Warm and fuzzy Doogie Kamealoha distinguishes itself from the original Doogie Howser

It might be a remake of a ‘90s nostalgic favourite but there’s enough here to make it distinct from its predecessor.

Despite the fact few people under the age of 35 would’ve watched Doogie Howser contemporaneously, such is its legacy that most would understand a reference to it.

Neil Patrick Harris’ wunderkind teen doctor became a byword for child genius. Hopefully Doogie Kamealoha catches on for a whole new generation.

A remake-of-sorts, family series Doogie Kamealoha M.D. is about a 16-year-old Hawaiian girl (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) who finished high school in nine weeks, graduated from university at 10 and medical school at 14. She’s now a fully-fledged medical doctor at the same hospital where her mother Clara (Kathleen Rose Perkins) works.

Her name is actually Lahela Kamealoha but because of her age, she’s nicknamed Doogie after the 1990s series – which is what makes it only a remake-of-sorts given Doogie Howser exists within the universe of the new series as a TV show. Yes, that’s kind of confusing on a meta level.

Andi Mack star Peyton Elizabeth Lee as the title character.

Lahela speed reads like a computer, and synthesises and analyses information just as quickly, which makes her a whip-smart doctor at any level of experience. She also has a level of professional confidence – but not arrogance – that’s rare for any age.

Where she’s less assured is as a teenage girl, burdened with the same raging hormones and insecurities as any of her peers. Having to navigate adolescence and a medical career is an unusual combination, and quite the test of a 16-year-old’s emotional maturity.

She has a budding romance with a boy named Walter (Alex Aiono) that gives her butterflies and makes her obsess over why he called her “dude” and sent her a caterpillar emoji. Meanwhile her best friend Steph (Emma Meisel) has a tendency to climb into her window.

Even though Doogie Kamealoha isn’t strictly a remake, the first episode makes several direct references to the Harris version.

Doogie Kamealoha M.D. is set in Hawaii.

They both start their 16th birthdays with a driving test that’s interrupted when they happen upon a road accident which requires them to give medical care despite the sceptical cops, and later go up against an older colleague and have a fight with a parent.

And they both chronicle their days on their computer, albeit Lahela does so through a YouTube channel (how 21st century) while Doogie just wrote into a personal journal.

Despite these callbacks, Doogie Kamealoha feels like its own show – and anyone who hadn’t actually seen the original series would never know different.

Jason Scott Lee as Lahela’s dad on Doogie Kamealoha.

Perhaps it’s the Hawaiian setting or the fact Lahela has a bigger family – including two non-genius brothers (Matthew Sato and Wes Tian) – that distinguishes it from Doogie Howser.

And family is a big part of the series, as it is in Hawaiian culture. Lahela and her father Benny (Jason Scott Lee) go surfing in the mornings while her date Walter is sent off to the school dance with a throng of aunties and cousins.

The casting, including Andi Mack star Lee who has a mixed-race heritage, reflects the cultural diversity of Hawaiian. That also extends to the supporting and guest cast including Australian-Malaysian comedic actor Ronny Chieng who plays a cardiologist.

Doogie Kamealoha is a Disney show so you expect that it would be warm and innocent with an inoffensive, gooey centre, and it’s definitely formulaic, but its ensemble of affable characters and a chilled-out vibe makes it an effortless TV show to like.

Doogie Kamealoha M.D. is on Disney+ from Wednesday, September 8

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Originally published as Warm and fuzzy Doogie Kamealoha distinguishes itself from the original Doogie Howser