in the 2001 short film Peter Rabbit and the Crucifix. She played a Salem Place Vendor in a 2001 episode of Days of Our Lives. She released a book about her life as a child star titled Through the Fire: Journal of a Child Star in 2011. In Richmond, she hosted segments about pet care for morning newscasts on WTVR-TV.

Co-star and friend of SitcomsOnline Haywood Nelson (Dwayne) wrote:
"Brilliance! It comes in a great many forms. We all have them and we all have this family's - Dr. Danielle Spencer (June 24, 1965 - August 11, 2025). Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body. We celebrate Danielle Spencer and her contributions as we regret to inform her departure and transition from a long battle with cancer. We have lost a daughter, sister, family member, What's Happening!! cast member, veterinarian animal rights proponent and healer, and cancer heroine. Our Shero. Danielle is loved. She will be missed in this form and forever embraced."

Danielle Spencer

Ms. Spencer was funny and memorable as Dee Thomas. The cast of What's Happening!! was honored at the 2006 TV Land Awards, where she was the co-winner (along with Little House on the Prairie actress Alison Arngrim) of the "Character Most Desperately in Need of a Timeout" award. We thank her for her work as an actress and veterinarian. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our What's Happening!! message board.


Jon Miyahara

We also remember actor Jon Miyahara. He was best known for portraying Brett Kobashigawa in six seasons of the NBC workplace comedy Superstore. He died on August 6. Mr. Miyahara was 83.

Jon Miyahara - Superstore

He played Brett Kobashigawa in the 2015-2021 NBC sitcom Superstore. Brett Kobashigawa is a Cloud 9 employee who is stated to have broken every sales and competition record, despite him being depicted as someone who rarely moves or speaks. He was thought to be killed in the tornado that concluded season 2 when he disappeared and did not show up for work at the store's reopening in season 3. It's revealed in "Brett's Dead" that he simply drove home that day, and no one called him about the reopening because they thought he was deceased. Miyahara made a cameo appearance as Brett in NBC's American Auto in 2023.

Mr. Miyahara was a scene stealer and fan favorite. He had just one line in six seasons, but he could speak volumes with just a look. He was a master at deadpan comedy. We thank him for his work on Superstore. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Superstore message board.


Only Murders in the Building

Check out the trailer and key art for the fifth season of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. The Emmy® Award-nominated series returns Tuesday, September 9th with three episodes. New episodes stream Tuesdays on Hulu. After their beloved doorman, Lester, dies under suspicious circumstances, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel refuse to believe it was an accident. Their investigation plunges them into the shadowy corners of New York and beyond — where the trio uncovers a dangerous web of secrets connecting powerful billionaires, old-school mobsters, and the mysterious residents of the Arconia. The trio discovers a deeper divide between their storied city they thought they knew and the new New York evolving around them — one where the old mob fights to hold on as newer, even more dangerous players emerge.

Season Five Cast: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Michael Cyril Creighton, and special guest stars include Meryl Streep, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Richard Kind, Nathan Lane, Bobby Cannavale, Renée Zellweger, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, Téa Leoni, Keegan-Michael Key, Beanie Feldstein, Dianne Wiest, Jermaine Fowler and more.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, October 5

The Simpsons - "Keep Chalm and Gary On" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Homer gets Superintendent Chalmers a job at the power plant; Chalmers discovers huge mutated snails that produce valuable slime, launching his new career.

Universal Basic Guys - "I Am Jar" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Mark gets in a magician's duel; Tammy tries to win a nursing award.

Krapopolis - "Bobageddon" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Shlub wants boba and mobilizes an army; Tyrannis prepares for his demigod ceremony on Mount Olympus.

