The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here – the trailer for Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. You’ll find that here. It looks cute and it makes it clear that this isn’t a Doogie Howser continuation or revival, but rather a re-imagining. That perfectly sets up an inevitable cameo but we’ll get to that later when we reveal a bunch of guest stars Disney announced.
Trailer
Synopsis
Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. – a coming-of-age dramedy inspired by the hit medical series Doogie Howser, M.D. – follows Lahela “Doogie” Kamealoha, a 16-year-old prodigy juggling a budding medical career and life as a teenager. With the support of her caring and comical ‘ohana (family) and friends, Lahela is determined to make the most of her teenage years and forge her own path.
Set in modern-day Hawai’i, Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. is shot on location in O’ahu. Creator and executive producer Kourtney Kang (How I Met Your Mother, Fresh Off the Boat) who was born in Hawaii and raised in a Philadelphia suburb by her Irish mom and Korean dad, infuses her own life stories and experiences into this series centered on a mixed-race Asian-American girl.
Cast
Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Andi Mack, Secret Society of Second-Born Royals) stars as the lead alongside a diverse and talented ensemble cast including Kathleen Rose Perkins (Big Shot) as Dr. Clara Hannon, Jason Scott Lee (Mulan) as Benny Kamealoha, Matthew Sato (Hawaii Five-O) as Kai Kamealoha, Wes Tian as Brian Patrick Kamealoha, Emma Meisel (American Horror Story) as Steph, Mapuana Makia (Finding ‘Ohana) as Noelani and Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (UnREAL) as Charles. Recurring stars include Alex Aiono (Finding ‘Ohana) as Walter and Ronny Chieng (Crazy Rich Asians) as Dr. Lee.
Guest Stars
Guest stars announced so far: Randall Park, Max Greenfield, Margaret Cho, Al Harrington, Amy Hill, David S. Jung, Jae Suh Park, Ty Simpkins, Kylie Cantrall and Jake Shimabukuro. There will be more.
I can’t be the only one who just KNOWS there’s going to be a moment near the end of the season where Doogie is dejected, alone at the beach and thinking of giving it all up when a familiar voice calls out “Doogie?”
She turns around to see Neil Patrick Harris standing there. “Hey, aren’t you that kid from TV?”
“Aren’t YOU that kid from TV? The one I got my name from?”
“Me, no, I’m just an actor. I played a role on TV in the 80s. You’re a hero, Doogie.”
“Then why do I feel like I can’t do this anymore?”
“All heroes think of quitting, but choosing to go on – that’s what makes you a hero.”
“What are you doing here anyway?”
“Well, sometimes Hollywood actors go on vacation and Hawaii seemed like a good place.”
It’s so happening, albeit with better dialogue.
Update: Nevermind The Wrap confirms Neil Patrick Harris won’t appear until season 2.
The only flaws in Disney’s marketing of this Doogie re-imagining are keeping Doogie Howser on Hulu (franchises should not be be separated) and not having the landing page published on Disney+ at the same time the trailer dropped so that subscribers enticed by the preview can add it to their watchlist. We will update this as soon as the page is available as well as write a separate story.
Are you looking forward to the big premiere of Doogie? Did you watch the original? Do you wish the original was also added to Disney+?
Drew Ryan is a film, TV, and Disney geek. He has degrees in English, Student Personnel Administration, and Library & Information Science from Lawrence University, Concordia University-Wisconsin, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Interested in the minutia and licensing of streaming service content, he is always publishing lists, suggestions, and advocating for Disney’s missing library to be added to Disney+. Drew subscribes to Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, and Paramount+. You can find him waxing nostalgic over classic Disney Channel or geeking out over Marvel, CW shows, & Disney on Twitter.
