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

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.

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).

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).

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

Posted by Todd -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Hulu, Obits, Only Murders in the Building, Superstore, What's Happening, What's Happening Now