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Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’: So, Did I Like It?

Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’: So, Did I Like It?

Last updated on: July 10, 2026 at 10:46 am by Kate O'Hare

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Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’: So, Did I Like It? 2026-07-10T10:46:32-08:00 Kate O'Hare

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On July 9, Netflix launched Little House on the Prairie, its new version of novelist Laura Ingalls Wilder’s frontier saga, first brought to TV by Michael Landon in the 1970s.

Netflix made eight episodes available for advance viewing. So, far, I’ve made it through four.

So, do I like it? In a word, no.

Do I know exactly why I didn’t like it? In a word, no.

Before I get into all that, here’s some info about the show, starting with what’s good about it.

What’s Up With the New Little House on the Prairie?

Created by Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Housemaid, The Boys) and produced by Trip Friendly, son of original Little House producer Ed Friendly, Netflix’s iteration has an authentic look and feel.

Filmed in and around Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the series features deeply researched sets, costumes and hair. I haven’t read the books, but I’m told that the series hews more closely to them than Landon’s version.

The dialogue appears period-appropriate, without the extravagant (and extravagantly profane) Shakesperean language of HBO’s acclaimed Deadwood, also set on the frontier in the 1870s.

It’s definitely sanitized and wholesome compared to the actual frontier (especially the Deadwood version, of which I was a big fan), but it doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of homesteading life.

Laura Ingalls (Alice Halsey) remains a spunky tomboy, more interested in exploring than reading (and her father’s favorite). Older sister Mary (Skywalker Hughes) is more proper and becoming interested in boys.

Crosby Fitzgerald and Luke Bracey play, respectively, Caroline, a k a “Ma,” and Charles, a k a “Pa.”

Leaving behind extended family in Wisconsin for Kansas, the Ingalls clan arrives with very little and has to depend on neighbors — including the sad and reclusive Mr. Edwards (Warren Christie) — to find food and build a house.

So, it’s well-done, well-cast, and probably more historically accurate than the 1970s show. Overall, it’s fine family fare.

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It’s Been Accused of Being “Woke”

The idea that it’s “woke,” or at least politically correct, probably stems from the first episode. About as soon as the Ingallses arrive at their destination, they meet black physician Dr. Tann (Jocko Sims).

Right after that, Laura meets Good Eagle (Wren Zhawenum Gotts), an Osage girl.

You might dispute the choice of having these be the first people the family encounters, but Dr. Tann is based on a real person and was in the books.

And, the Ingalls family — and the rest of the settlers — are indeed living on Osage land, hoping the U.S. government will eventually step in on their behalf.

So, while highlighting these characters up front feels like a nod to modern sensibilities, their inclusion is perfectly defensible, both in historical and literary terms.

Is Faith a Part of the Show?

While Good Eagle’s parents (Alyssa Wapanatâhk, Meegwun Fairbrother) have a Cross on the wall, faith is nearly nonexistent in the episodes I saw. This does seem strange in an age when, at minimum, reading the Bible was a daily part of many Americans’ lives.

Fans of the books will have to tell me if the treatment of Christianity is similar there.

But, in the first series, Caroline did have a much stronger faith than Charles, whose religious views were more unconventional (interesting take by Landon — the son of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother — who later played an angel in Highway to Heaven).

There’s even a whole blog on The Faith of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and it doesn’t appear that she was very vocal about it in her own life.

So, Why Didn’t I Like It?

Honestly, I wasn’t the hugest fan of the original. I watched it as a kid, everybody did, but I didn’t love it (didn’t love The Waltons either, for that matter).

So, it might just be a matter of personal taste, as earnest family drama has never been on the top of my list.

But as I think about it, I didn’t much like Landon’s Charles, and I like him less now. He’s restless and a dreamer, but his family pays the price for it.

There’s a definite sense that Caroline fell for the strange guy with the big dreams, who wasn’t necessarily able to deliver the goods.

It’s Charles’ choice that they head to the frontier. And, for quite a while, he doesn’t even bother to tell his wife that the family had moved onto Osage land, not technically open for settlement.

The series left me with a strange feeling of unease, almost dread, like I really didn’t want to know what happened next.

I am, though, a big fan of Jack the dog.

But, Maybe That’s Just Me

Reviews of the show are generally good. Netflix has enough faith in Little House on the Prairie to have already ordered a second season.

So, watch it if you’re interested and make up your own mind.

Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe to my content at Authory.com/KateOHare

Little House on the Prairie

Netflix

About Kate O'Hare

Based in Los Angeles, Kate O'Hare is a veteran entertainment journalist, Social Media Content Manager and Blog Editor for Family Theater Productions and a screenwriter. You can read more about the author here.

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