Is Neil Patrick Harris in the ‘Doogie Howser’ Reboot? What We Know

On Sept. 8, 2021, Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. will debut on the streaming platform Disney Plus. The show is a reboot of the Neil Patrick Harris-led series, Doogie Howser, M.D., about a teenage doctor — only this time around audiences will follow 16-year-old Lahela Doogie Kameāloha (Peyton Elizabeth Lee).

The 10-episode show will follow Lahela in modern-day Hawaii as she tries to navigate her professional and personal life. Lahela’s parents are there to guide her every step of the way but often end up complicating things.

Her mother, Dr. Clara Hannon (Kathleen Rose Perkins), is her supervisor at the hospital, and her father, Benny Kameāloha (Jason Scott Lee) struggles to accept that his teenage daughter is no longer his baby girl. Lahela’s parents mean well and do their best to ensure that their daughter stays grounded.

The original Doogie Howser series ran on ABC from 1989 to 1993 and starred Neil Patrick Harris, who was a child actor at the time.

Neil also portrayed a teenage doctor who balanced the challenges of his medical career and the drama of being a teenager. The opening title sequence in the reboot is identical in form to the one from the original series. Both detail the rise of the teen prodigies as they become young doctors — all before they can legally drive.

Fans of Doogie Howser, M.D. are hoping that Neil will make an appearance on the new show. Is he returning to reprise his role in the reboot?

Is Neil Patrick Harris in the ‘Doogie Howser’ reboot on Disney Plus?

Unfortunately, fans of the original ’80s television show will not see Neil in the reboot. According to series creator Kourtney Kang, per The Wrap, they were not able to get him on Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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During a virtual panel for Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. for the Television Critics Association press tour on Aug. 26, Kourtney told reporters, “We need to connect Peyton and Neil! And yes, we have been in touch with Neil.”

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She said, “I worked with him for nine years on ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ He is so wonderful. And as soon as this all started coming together, we reached out, and he has been so supportive of this project and so lovely.

“We were trying to get him to come out in Season 1 and do something with us and with the pandemic, and Neil has a family in New York, and with so many things going on, bandwidth-wise, it didn’t work out.”

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Source: Disney Plus

Kourtney also shared that Neil wants to be in Season 2. She noted, “He was like, ‘Season 2, if there’s a Season 2, I would love to come out. I would love to figure it out.’ And so we would love to have him come Season 2.

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“The writers get so excited thinking about all the possibilities of what that could be. And so, knock on wood. Hopefully, we get to do a second season, and hopefully we get to bring Neil out to Hawaii and finally have Neil and Peyton meet.”

We also hope the show gets renewed for Season 2 and that the stars will align for both child prodigies to be together on an episode of the reboot.

Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. will premiere on Disney Plus on Sept. 8.

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