Disney+ Orders Female-Led “Doogie Howser” Reboot, ‘Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.’
Disney+ has been rummaging through their box of old tv shows again and has pulled out a reboot of hit 90s medical series ‘Doogie Howser M.D.’, which is due to arrive in 2021 on the streaming service.
Currently going by the working title of ‘Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.‘ the 10-episode comedy is set in modern-day Hawaii and follows Lahela “Doogie” Kamealoha, a mixed-race 16-year-old girl, juggling a budding medical career and life as a teenager. Guiding Lahela (and also complicating things) is her family, including her spit-fire Irish mother who’s also her supervisor at the hospital, and her Hawaiian “Local Boy” father struggling to accept that his daughter is no longer his little girl.
The series comes from ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ and ‘How I Met Your Mother’ writer/producer Kourtney Kang who will write and executive produce the new show for 20th Television. The series is scheduled to go into production later this year.
“Thirty years ago, a young medical prodigy took the world by storm and left a lasting impact on pop culture,” said Ricky Strauss, president, Content and Marketing, Disney+. “Kourtney and the team at 20th Television have created a very modern take on this beloved property which will resonate with our global Disney+ audience. We can’t wait to introduce the world to the new Doogie!”
Running for four seasons on ABC from 1989 to 1993, the original ‘Doogie Howser, M.D.’ starred the brilliant Neil Patrick Harris as the now-iconic doctor. The hit series catapulted Harris into television stardom and made the term “Doogie Howser” synonymous with kid geniuses.
“Doogie, Howser MD is beloved by everyone at our studio, so we knew that if we were going to reinvent it for a new generation, we had to have both the blessing and participation of the Bochcos and a creator with a fresh, new take that made us lean in,” commented Carolyn Cassidy, president, 20th Television. “Kourtney’s vision for the character is so inspired, we’ve been dying to collaborate with Melvin and Jake again, and Disney+ is exactly the right home for this idea. We couldn’t be more excited.”
‘Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.‘ is written and executive produced by Kourtney Kang and produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios. Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar will executive produce and Dayna and Jesse Bochco will produce the half-hour comedy series.
