Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie was always going to be a difficult adaptation to pull off. Drawing from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved books rather than remaking the 1970s television series, it’s hard not to wonder how a story so rooted in the mythology of the American frontier can resonate in 2026. That’s exactly why this adaptation feels so different to its predecessor. Rather than burying its head in the sand, it attempts to reckon with the history behind the classic American pioneer story. It’s an admirable ambition, but one that leaves the series caught between two very different ideas of what Little House on the Prairie should be.
The series still captures much of what made the original so comforting. It presents a world of sweeping open landscapes, tight-knit family life and an appreciation for simple pleasures, like affording coffee as a treat, a day without rain, or the excitement of a small town finally getting its own post office. That slower pacing won’t be for everyone. Much of each episode revolves around everyday concerns like repairing a wagon, fetching water or waiting for money to arrive from relatives for new horses.
For some, that monotony and its low stakes will be comforting. For others, it will likely feel like a slog to get through. When moments of genuine danger arrive – Laura becoming lost on the prairie, dangerous river crossings, encounters with wolves, illness or the ever-present uncertainty of frontier life – they hit harder because they’re used sparingly.
The largely unknown cast is all solid. Luke Bracey brings warmth and charm to Charles Ingalls, while breakout star Alice Halsey makes Laura a protagonist whose curiosity and determination anchor the series. Jocko Sims, Mary Holland and Warren Christie also leave strong impressions in supporting roles. One particularly memorable scene between Laura and the gruff but kind-hearted Mr Edwards (Christie), who is building his own home on the prairie, becomes one of the series’ most emotional moments.
Laura worries that a future baby brother might replace her in her father’s affections, but Mr Edwards, having lost his own daughters, assures her there is no way Charles could want anything more, loving Laura and Mary exactly as they are. Visually, the show is beautiful without feeling overly polished, with its production design, costuming and sweeping cinematography creating a version of frontier life that feels grounded rather than romanticised.
Where the series becomes more complicated is in how it approaches the history surrounding the Ingalls family’s journey west. Unlike earlier adaptations, showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine repeatedly acknowledges that the family’s dream of building a home is to the detriment of the Osage people already living there. Through recurring Indigenous characters, it explores ideas of land rights, assimilation and displacement with far more nuance than many period dramas.
Which is why I think this adaptation should be commended for attempting to tackle its topics with modern sensibilities. In doing so, however, it creates complications that undermine part of what made the original series so beloved. The show asks us to sympathise with the Osage while simultaneously investing in the Ingalls family’s hopeful new beginning at their expense. Perhaps it was fighting a losing battle: damned if it addressed that history and undermined its own wholesome fantasy, but also damned if it ignored it and felt insensitive in today’s climate.
Despite those contradictions, I found myself continuing to binge the series. It may not completely reconcile its competing ambitions, but its version of a close family unit remains genuine throughout. Little House on the Prairie may never recreate the less complicated escapism of its predecessor, but it proves there’s still value in revisiting familiar stories, even if they’re a little harder to romanticise than they once were.
★★★
Streaming on Netflix from July 9th / Luke Bracey, Alice Halsey, Mary Holland, Crosby Fitzgerald, Skywalker Hughes, Jocko Sims, Warren Christie, Meegwun Fairbrother, Wren Zhawenim Gotts, Alyssa Wapanatâhk / Netflix
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