Client: Ronny Chieng – Talent
Do you love child doctors? Well you’re about to get a new one. Doogie Kamealoha M.D., Disney+‘s reboot of Doogie Howser, M.D., is coming to a streaming service near you on Tuesday, September 8.
The original Doogie Howser ran on ABC from 1989 to 1993, totaling 97 episodes. The series followed Neil Patrick Harris as the titular teenaged doctor who balanced the challenges of his medical career with daily teen drama. Yes, it was insane. But it was the type of delightful insanity that only ’90s television could produce. It also introduced the world to NPH. A lot of Doogie Howser’s success can be traced back to Harris’ performance, which always took this absurd world seriously while delivering some prime quips.
28 years later and we’re getting a new, pint-sized doctor. This new take will focus on Lahela “Doogie” Kameāloha as its teenaged wunderkind. The new Doogie will be played by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, whose acting credits include Scandal, Shameless, and Andi Mack. Now 16 years old and living in modern-day Hawai’i, Doogie will have to deal with her career-driven mother Dr. Clara Hannon as her hospital supervisor, her free-spirited older brother Kai, her gregarious younger brother Brian Patrick, her best friend Steph, her surfer crush Walter, and her fellow hospital colleagues, Dr. Lee, Charles and Noelani. Thankfully she has her father Benny to keep her grounded and remind her what matters most.
But Disney+ didn’t just give us a premiere day. The House of Mouse also released the family medical drama’s theme song and opening sequence. Who knew that light ukulele and medical textbooks would pair together so nicely?
In addition to Lee, Doogie Kamealoha M.D. will star Kathleen Rose Perkins, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Jason Scott Lee, and Ronny Chieng will star in supporting roles. The family medical drama is created by Kourtney Kang (How I Met Your Mother, Fresh Off the Boat). Dayna Bochco, Jake Kasdan, and Melvin Mar are set to executive produce alongside Kang. Check out the opening number above and get ready to start questioning your own doctor. We guarantee that Doogie is a lot more fun.