Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. adds nostalgia with a twist to Disney+'s repertoire when it premieres on September 8. Inspired by the classic Doogie Howser series, the new show reinvents the teen doctor and turns the role initiated by Neil Patrick Haris into one played by Andi Mack's Peyton Elizabeth Lee. Lahela "Doogie" Kameāloha must juggle her new career as a doctor with teenage concerns like finding a date for the school dance.

Lahela's teen angst is only further exacerbated by her mother Claire (Kathleen Rose Perkins, I Am Not Okay With This) doubling as her boss at the hospital. She is exceptional in many ways, but she still seeks to be treated as a regular teenager when it comes to her friends and family. The heartwarming dynamic between characters plays out against the backdrop of a vibrant Hawaii and the daily life of the islanders.

Related: Doogie Howser Reboot Story & Genderswapped Lead Revealed In First-Look Images

Lee spoke to Screen Rant about tackling Lahela's unique problems, filming on location, and exploring her family relationships.

doogie kamealoha - lahela

Screen Rant: On the one hand, I think it would be hard to relate to a 16-year-old doctor. On the other hand, I think not many 17-year-olds are starring in shows about 16-year-old doctors. What is your way into Lahela and making her relatable?

Peyton Elizabeth Lee: Yeah, I think that is something that I loved about the show from the very first time I read the script for the pilot. Kourtney Kang, our creator, does this incredible job of portraying this teenage doctor's life in a way that feels very universally relatable. You don't have to be a teenage doctor, you don't have to have graduated high school at the age of seven or whatever, to connect with Lahela and connect with the show.

On top of the very general teenage themes that connect Lahela to every other teenager, I think I have a very unique experience to bring to the show by being an actor and having that double life of being a young person who has teenage friends and goes to high school parties - and then also having the other side of that coin be that I wake up and go to work and that work environment is very adult-dominated. You have these adult responsibilities and expectations that are put on you, and you're treated like an adult.

It can be very confusing to bounce back and forth between those two worlds and find yourself through that process. And I think my experience dealing with that and navigating that really lends itself well to Lahela's story of being a teenage doctor.

I love how the series shows Hawaii as just a place that people really live with their families. It feels like everyday life instead of being a tourist attraction. As someone portraying Hawaiian teen and filming in Hawaii, did you learn anything new or unexpected about the island or the culture?

Peyton Elizabeth Lee: Oh, definitely. Shooting in Hawaii was a dream. And I think it was very important for me, especially in the world we live in today, to portray the experience of living in Hawaii as truthfully as I could.

That entailed doing research and talking with the locals. We had a lot of local people in our cast and crew, so learning from them and their experience. And then also just exploring, because there's so much there; there's so much beauty, and I was just immersing myself in that world and in that culture.

I learned a lot, both just from exploring and also from talking to a lot of people about their experiences living and growing up there.

Because she made it this far, I feel like Lahela must be very cool under pressure, and yet it's still a very new and different environment being in a hospital surrounded by adults with people's lives in your hands. What do you think is her biggest struggle as she starts the series?

Peyton Elizabeth Lee: I think one of the main struggles in Lahela's life, and also one of the most beautiful dynamics in the show, is her relationship with her mother. Her mom is both her boss and her mom, so they struggle with how to connect and how to bond with one another both as coworkers and also as mother-daughter. Seeing that dynamic, and the ebb and flow of it all as they navigate that is one of Lahela's biggest struggles.

Sometimes she wants to go to work and she wants her boss to be her boss. And sometimes she wants to go home and talk to her mom, and for her mom to be her mom. I think they get their signals mixed a couple of times, and they have to figure out what that dynamic is and how to make it work for them in the most healthy and loving way possible.

I think that's one of Lahela's greatest struggles, and also a really special part of the story.

More: 12 Best Medical Dramas Airing Right Now

Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. premieres September 8 on Disney+.