Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. is an almost-reboot that is fresh with new characters and setting! The first episode has dropped on Disney+ on September 8th. It is a standout for me to actually depict the real Hawaii. Other shows impress characters, drama or action, onto the setting. This “feels” like Hawaii. I’ve been to Hawaii since small kid time visiting family friends plus visited on my own several times. Of course, it is based on Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989-1993) that made Neil Patrick Harris a household name. I would like a guest appearance by NPH and his family, vacationing in Hawaii? The show is dedicated to Stephen Bochco who passed away in 2018 and co-created the show with David E. Kelley. His father was a doctor, but worked in a family practice. The show dealt with Doogie as a doctor with the intense drama of the hospital in contrast to his life as a teenager, getting in trouble with his pal, Vinnie Delpino (Max Casella)! The new series is developed by executive producer Kourtney Kang who was also co-executive producer and writer for Fresh Off the Boat (2015-2017).
Lahela Kameāloha is played by Peyton Elizabeth Lee who also played the lead in the Disney Channel series, Andi Mack (2017-2019). Her Lahela is a brilliant medical professional and like Doogie, still a teen, same age 16, in the pilot. “Aloha - The Hello One” is written by Kang and it opens on sunrise at the beach with Lahela and her father, Benny (Jason Scott Lee), surfing that is so part of Hawaii it would have to open here with some beautiful photography by Tim Gillis. Not the typical tourist spots or some dark areas of Hawaii, but just something beautiful. Lee was in Mulan (2020), but also the surfer David Kawena in Lilo & Stitch (2002), and I recognize him the most in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993). They catch a few waves, you can really see the actors surfing, not real bombers, but no doubles, no CG replacements, so they get a little respect here. Later, they walk the beach, Benny notes its his daughter’s birthday. His daughter interrupts him to look at Walter Camara (Alex Aiono). This year, he was also in the action movie, Finding `Ohana.
They talk about the dance with their first date and of course her father gives him the stink eye. Then, they head off to her driver’s license test. On the road, Lahela drives the station wagon to a crawl, the instructor notes that a power walker passed them twice, funny! Kinda funny, but she is a doctor and should be able to handle tense situations and driving around Hawaii is no worries. Her father is in the back seat. She makes a turn and sees an accident by the side of the road. Lahela instantly goes into doctor mode, she slams on the accelerator and runs to the scene, a H.P.D. officer tries to stop her. Lahela checks on the patient with a pen light, determines it may be a concussion, and another officer tries to stop her. She shows him her medical license and sees that the patient has dislocated his hip. Lahela tells the officers to hold the man down or he will lose his leg to lack of blood flow. She snaps the leg back in place, one officer winces as well as the driving instructor. Lahela sends the officers to get a brace to properly hold the patient, she also has to stop the bleeding on his arm, then she uses her wrist scrunchie and ties to put pressure on the wound.
The instructor wants to know who she is and her father smiles and says she’s a doctor. We get a slack key guitar version of the Doogie theme, like Doogie we see newspaper articles that she passes high school in 9 weeks. Then, graduates from UH at age 10 and then med school at 14. Two residents of the hospital, Dr. Nakayama (Mapuana Makia) and Dr. Zeller (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman), meet with the patient, Mr. Lim. Dr. Kameāloha walks in with a smile, but Mr. Lim is upset, he is told by another doctor, heart surgeon, Dr. Lee (Ronny Chieng) that she is just like the tv show, Doogie Howser. Chieng of course is in Shang-Chi. Lim threatens to sue, but she is already familiar with the law studying it at the age of 10! Dr. Clara Hannon (Kathleen Rose Perkins) meets with Lahela who notes her dancing in a TikTok video, yup, she’s her mother! She wants her daughter to not use so much hip action. Doogie shows her moves and her mother tries to show her more conservative dnace moves caught by Dr. Lee who is upset his Magic Mike moves were too much, funny!
We get to Denny’s Shave Ice and Flowers truck run by her father. He explains to a customer he was in finance, but decided to put together the two things he liked and sell them. Clara tells her concerns about Lahela and he also is concerned about their two sons, older brother Kai (Matthew Sato) and Brian Patrick (Wes Tian). Sato was in a 2015 episode of Hawaii Five-0 and his character seems like he would be out on a skateboard or surfing. This is a first part for Sato, his character reminds me of Emery in Fresh Off the Boat. Lahela checks on another patient, Will (Barry Bostwick), he may be recognized as Brad in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)! He is an older patient, loves CCR (who doesn’t?), and concerned about Doogie. Still, he has heart problems, but talks about first times sneaking out to a CCR concert and other firsts. Lahela is podcasting, instead of typing a journal like the other Doogie, when she is interrupted by her best friend, Steph (Emma Meisel) who shouts happy birthday. Meisel was in The Dead Girls Detective Agency (2019) series. Steph also has a crush on Kai. Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. has Lahela have to handle the drama of working with patients and under her mother/boss and balance it with trying to be a teen with a social life!
Five Surfboards out of Five!
#DoogieKamealohaMD, #PeytonElizabethLee, #KathleeRosePerkins, #JasonScottLee, #AlexAiono, #MatthewSato, #WesTian, #RonnyChieng, #BarryBostwick.
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