Bob's Burgers - "'Til Death Do Us Art" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Linda becomes concerned when Gayle turns her love life into a performance art piece.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 29)

Friday, October 3

  • Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Watch Tom on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Regina is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Will Ferrell (The Office) - Will makes a special appearance on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Bobby Cannavale (Angie Tribeca/Will & Grace) - Bobby appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Matt Rogers (No Good Deed/I Love That for You) and Bowen Yang (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) - Matt and Bowen are Day Drinking on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Helen Hong (The Thundermans/The Unicorn) and Jay Mohr (Gary Unmarried/Action/Camp Wilder) - Helen and Jay are guests on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Louis C.K. (Louie/Lucky Louie) - Real Time with Bill Maher has an one-on-one interview with Louis at 10pm on HBO.
  • Phoebe Robinson (Everything's Trash) - Phoebe talks about I Don’t Want to Work Anymore on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Tony Shalhoub (We Are Men/Stark Raving Mad/Wings) - Tony swings by the studio to talk Tony Shalhoub: Breaking Bread on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Phil Rosenthal (Creator of Everybody Loves Raymond) - Co-host Tony Dokoupil sits down with Phil on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Star Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil and David Burtka are sharing some mocktail and light bite recipes from their new book Both Sides of the Glass on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

10/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Cancels The Great North; Everybody Loves Raymond Set to Reunite for 30 Year Anniversary
10/03 - MeTV Acquires Everybody Loves Raymond; Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Trailer
10/02 - CBS Presents Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion; Apple TV+ Renews Peanuts Specials Through 2030
10/01 - The CW's Six Brand New Movies Starting November 16; Hulu's Family Guy Halloween Special Details
09/30 - Sarah Sherman HBO Comedy Special in December; Huluween Programming for 2025
09/29 - Netflix Renews Haunted Hotel for Season 2; Christmas Comedy Series Sicilia Express
09/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 29, 2025)
09/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Scrubs Cast Comes Together for First Table Read for Reboot; Monopoly Game Show Moving Ahead
09/26 - Netflix Adds to Cast for Running Point Season 2; Stiller & Meara Apple TV+ Documentary
09/25 - Adam Pally HBO Comedy Special; Jimmy Kimmel Live! Returns with Huge Ratings
09/24 - Weigel's Newest Diginet WEST Launches Monday, September 29; New Baywatch Coming to Fox in 2026-27
09/23 - DMV Trailer for CBS; Mo Amer Returns to Netflix
09/22 - SNL Season 51 Guests for First Episodes; Prime Video's Bat-Fam Series
09/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 22, 2025)
09/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Paper to Get Linear Run on NBC; Saturday Night Live Announces New Hosts
09/19 - NBC Schedules The Paper and Stumble in November; Remembering Patricia (Pat) Crowley of Please Don't Eat the Daisies
09/18 - UPtv Acquires The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Camp Rock 3 Coming Soon to Disney
09/17 - FETV Acquires The Munsters Effective September 29; Apple TV+ The Morning Show Renewed for Season 5
09/16 - Disney's SuperKitties Adds to Voice Cast; Netflix Renews The Hunting Wives for Season 2
09/15 - 77th Primetime Emmy Award Winners; Letterman TV Adds Late Night with David Letterman
09/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 15, 2025)
09/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Paramount Looking to Merge with Warner Bros. Discovery; Samsung TV+ Adds Late Night with David Letterman
09/12 - Emmy Awards to Create Special Moments; Ricky Gervais Netflix Animated Comedy Alley Cats Coming in 2026
09/11 - Remembering Polly Holliday of Alice and Flo; Prime Video's Overcompensating Renewed for Season 2
09/10 - Netflix Renews Leanne for Season 2; Hazbin Hotel Returns October 29
09/09 - HBO Comedy The Chair Company; Trailer for Disney's Vampirina: Teenage Vampire
09/08 - The Paper Renewed for Season 2, NYC Event on Tuesday; Final Season of Bel-Air
09/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 8, 2025)
09/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Shifting Gears Picked Up for Three Additional Episodes; The Paper Renewed for Season Two
09/05 - Crutch Premieres November 3 on Paramount+; Trailer for Season 2 of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
09/04 - Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween 2025 Schedule; Dancing with the Stars Season 34 Cast