Fifty years ago, a TV adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s heartwarming book series Little House on the Prairie hit TV screens.
Fans across the world fell in love with the plucky and pioneering Ingalls family and closely followed their lives in the tiny village of Walnut Grove, in the American Midwest, during the 1870s.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Netflix is planning a reboot of the series, which aired for nine seasons – and 204 episodes – between 1974 to 1983. The news was greeted with jubilation by those who watched the original, with many sharing their excitement on social media.
“Get out! Best news today,” one excited fan gushed online. “Yes! Wholesome, perfect, and nostalgic,” another wrote.
However, some expressed fears that, without the late Michael Landon, who played patriarch Charles ‘Pa’ Ingalls, “it’s not Little House on the Prairie.” The actor passed away in 1991.
Melissa Gilbert, who famously portrayed the spirited Laura Ingalls and served as the show’s narrator, has thrown her support behind the Netflix project.
“It’s just like different versions of Little Women – new people’s interpretation of a classic story,” she said during an appearance on US chat show The View.
Melissa, now 60, added: “You have to have watched Little House on the Prairie to understand what you’re talking about.
“We were a reflection of what was happening in America in 1974 through the lens of 1874.”
The actress, who has worked steadily in film and TV since starring in the series, including playing Ma Ingalls in a Little House touring theatre production between 2009 and 2010, is not currently involved in the new project.
But she also said on The View, “I loved being a part of it, and I do think there’s room in the Little House universe for other interpretations.”
When will the Little House on the Prairie reboot premiere?
There’s no word yet on when the remake of Little House on the Prairie will hit screens, but we can expect a 2026 airdate.
Who has been cast in the Little House on the Prairie reboot?
In May 2025, Netflix confirmed that they had cast the beloved Ingalls family, with Luke Bracey stepping into the role of doting father Charles Ingalls and Crosby Fitzgerald portraying family matriarch Caroline Ingalls.
As for the Ingalls girls, Skywalker Hughes has been cast as Mary Ingalls, and Alice Halsey as Laura Ingalls – the young heroine of the show.
While additional casting has not yet been revealed, all of the talented ladies in the cast certainly have some mighty big shoes – and calico bonnets – to fill!
