Each person has a distinct connection with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie. Some view the book series as a timeless tribute to the adventurous American spirit, while others criticize it for its perceived insensitivity toward indigenous peoples displaced by settlers like the Ingalls. For many Generation X individuals raised on the classic television adaptation, the tale evokes the comforting presence of Michael Landon’s portrayal of Pa and a sense of nostalgia for simpler times.
Personally, I was captivated by Ingalls Wilder’s novels during my elementary years, a period marked by schoolyard challenges and the sudden loss of my father, which plunged our family into financial hardship. Laura Ingalls, encountered through my well-thumbed paperbacks, was perhaps the only fictional companion who understood my daily struggles with life’s fragility. Her narratives offered me solace, a testament that if Laura could endure, so could I.
Therefore, when audiences stream Netflix’s new rendition of Little House on the Prairie, they will inevitably carry their preconceived notions into the experience. Already, commentators from the right critique it for being overly progressive, while those from the left fault it for being too lenient on the Ingalls’ narrative. For me, recalling how the novels were a vital lifeline during my difficult times, Netflix’s adaptation beautifully captures the series’s complex legacy. It serves as a charming family drama that will either captivate hearts with its tenderness or frustrate those seeking their own ideal version of Little House.
Developed by Rebecca Sonnenshine, the Netflix series Little House on the Prairie bypasses many events from Little House in the Big Woods to chronicle young Laura Ingalls (Alice Halsey) as her family moves to a new homestead in Kansas. While Laura perceives their perilous journey, including crossing rivers and camping in the wild, as an exciting adventure, her more refined sister Mary (Skywalker Hughes) longs for the safety of their former home. Although “Ma” (Crosby Fitzgerald) and “Pa” (Luke Bracey) remain optimistic for their children, it is evident that Caroline empathizes with Mary’s reservations, whereas Charles views this new journey as an escape from past mistakes.
Australian actor Luke Bracey, known for his roles as rugged heartthrobs, skillfully navigates his portrayal of Charles Ingalls, balancing the admired image Laura holds of him with the reality of the flawed man loved by his wife Caroline. Alice Halsey embodies the role of Laura with sincerity, showing her as a brave and precocious young heroine. Young viewers, regardless of gender, will likely aspire to emulate her, and adults will find themselves charmed, much like Warren Christie’s Mr. Edwards is.
My favorite thing about Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie is how gosh darn gorgeous its scenery is. Episode 1 director Sarah Adina Smith (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Lessons In Chemistry) turns the flat landscape and sprawling sky into a vast canvas that only highlights how small, and exposed, the Ingalls family are compared to their dreams of building a future on their own terms. The natural light gives everything an amber-tinted haze, like a faded photograph or a favorite memory gilt with nostalgia.
If the visual language of Little House on the Prairie captures author Laura Ingalls Wilder’s rose-colored view of the events of her childhood, then the show’s approach to adapting the books fills some of the gaps between fact and fiction. The idea that the Ingalls are actually illegally living on Osage land comes as a stark surprise towards the end of Ingalls Wilder’s novel; in this version, Charles Ingalls discovers this much earlier, to his earnest horror. It fuels a key source of tension throughout the season. Even if Laura looks at her indigenous neighbors with genuine kindness and curiosity, her family — and the rest of the mostly white settlers — are clued into the legal, moral, and existential quandary that their fledgling town of Independence’s very existence provokes. Do any of these pioneers really deserve to be there? And what are they willing to do to stay?
For some, the sheer acknowledgement of this bitter historic reality will feel blasphemous to their sacred memories of the books, and for others, it will feel like the show is trying to brush over the novels’ more hideous moments without honestly interrogating them. Again, what you make of Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie will largely depend on what you bring to it. When I read the books, I clung to Laura’s emotional journey, first and foremost. I marveled at Ingalls Wilder’s descriptions of life on the prairie — the enchanting wildlife, vast vistas, and quirky characters — while recognizing that her worldview was that of a child on the frontlines of a fraught moment in United States history. Netflix’s adaption captures the sheer wonder I felt reading these books, but refracts it through a modern lens.
Little House on the Prairie is an addictive family drama full of stunning visuals, sweet storylines, and a vivid sense of realism. It’s also a loving adaptation of books that mean a lot — good, bad, and in between — to people. Netflix’s Little House might not feel like your Little House, but it sure felt an awful lot like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House to me.
Little House on the Prairie is now streaming on Netflix.
*Don’t worry, hard core book fans, the show doesn’t forget the existence of baby Carrie or even the brilliant stories from Big Woods! Sonnenshine simply uses memories of the “house in the big woods” to explain the family’s move as well as their individual hopes, dreams, regrets, and apprehensions.