disnThe residency of Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. is officially over. On Friday, a report from TVLine revealed that the live-action series has been cancelled after two seasons on the streaming service Disney+. Based on the beloved sitcom Doogie Howser, M.D., which starred Neil Patrick Harris and aired from 1989 through 1993, Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. provided a gender-swapped version of the iconic story involving a medical protege. The series starred Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Lahela “Doogie” Kameāloha, with an ensemble cast that also included Emma Meisel, Matthew Sato, Wes Tian, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Mapuana Makia, Kathleen Rose Perkins, and Jason Scott Lee. Guest stars on the show’s run included Barry Bostwick, Randall Park, Daniel Dae Kim, Ronny Chieng, Alyson Hannigan, Magic Johnson, Margaret Cho and Max Greenfield.
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“I’m so happy,” Harris previously said of the reboot. “The creator of it was a big producer on How I Met Your Mother. I think setting it with a female protagonist is a great call… I think it’s in really good hands. I feel like it’s a passion project for many and I can’t wait to watch it.”
What Was Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. About?
In Doogie Kameāloha, M.D., Lahela “Doogie” Kameāloha is a child prodigy juggling her teenage life and family with an early medical career, as well as having to deal with balancing her relationship with her mother, who is also her boss.
“Our goal was, for folks who watched the original, that there would be some familiar things that they would recognize,” showrunner Kourtney Kang explained in a 2021 interview with Collider. “I always loved Vinnie crawling through Doogie’s window, so it was important to me to keep that aspect of it. But we wanted it to be that folks who never watched it could just sit right down and settle in and watch this. I watched the original, years ago, and when we were doing this, I went back and we watched it. One of the things that really struck me was that Neil Patrick Harris brings so much to Doogie. Even though he’s 16, the character feels very universal because he’s in an adult world, but he’s still a kid and figuring it out. I think one of the reasons why it resonated with adults and kids and everyone is that, even as an adult, we feel that way sometimes. I’m a mom and I have three kids, but sometimes, especially during this pandemic, it’s like, “Wait, I’m in charge? I’m the one who has to make decisions about how we’re operating in this world? I want someone to take care of me.” I think it’s a very universal position to feel like a kid in an adult world.
What Shows Has Disney+ Cancelled?
In recent years, Disney+ has cancelled (and in some cases, entirely erased) some of its original programming. This list includes The Mysterious Benedict Society, National Treasure: Edge of History, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Big Shot, Turner & Hooch, Diary of a Future President, and the television spinoff of Willow.
“I’ve been quiet on this news that Willow is leaving [Disney+] ’cause… I’m kinda into it. I grew up at a time when [Disney] movies were periodically re-released and not available to own, and it made them… more special. I worry about many things…but NONE of them are that Willow will never be available again, either on [Disney+] or perhaps… someplace else, & ya never know where that could lead… stranger things have happened,” Willow writer Jonathan Kasdan shared on Twitter earlier this year. “So grateful for all the love and enthusiasm; it’s truly what keeps these worlds alive.”
What do you think of Disney+ cancelling Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!