Little House on the Prairie Reprisal Promises to be Hopeful Family Drama

According to press reports, Netflix is planning a reboot of Little House on the Prairie, the iconic television program based on a series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Originally airing on NBC between 1974 and 1983, the popular family drama won numerous awards during its historic run. Starring Michael Landon, it continues to run in syndication and is available via streaming.

Stories of a new iteration of the legendary series has elicited concerns that you can’t improve upon perfection. Some have also worried creators and producers might even “go woke” and ruin the show’s reputation.

Alison Arngrim, better known as “Nellie Oleson” on the original, says fans should have nothing to fear.

But should we really trust the mischievous and villainous Nellie?

Maybe not Nellie, but Alison Arngrim.

“It’s not really like a reboot, they’re not going back to Walnut Grove,” insists Arngrim. “They’re not going to have Doc Baker and Miss Beadle, and they’re certainly not going to have Al Burton, and all the people who were made up for the show. It is going back to the books.”

Arngrim relays that Trip Friendly, son of Fred Friendly who produced the original show, is committed to maintaining the orthodoxy and heart of the beloved series. He’ll serve as co-producer.

“Concerns that they’re going to run amok away from the books and make it into something weird — not happening. [Trip]’ll pull the plug on it before anything like that happens,” says Arngrim.

Jinny Howe, who serves as a vice president at Netflix, is also eager to reassure fans of the beloved franchise that they can rest easy about what’s coming.

“Little House on the Prairie has captured the hearts and imaginations of so many fans around the world, and we’re excited to share its enduring themes of hope and optimism with a fresh take on this iconic story.”

“Rebecca’s vision threads the needle with an emotional depth that will delight both new and existing fans of this beloved classic.”

Rebecca Sonnenshine is serving as the new program’s showrunner and executive producer.

According to Netflix, the Little House reprisal will be “part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West.” Producers promise episodes will be a “kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.”

Those of us who grew up watching Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) lead his family through good times and bad appreciated its wholesome themes, episodes that celebrated faith, family, and the resilience of the American spirit.

Most importantly, the faith-friendly storylines allowed mothers and fathers to exhale, complementing rather than competing with what they were teaching their children at home.

It remains to be seen whether the sequel will follow the same well-trodden path or forge a new frontier.

Sonnenshine’s comments give us some hope:

“I fell deeply in love with these books when I was 5 years old,” she said. “They inspired me to become a writer and a filmmaker, and I am honored and thrilled to be adapting these stories for a new audience.”

Image credit: Netflix.