Disney+ is developing a reboot of ABC’s medical dramedy Doogie Howser, M.D. But unlike the original series that made Neil Patrick Harris a household name, the reboot will star a female lead.
The project, which has a working title of Doogie Kealoha, M.D., comes from How I Met Your Mother and Fresh Off the Boat alumna Kourtney Kang and 20th Century Fox TV. Set in Hawaii, Doogie Kealoha, M.D. centers on a half-Asian, half-white 16-year-old girl with a genius-level intellect who has breezed through college and medical school and is now working as a doctor. The lead character’s ethnic background reflects that of Kang, who was born in Hawaii.
The original half-hour series, which ran for four seasons from 1989 to 1993 on ABC, starred Harris as a young physician balancing the challenge of practicing medicine with the everyday problems of teenage life. Created by the late Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley, it also starred James B. Sikking and Belinda Montgomery as Doogie’s parents as well as Max Casella, Lisa Dean Ryan and Lucy Boryer as his friends.
Bochco’s widow, Dayna, and son Jesse serve as executive producers on the reboot along with Kang, Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar. Kasdan and Mar have an overall deal at 20th Century Fox, which is now owned by Disney.
As expected, people on the Internet have different thoughts about the reboot. There are those who are excited about it, and there are those who think that rebooting the classic TV series is a mistake.
We can't wait to watch!
"Doogie Howser’ Female-Led Reboot ‘Doogie Kealoha, M.D.’ In Works At Disney+ From @KourtneyKang" https://t.co/ftsezTrlt9 via @Deadline— GeenaDavisInstitute (@GDIGM) April 9, 2020
That wont work has to be @ActuallyNPH leading the line #DoogieHowser
— paul kirwan (@BusticlesPaul) April 8, 2020
All do respect to the Doogie Howser MD show on ABC back in the day.ln my opinion it is mistake to do make a reboot of the show.???? pic.twitter.com/ZlLsXESHVa
— Big Apple NY? (@wcar27) April 8, 2020
@ActuallyNPH Your thoughts on the reboot of Doogie Howser? There's only ONE Doogie. I won't support the reboot.
— Charmed? (@2018XCharmed) April 9, 2020
Apparently, @Disney still hasn't received the "Every Gender-Swapped Reboot has Bombed Miserably" memo.
~@DisneyPlus #DoogieHowser #Reboot #DisneyPlus #Disneyhttps://t.co/sDoBWUF3bO
— GEEK OUTlaw (@GeekOutlaw) April 8, 2020
Today Disney announced yet another reboot for Doogie Howser as with all of the previous reboot of films and TV few have been better than originals who are Disney targeting with these reboots as surely most will prefer to watch the original again instead?
— Paul Ferrer (@paullferrer) April 8, 2020
Some fans, on the other hand, doesn’t care much about the reboot’s gender-swapped lead, as they would support the new series as long as Harris would be part of the cast and the reboot would use the original series’ theme song.
2 thing if @disneyplus does it; 1. It needs @ActuallyNPH somewhere in it and 2. The theme song stays exactly the same. #DoogieHowser https://t.co/rssHPJkShM
— Andrew Paino (@AndrewPaino) April 9, 2020
Doogie Kealoha, M.D. is the latest series reboot of a TV title at Disney+, joining Turner & Hooch, The Mighty Ducks, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and a Beauty and the Beast spinoff, which is also in development.