'Little House on the Prairie' Reboot: Everything we know about the Netflix series
The Ingalls family is back with more adventures in the American Midwest with a fresh adaptation of ‘Little House on the Prairie.’ Rather than a reboot of the timeless original series, portraying growing up in the 19th century, we are flashing forward to their family life in the 21st century.
The original Western show ran for nine seasons, airing from 1974 to 1982, and starred Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, and Melissa Sue Anderson. The Netflix revival is “part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West,” yet still offers a “semi-autobiographical” glimpse into Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life on the frontier. Find out who is joining the cast and crew of the upcoming Netflix series.
Who’s in the writer’s room of Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’ adaptation?
Rebecca Sonnenshine (“The Boys,” “Vampire Diaries,” “Archive 81”), showrunner and executive producer of the new series, is a fan of Wilder’s classic, like many of us.
“I fell deeply in love with these books when I was five years old,” says Sonnenshine. “They inspired me to become a writer and a filmmaker, and I am honored and thrilled to be adapting these stories for a new global audience with Netflix.”
Joy Gorman Wettels will also serve as executive producer, along with Trip Friendly, whose father was a producer on the original series.
“It has been a long-held dream of mine to carry on my father’s legacy and adapt Wilder’s classic American stories for a 21st-century audience in a way that brings together fans of both the books and the original television series,” Friendly said.
Who Has Been Cast in the New Little House Series?
10-year-old Alice Halsey (“Lessons in Chemistry,” “Days of Our Lives”) will star as Laura Ingalls, the authority-questioning young heroine of the new story. Melissa Gilbert was the same age when she rose to fame, also playing the Ingalls’ second-oldest daughter.
Luke Bracey (“Point Break,” “Little Fires Everywhere,” “Elvis”) has a big hat to fill as “Pa,” the farmer, carpenter, and loving patriarch of the family. Charles Ingalls was originally played by beloved actor Michael Landon.
Then there’s Crosby Fitzgerald taking on the iconic role of Caroline “Ma” Ingalls -- arguably America’s best TV mom, previously played by Karen Grassle. Fitzgerald is an up-and-coming actress, seen on “Abbott Elementary,” “Palm Royale,” and “The First Lady.”
Skywalker Hughes (“Joe Pickett”) is another up-and-comer joining the cast as Mary Ingalls, the eldest daughter in the family. The original role was played by Melissa Sue Anderson, who went on to star in shows and do voice acting in various animated series.
Jocko Sims (“New Amsterdam”, “The Last Ship”) is set to have a recurring role as Dr. George Tann, noted as a generous, kind-hearted doctor who handles the family’s bedside matters.
Warren Christie (“The Watchful Eye”, “Apollo 18”) will portray John Edwards, a Civil War veteran from Tennessee. According to TV Line, Edwards is a mysterious man “who catches the eye of every single woman in the county.”
Additionally, Meegwun Fairbrother (“Burden of Truth”), Alyssa Wapanathk (“Riverdale”), Wren Zhawenim Gotts (“Echo”) and Xander Cole will form a family as a farmer named Mitchell, his outspoken wife White Sun, their “wildly imaginative” daughter Good Eagle and their “good-hearted but bull-headed” son Little Puma, respectively.
“I am absolutely thrilled with the brilliant cast we have assembled,” says Sonnenshine. “Each one of them brings something special to the Little House universe and will help make this story come alive for a whole new generation.”
