Think back to your childhood, to those Christmas Eves under the tree, or running to see what Santa had left in your stocking on Christmas morning. Do you remember the best present you ever found there?
For me, it was a boxed set of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series. I absolutely devoured all nine books tucked inside that baby blue cardboard box, falling in love with Laura’s indomitable spirit, Pa’s twinkling eyes, Ma’s steadfast guidance. I must have read the series through half a dozen times—and that blue boxed set still has a place of honor on my bookshelf to this day.
Then I grew up and fell in love all over again watching the masterful Little House on the Prairie TV series from the late ’70s and early ’80s starring Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, and Karen Grassle. My kids and I have loved watching the series on Amazon Prime Video—it’s the kind of family-friendly television you just don’t find too often anymore.
So I’ll be honest—when I saw the news this morning about a Little House reboot in the works . . . I went a little defensive mama bear on the prairie.
Is there anyone who can play Half-Pint like Melissa Gilbert? Will that awful Nellie Oleson still be just as awful but sort of make us love her by the end of it all? And who’s going to be able to touch the aw-shucks loveability of Manly Wilder? Dear television powers that be, please don’t ruin my childhood.
What we know so far about the reboot is pretty limited, but EW reported the show is scheduled for just a one-hour “dramatic series adaptation” developed by Anonymous Content, Paramount Television Studios, and Friendly Family Productions. No word yet on a planned storyline or who will star in the production.
Exclusive: Paramount TV Studios is developing a long-awaited reboot of 'Little House on the Prairie' as a one-hour dramatic series adaptation. https://t.co/i3jQKNUiIX
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) December 17, 2020
In the meantime, NBC execs announced this week all nine seasons of the original Little House series will be available for streaming on Peacock.
PBS is also hopping on the (covered) bandwagon—on December 29th, it will air American Masters: Laura Ingalls Wilder, a documentary about the woman who lived it all in real life.
Here’s hoping all this renewed interest in these classic stories will inspire a whole new generation will fall in love with Laura, Mary, Carrie, Ma & Pa, and all the Little House charm.
But do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of the boxed set too, OK? (Find it here, arrives before Christmas!)
I promise—that’s where the real magic is found.
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