Only the most stubborn soul, with heels dug firmly into the American midwest soil, could claim that Netflix's Little House on the Prairie reboot is anything but astonishing. Michael Landon's classic rendition, which aired in the '70s and was inspired by the original stories published in Laura Ingalls Wilder's '30s novels, first grew the fandom's love.
Now Netflix seems set to do it again, taking the established, well-loved narrative and injecting new life to it. This new series addresses an old story through a contemporaneous lens, speaking to the societal values that are prevalent to today's world, without upsetting the structure that forms the basis of the fans' love.
The fear level is understandably high. The word 'reboot' has the tendency to shake die-hard obsessives to the core, lest the newer version be a stain on the memory of a show that has nursed them through their hardest times.
Still, if there is one series that shouldn't make you fear this dreaded word, it is showrunner and executive producer Rebecca Sonnenshine's Little House on the Prairie.
Lead by Luke Bracey's and Crosby Fitzgerald's Charles and Caroline Ingalls, the story picks up in book three. 'Ma and Pa', along with their daughters Laura (Alice Halsey) and Mary (Skywalker Hughes), journey from the Big Woods of Wisconsin to find their new forever home in the West Midlands of America "outside the small but quickly developing town of Independence", reads the synopsis.
Charles is filled with a hopeful and adventurous spirit, but the family's arc is blighted by difficulties of 1800s prairie life, as is reflected early on in the series.
What to Read Next
The romantic, wistful music of a daydreamer is interrupted by reality when a life-and-death incident less than five minutes in throws into light just how much is at stake for the Ingalls family.
The synopsis teases illnesses, fire and wolves, and with it showrunner Sonnenshine turns everyday threats into provocative drama. As the catastrophes threaten the well being of the family, you will find yourself effortlessly falling in love with them.
The top-tier acting and wonderfully warm and wholesome chemistry between the cast is what makes them easy to care for.
If Charles is the dreamer, then Caroline is the realist. He is the kite that flies high while she is the string firmly gripped in the grasp of life. Her sensibility allows him not to get set adrift, while his lofty aspirations lift her out of the heavy load of life. Their love is their bedrock and Bracey and Fitzgerald make you feel every bit of that connection.
Laura has inherited her father's adventurous spirit with a streak of a rebellious nature. As such Halsey is a credit to this iconic character. She is bright and captivating and incredibly empathetic. Halsey's dynamic with Hughes' Mary is spot on as the squabbling sisters with an undercurrent of love that outlast any grudge.
Meanwhile Hughes infuses her Mary with a weight that is often associated with being the oldest sibling – the parentified child longing for freedom. She undulates between both childlike and mature states in a way that is impressive and delicate, bringing a sort of melancholy to the role.
However, while your loyalties as a viewer automatically become enmeshed with the Ingalls, you cannot help but root for them to fail in their rehousing endeavours when stacked up against the plight of the Indigenous community, the Osage.
It was confirmed ahead of the series' debut that this remake would be expanding the story beyond the Ingalls to include the painfully, heart-aching experience of the Osage people who had called the prairie their home long before Charles and the rest came to claim the so-called 'free land'.
Tudum reports that "according to Julie O'Keefe, the show's Osage cultural consultant, one message emerged early in conversations with people from the Osage Nation: 'If you're going to tell the story, then you need to tell both sides.'" And that's exactly what the series does.
Without giving too much away, Little House on the Prairie is brewing with tension. You feel the anger and bitterness plaguing the Osage so deeply it's almost aching.
Through the stories of Mr Mitchell (Meegwun Fairbrother), White Sun (Alyssa Wapanatâhk), Good Eagle (Wren Zhawenim Gotts) and Little Puma (Xander Cole), the injustice is felt as a reminder that it was never okay what was taken from the Indigenous no matter which way you look at it.
Cole's performance in particular is a wonderful vessel for that hurt, as is the one portrayed by Gotts, but in a completely different way. Filtered through the innocence of a child, Good Eagle's relationship with Halsey's Laura is nuanced and complex.
The growth arcs of White Sun and Caroline also mirror one another in such a satisfyingly meaningful way, while the addition of the Osage language only punctuates the point.
Little House on the Prairie continues to expand the original series conversations about race further with the introduction of the Black doctor George Tann (Jocko Sims) and the local store owner Emily Henderson (Barrett Doss). However these more inclusive narrative choices far from diminish the story. They add more richness, more truth, more depth.
If there is one criticism to be made it is that the characters are all a little too polished for the realities of prairie life in the 1800s, but if you can overlook the glossy Netflix glaze you will find the prairie is still the same as it was.
Just as alive with the sounds of nature and just as teeming with tension and drama as you remember, just reimagined – and isn't that the point of a reboot? Not to copy and paste what has come before, but to give new perspective while maintaining the original spirit.
If you embrace it, you get to extend the magic of the franchise you love.
Little House on the Prairie is available to stream now on Netflix.
Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.
The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating the global phenomenon of BTS, is here! Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
