Half pint is about to become whole again: Netflix has greenlighted a reboot of Little House on the Prairie, the ’70s drama that has enjoyed a stunning resurgence on Peacock recently.
Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, Vampire Diaries, Archive 81) will serve as showrunner and executive producer on what Netflix is describing as a “reimagining” of the series based on the book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Other EPs are Joy Gorman Wettels for Joy Coalition, Dana Fox, Susanna Fogel and Trip Friendly for Friendly Family Productions — who’s been pushing for a reboot for years.
“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,” said Friendly in a statement. “I am thrilled by our talented creative team led by Rebecca Sonnenshine who are bringing these beloved stories about family, community, and survival to longtime fans and new generations.”
“I fell deeply in love with these books when I was five years old,” added 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.”
The new version from CBS Studios and Anonymous Content Studios is expected to follow Charles, his wife Caroline and their daughters Laura and Mary as they leave Wisconsin to settle in Independence, KS. There will be Osage characters, as the first season is based on the book Little House on the Prairie.
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Friendly, whose dad, Ed, bought TV and movie rights to the Wilder novels that led to the NBC drama in 1974, first sold the rights for a reboot in 2020 to Paramount TV Studios and Anonymous Content. “Fans are eager to see Little House on the Prairie come back to the screen, and we agree the time is right,” Friendly told EW at the time. “We feel optimistic that this will happen.”
It took awhile but the project eventually found its way at Netflix about a year ago and was cleared for a series pickup just before the holidays.
Up until now, there had been surprisingly few efforts to dust off the Michael Landon starrer for contemporary audiences, other than a forgettable miniseries that aired as part of The Wonderful World of Disney in 2005, and a touring stage musical that ran from 2008-2010. But interest in the franchise never waned: reruns of the 1974-1983 series continue to air worldwide, while Peacock last year saw the series rack up 13.3 billion minutes of viewing time.
Last March, Simi Valley hosted a three-day Little House on the Prairie Cast Reunion and Festival. Thousands packed Rancho Santa Susana Park to hear Melissa Gilbert, Karen Grassle, Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson), Bonnie Bartlett (Grace Edwards), Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder) and Linwood Boomer (Adam Kendall) reminisce about the old days. There was also a mini-exhibit of Little House artifacts, like copies of old scripts, set stills, Little House-inspired lunch boxes, and a ’70s Panavision camera that’s similar to the type used by the show. There was even a shirtless photo of Landon setting up a shot.
“The show evokes so much emotion in people and made everybody feel,” Gilbert told the crowd. “So when they see us, they have the feels, and then the leftover feels from 50 years ago. Now they’re feeling it again through children and grandchildren. There’s this continuity and sense of family. This is a giant family reunion.”
