Someone must have changed our health care plan because there's a new doctor in the building. It's been announced that Disney+ filled out a prescription for a 10-episode straight-to-series order for Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. (working title), a female-led re-imagining of the popular 1989 ABC series Doogie Howser, M.D.
The series hails from the mind of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and FRESH OFF THE BOAT alumna Kourtney Kang and 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios. Kang will write the series, which is set in a modern-day Hawaii.
According to Deadline, Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. 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.
“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!”
The original series starred Neil Patrick Harris as Doogie Howser M.D., a teenage physician who is forced to overcome daily doses of ageism on behalf of his patients while also battling the trials and tribulations of still being a kid at heart. The original was created by renowned showrunners, the late Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley, and produced by Steven Bochco Prods. and 20th Century Fox TV.
Executive producing the reboot is Bocho's own widow, Dayna Bochco, alongside her son, Jesse Bochco, as well Kang, Jake Kasdan, and Melvin Mar. The Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. concept is one of the latest ideas to be greenlit for Disney+, which continues to find new and entertaining ways to cater to their family-oriented audience. The original series lasted for four seasons, which was more than enough time for Harris and his kid doctor character to cement themselves as an everlasting icon of pop culture.
“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,” said 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.”
Casting for Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. is currently underway with major roles looking to be locked down in due time.