Before he was Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother or Count Olaf in Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Neil Patrick Harris had his big break on television in 1989 when he starred in Doogie Howser, M.D., which ran for nearly 100 episodes. The show will now be the inspiration of another reboot TV series Disney+ is developing.
The series in development, called Doogie Kealoha, M.D., will follow a 16-year-old girl practicing medicine and living out her teenage years in Hawaii. The female lead will be of half-Asian and half-Causasian descent to mirror the ethnicity of the show’s creator Kourtney Kang, who will infuse her own experiences growing up with the show’s legacy, per Deadline.
Although it doesn’t look like Neil Patrick Harris will have a role on the series for the time being, Kourtney Kang has ties with the original Doogie Howser. Kang got her start on television as a staff writer on How I Met Your Mother back when it started in 2005 before becoming a key writer and producer on the series by the time it aired its finale back in 2014.
Kang has also been a co-executive producer on ABC’s Fresh Off The Boat with Melvin Mar, who will also work with her on Doogie Kealoha, M.D. along with Jumanji: The Next Level producer Jake Kasdan. Additionally, Dayna Bochco and Jesse Bochco (the widow and son of one of Doogie Howser, M.D.’s creators, Steven Bochco) are also signed on to the upcoming Disney show.
Doogie Kealoha, M.D. joins a mix of reboots Disney+ has added to their projects recently from existing Disney and Fox properties. The streaming platform is already working on a reboot for Tom Hanks’ 1989 movie Turner & Hooch, which follows a detective partnering up with a problematic dog to solve a crime. Drake & Josh’s Josh Peck and Lyndsy Fonseca have already been cast.
There will also be reboots/revivals of projects like The Mighty Ducks, The Sandlot and a stalled Lizzie McGuire series that has an unclear fate following a disagreement between Hilary Duff and the show’s writer. Disney+ subscribers can also look forward to shows from the MCU including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Wandavision and Loki, and a second season of High School Musical: The Musical - The Series in the works.
Neil Patrick Harris just appeared in a tribute video with other actors who have played doctors from hit shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, House and The Good Doctor to thank the medical professionals working overtime during the COVID-19 crisis. Harris is also set to star in Matrix 4 with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Doogie Kealoha, M.D. is packed with television talent, but we’ll have to wait and see who is cast in the show, when it will premiere on Disney+ and if Neil Patrick Harris will resume his role for the new series. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more news on upcoming Disney+ shows.
