Disney+ has turned classic movies like The Mighty Ducks and Turner & Hooch into streaming series. Now they’re remaking a classic TV sitcom. Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. is a modern revamp of Doogie Howser, M.D. The creators of the new incarnation say original Doogie Neil Patrick Harris is begging to be included in season 2.
Disney+ presented a panel on Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. to the Television Critics Association via Zoom on Aug. 26. Executive Producer Kourtney Kang explained the new take on Doogie Howser, and where Harris could fit in. Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. premieres Sept 8 on Disney+.
‘Doogie Howser, M.D.’ exists in the world of ‘Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.’
Andi Mack star Peyton Eliabeth Lee stars as 16-year-old Lehala Kamealoha. She is a 16-year-old medical school prodigy, so her colleagues call her Doogie Kamealoha because they have seen Doogie Howser, M.D.
“The question was: How do we call her Doogie?” Kang said. “Then I had the idea of what if this reboot takes place in our world, where Doogie Howser is a beloved show from the ’90s and it’s this doctor’s nickname, which apparently is a thing that happens sometimes to young doctors. They get nicknamed Doogie.”
The reference is lost on Lehala herself.
“We thought it was fun that she’s nicknamed Doogie,” Kang said. “She’s like, ‘I don’t know what that show is. It’s some show from the ’90s. I wasn’t even born yet.’ And so when we had that idea, it seemed like a fun way to approach it.”
Neil Patrick Harris supports ‘Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.’
Harris played 16-year-old Douglas “Doogie” Howser on the original series. Kang said he has supported updating the series that started his career.
“We need to connect Peyton and Neil,” Kang said. “Yes, we have been in touch with Neil. I worked with him for nine years on How I Met Your Mother. He is so wonderful and as soon as this all started coming together, we reached out, and he has been so supportive of this project and so lovely.”
Neil Patrick Harris tried to be on season 1 of ‘Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.’
Should Harris appear on Doogie Kamealoha, M.D., he couldn’t play Doogie. Doogie is a show that exists in this world, so he would have to be Neil Patrick Harris. He’s done that before in the Harold and Kumar movies. Filming under COVID-19 protocols in Hawaii prohibited his participation in season 1.
“We were trying to get him to come out season 1 and do something with us,” Kang said. “With the pandemic and Neil has a family in New York and so many things going on bandwidth-wise, it didn’t work out. But he was like, ‘Season 2, if there is a season 2, I would love to come out. I would love to figure it out.’ So we would love to have him come season 2. The writers get so excited thinking about all the possibilities of what that could be. So, knock on wood, hopefully we get to do a second season and hopefully we get to bring Neil out to Hawaii and finally have Neil and Peyton meet.”
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