There is no relationship more precious than a man and his dog. Unless you’re a car nut, bike-fanatic, or Darryn, in which case you can replace that first sentence with the car, bike, and Batman figurines as required. The uniqueness of this relationship between man and canine friend is also why we see so many movies and stories about the value our four-legged friends bring to our lives.
Disney is hoping to play on that powerful relationship dynamic by rebooting Turner & Hooch into a new TV series. The popular 1989 buddy cop film saw Tom Hanks and his canine partner Hooch solving the murder of the dog’s previous owner. It was the perfect combination of Hanks’ natural charisma, crime-solving antics, cute dog drool, and plenty of comedy which made it popular with audiences back then. Something which Disney hopes can translate to a new generation.
This new series will see Josh Peck star as U.S. Marshall Scott Turner, with the focus of the mystery being on him investigating his father’s death. It’s not clear where Hooch features in this, whether the dog and his owner will already have a pre-existing relationship or also cross paths and have to learn to love each other like the movie. Given how the dynamic worked in the movie, the latter sounds more likely.
The show has already been confirmed for a twelve-episode season and now Comicbook.com is also reporting that Charlie’s Angels and The Babysitter director McG is going to direct the pilot episode along with executive producing the show. As a director who understands how to balance action and comedy, he is certainly a good choice for this series and can help the pilot episode bring out a lot of the charismatic charm that will be needed to make this concept work. The project doesn’t have a release date just yet.
Turner and Hooch could make for a fun series if done correctly. The biggest concern I have for it is that Disney is relying too much on nostalgia with some of its series and movies on Disney+ and not doing enough to bring fresh and original ideas outside of Marvel and Star Wars to the streaming service. Maybe it’s a gamble that’ll pay off for them.
Last Updated: January 25, 2021
