By Zach Johnson
The results are in: Disney+ announced today that a new doctor will be on call in 2021. Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. (working title), a reimagining of the ABC series Doogie Howser, M.D., has been picked up to series. It is now scheduled to go into production later this year. Fresh off ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, Kourtney Kang will write and executive produce the series for 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios. Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar are executive producers for the series and Dayna Bochco and Jesse Bochco will produce.
Set in modern-day Hawaii, the 10-episode half-hour comedy will follow Lahela “Doogie” Kameāloha, a mixed race 16-year-old girl, as she juggles a budding medical career with normal teenage dramas. Guiding Lahela (and also complicating matters) is her family, including her spit-fire Irish mother—who’s also her supervisor at the hospital—and her Hawaiian “Local Boy” father, who struggles to accept that Lahela 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!”
“Doogie, Howser M.D. 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,” added 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.”
Running for four seasons on ABC from 1989 to 1993, Doogie Howser, M.D. starred 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 everywhere.
