(CNN)If TV reboots are inevitable, the medicine for doing them good involves respecting the root worldly portion bringing thing caller to it. That delicate process is successfully executed with "Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.," a refreshed instrumentality connected "Doogie Howser" made eminently watchable by the winning beingness of "Andi Mack's" Peyton Elizabeth Lee.
Despite the sex and venue alteration to Hawaii (which surely improves the scenery), the producers person nicely preserved the dynamics of the Steven Bochco-David E. Kelley instauration that premiered successful 1989, astir a kid prodigy who juggles a vocation successful medicine with each the accustomed disorder and complications associated with being a teenager.
The opening sequence, successful fact, is virtually the same: Lee's 16-year-old Lahela interrupts her driving exam to assistance a car-accident victim, establishing her aesculapian credentials portion reinforcing that she's inactive precise overmuch a kid.
The dynamics are a small antithetic astatine home, wherever Lahela's ma (comedy seasoned Kathleen Rose Perkins) is her brag astatine the hospital, portion dada (Jason Scott Lee) has pursued his passionateness by selling flowers, and she has a brace of brothers dealing with their ain much accepted (and precise sitcom-ish) increasing pains.
The aviator besides establishes a nexus for the "Doogie" nickname, with an older diligent insisting connected calling her that, arsenic good arsenic the model that fueled the archetypal series, with Lahela awkwardly crushing connected a section lad (Alex Aiono) who spends astir of his clip surfing erstwhile helium isn't sending her mixed signals.
Developed by writer-producer Kourtney Kang ("Fresh Off the Boat"), the amusement does a bully occupation of incorporating the cardinal character's mixed heritage, with 1 of the doctors (played by comic Ronny Chieng) quipping erstwhile the brag cuts Lahela immoderate slack, "Man, I privation I had a White mom."
Already a well-established subordinate of the Disney family, Lee provides the concealed constituent that gives this "Doogie" its kick, convincing successful her mismatched roles balancing teen troubles with the acquainted medical-drama scenarios.
The play successful which the archetypal "Doogie" flourished has been overmuch successful demand, with Netflix reviving "Full House," ABC rolling retired a caller instrumentality connected "The Wonder Years" -- similar this show, and earlier that "One Day astatine a Time," featuring radical of colour arsenic the leads.
The existent exemplary for "Doogie Kamealoha," though, hews conscionable arsenic intimately to immoderate fig of Disney Channel franchises, similar "Descendants," wherever the protagonists grapple with increasing up done the prism of having thing peculiar astir them.
While that's not needfully the look for a bid that would nonstop you rushing to subscribe successful bid to watch, arsenic airy diversions go, it's not a atrocious 1 to adhd to the rotation either.
"Doogie Kamealoha, M.D." premieres Sept. 8 connected Disney+.
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