By ANGELA DAWSON
Front Row Features
HOLLYWOOD—Aloha, Doogie!
Kourtney Kang is set to write and executive produce “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.,” a reimagining of “Doogie Howser.”
Disney+ announced today that a new doctor is coming to the streaming service in 2021. “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.” (working title), a re-imagining of the popular ABC series “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” has been picked up to series and is scheduled to go into production later this year. Kourtney Kang (“Fresh Off the Boat,” “How I Met Your Mother”) is set to write and executive produce for 20th Television.
Set in modern-day Hawaii, the 10-episode comedy follows Lahela “Doogie” Kameāloha, 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+, in a statement. “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 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,” 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 physician prodigy. The hit series catapulted Harris into television stardom and made the term “Doogie Howser” synonymous with kid geniuses.
“Doogie Kameāloha, 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.
