Back in April it was announced that Disney+ was developing a female-fronted reboot of the teen medical drama Doogie Howser, M.D., and now the streamer has announced that it has granted a full series order to the new show, which is being written and executive produced by Kourtney Kang (Fresh Off the Boat).
Titled Doogie Kameāloha, M.D., the reimagining is described as a 10-episode comedy taking place in modern-day Hawaii, and 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+. “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.”
Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. is scheduled to go into production later this year ahead of a 2021 release on the Disney+ subscription service.
