Disney+ is ready to don the stethoscope again with a reboot of the Doogie Howser M.D., but with a new twist.
From 1989 to 1993, Doogie Howser M.D. was a half hour medical dramedy on ABC. It featured a cherubic Neil Patrick Harris as the wonder-kid Douglas “Doogie” Howser who became a practicing doctor as a teenager.
The new show would be set in Hawaii and feature a 16-year-old girl with mixed Asian and white ancestry, who uses her genius to work as a doctor. The working title for this show is “Doogie Kealoha, M.D.”
The show is being developed by How I Met Your Mother and Fresh Off the Boat writer/producer Kourtney Kang in partnership with Dayna Bochco. Bochco is the widow of the late Steven Bocho, who co-created the original series with David Kelley. Also on board is their son Jesse Bochco, plus Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar.
Kang wrote the idea for “Doogie Kealoha, M.D.” based on her own experiences growing up in a mixed-race family.
Part of what made Doogie Howser work was the great casting and its cross-generational appeal. Adults appreciated the medical drama while teens could identify with Howser’s typical teenage problems.
The show helped launch Neil Patrick Harris’ career and also featured Max Casella, Belinda Montgomery, Lawrence Pressman, Mitchell Anderson, Kathryn Layng, Lisa Dean Ryan, Lucy Boryer, Markus Redmond, and James B. Sikking.
Source: Deadline