As 'Little House on the Prairie' Faces a Reboot, Fans Caution Against 'Wokeifying' Beloved Classic

Netflix has announced it is producing a reboot of "Little House on the Prairie," the classic TV show that dramatized life in the American West.  

The streaming platform announced last week, that 50 years after its premiere on television it was time to bring back the hit historical drama series, only this time "reimagined" with producer Rebecca Sonnenshine set to run the show.
 
"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," said Jinny Howe, VP of Drama Series at Netflix. "Rebecca's vision threads the needle with an emotional depth that will delight both new and existing fans of this beloved classic."

The show will be "part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West," Netflix added in a statement. Each episode will reportedly offer a "kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier."

Trip Friendly – whose dad Ed Friendly owned the rights for Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House book and was the executive producer of the original show – will be a co-producer on the new project.

"It has been a long-held dream of mine to carry on my father's legacy and adapt Wilder's classic American stories for a 21st-century audience in a way that brings together fans of both the books and the original television series," he said in an official statement. "I am thrilled by our talented creative team ... who are bringing these beloved stories about family, community, and survival to longtime fans and new generations."

Fans of the Little House book series were first introduced to the TV-version of the Ingalls family in 1974. The show lasted nine seasons, ending in 1983.

Fans resonated with the family that lived on a small farm in Minnesota in the 1870s which included characters like Laura, portrayed by Melissa Gilbert, and her dad Charles "Pa" Ingalls, played by Michael Landon.

As CBN reported, Landon believed in Jesus Christ, and four decades ago he told us that his beliefs were key in bringing to life the unyielding faith of Charles on the show.

"I played this part for eight years and I am, in fact, that man when they watch me work, and to see that man have such an open faith...I think it made them wonder what does Charles Ingalls have, what kind of connection does he have with God?" he told CBN in 1982.

In the reboot, fans will follow Charles, his wife Caroline, and their daughters Laura and Mary as they leave Wisconsin to settle in Independence, KS, according to a Deadline report. 

Gilbert recently told USA Today she is looking forward to the reboot. 

"Seeing it through the eyes of this next generation makes it all the more special," she told the outlet last year. "And also a little bit frustrating, because the same things that we were writing about and talking about then, equal rights for women, equal rights for people of color, are still the same things we're fighting for today. I think we've inched forward, but certainly not enough for me, anyway." 

But some fans remain skeptical of this reboot, citing that the original version, which has been streamed on Peacock for nearly 13 billion minutes, according to Nielsen ratings, is beloved for a reason.  

"This does not need a reboot. It was an AMAZING show," one person commented on a post about the reboot on Deadline's Instagram page. 

Another person commented, "Please don't. Leave Pa and Half Pint as is."

One of the most outspoken critics against the reboot is former Fox News host and conservative commentator Megyn Kelly who expressed concerned about elements being placed in the new show that were never a part of the original storyline. 

"@Netflix if you wokeify Little House on the Prairie I will make it my singular mission to absolutely ruin your project," she wrote on X.

Gilbert shot back saying she already considers the original program to be "woke" because it tackled difficult subject matter at that time. 

"Watch the original again. TV doesn't get too much more 'woke' than what we did. We tackled: racism, addiction, nativism, antisemitism, misogyny, rape, spousal abuse, and every other 'woke' topic you can think of. Thank you very much," she wrote on Instagram.

Although fans are backing both Kelly and Gilbert's viewpoints, it is clear that there is a buzz about the program – something Netflix and company are capitalizing on. 

"Fans are eager to see Little House on the Prairie come back to the screen, and we agree the time is right," Friendly told Entertainment Weekly. "We feel optimistic that this will happen."