The Big Picture
Dave Coulier stars as Doctor Dave in a new medical drama set in a struggling Detroit hospital.
Coulier’s humor and compassion shines as he cares for patients and helps eccentric coworkers.
Co-created by Coulier and Dan Merchant, the series was inspired by Coulier’s personal story and talent.
Sitcom star and comedian Dave Coulier is scrubbing in. He’ll star as the eponymous Doctor Dave on a new medical drama. Variety reports that Coulier is set to star in and produce the new series.
In Doctor Dave, Coulier will star as a pediatrician at a struggling Detroit hospital who uses humor and compassion to care for his patients, and to help out his eclectic and eccentric collection of coworkers. The series was co-created by Coulier and producer Dan Merchant. Coulier directly inspired the series, according to Merchant: “I first worked with Dave on our radio show comedy Live + Local for Great American Pure Flix, but it was at a time when he had just endured a very heavy personal loss. Dave was so candid about this loss and shared his pain in such a gentle way – and then turned it on when the cameras rolled and made me laugh so hard…just got me thinking about the kind of show I’d love to see Dave do next and that show is Doctor Dave.”
Who Is Dave Coulier?
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Coulier moved to Los Angeles at age 19 to become a stand-up comic, and met and befriended fellow aspiring standup Bob Saget. A noted impressionist, he became an accomplished voice actor in the 1980s, voicing Animal on Muppet Babies and Peter Venkman on The Real Ghostbusters. He got his big break alongside Saget in 1987, when the two (plus John Stamos) starred in the hit family sitcom Full House. As Joey Gladstone, unofficial uncle to Danny Tanner (Saget)’s three daughters, Coulier played a stand-up comedian, incorporating much of his own comedy act into the show. Coulier starred in all eight seasons of the ABC series until it concluded in 1995, and subsequntly appeared in China, IL, The Surreal Life, and Dollface. He reprised his role as Uncle Joey in Netflix’s five-season revival of the series, Fuller House. He currently hosts Full House Rewind, a rewatch podcast going episode by episode through Full House. He formerly dated Canadian singer Alanis Morissette; there are conflicting reports as to whether he is the ex-lover “You Oughta Know” was written about.
Merchant’s other producing credits include the horror series Z Nation and Black Summer. He currently produces Going Home, a TV series about a team of hospice nurses.
Doctor Dave, a new medical drama starring Dave Coulier, is now in development. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.