Turner and Hooch is an upcoming series scheduled to premiere this summer on Disney Plus. The first episode will air on July 21 and subsequent episodes will be dropping every Wednesday following the premiere. Excitingly enough, Disney’s Turner and Hooch is based on the 1989 buddy-cop flick with the same name featuring Tom Hanks.
While it can also be viewed as a standalone, Disney’s Turner and Hooch is continuing the 1989 movie that inspired it. The series stars Josh Peck as Scott Turner, the son of Hank’s detective character. And, additionally cast in the series are Becca Tobin and Vanessa Lengies from the musical-comedy Glee.
Turner and Hooch is packed with heart and laughter as the strict law bureau learns to embrace the chaotic help of the rowdy dog, Hooch, after Turner inherits him following his father’s death. The series has strong comedic timing and employs its excellent cast to carry the young-hearted storyline.
Starring in both the Disney series and the infamous movie is actor Reginald VelJohnson. Speaking about reprising his role of David Sutton, VelJohnson told Monsters & Critics, “I didn’t think about the old days because this is a whole new experience and performing with these young actors and in this new version of Turner and Hooch really made me have to work hard because I’m not as young as I used to be.”
Monsters & Critics was able to chat with VelJohnson about his experience joining this new series and how he came across the role.
Coming back to Turner and Hooch
When asked about returning to his Turner and Hooch character, David Sutton, after all of these years, VelJohnson told us that he faced some difficulties tapping back into his old energy. He said, “Picking up from where I left off, it was really hard to get back into the character. But working with the other actors and setting up the situations and whatnot made it easier for me.”
VelJohnson added, “The actors that were in the in the TV show made it easier for me. I honor them because my job was easy because of the other actors. Coming back from the old Turner and Hooch to the new one was unique. It was a different experience for me because I had never done a TV show that I’d done before. I really honor the people that were in it and that made my job easier for me.”
Landing the part
Despite the intricacies at play when reprising a character, decades later, VelJohnson jumped on the role as soon as he heard about the upcoming series. He shared, “I heard about it and I said to my agent, ‘I want to be a part of this because it sounds like it’s going to be a good thing.’ When they heard that I wanted to be in it, they wrote me in and I think it was up to them to decide what I was going to do in the show.”
While returning back to the same fictional universe, VelJohnson’s character wasn’t identical to the role he played in 1989. Speaking about the different story arc his character faces in the Disney series, VelJohnson gushed about how his character is no longer a detective, but he’s the mayor of ‘the town,’ Cypress Beach.
Check out our full interview below.
Turner and Hooch premieres on July 21 on Disney Plus.