Little House on the Prairie Seaon 1

Little House on the Prairie (2026-)

Season 1 - 8 episodes (2026 July 9)
Created by: Rebecca Sonnenshine
Starring: Luke Bracey, Crosby Fitzgerald, Alice Halsey, Skywalker Hughes, Warren Christie, Jocko Sims, Meegwun Fairbrother, Alyssa Wapanatâhk, Wren Zhawenim Gotts
Rated: TV-PG
Watch the trailer

Plot
The Ingalls family lives and works on a farm in Midwestern America during the late 19th century.

Verdict
While it touches upon the hardships of homesteading, the show is always geared for maximum drama. I wish it struck a better balance of feeling realistic. When does Charles even work? He's not nearly tired enough to be a one man farmer. The Ingalls are also the only just and righteous characters, even befriending the Osage. The family doesn't have to account for the fact they're stealing land. This show is designed to capitalize on nostalgia while creating something pleasing for the broadest possible audience. What results is unoriginal story lines that don't attempt to strive for anything more than mass appeal. It's a fantasy tale of settling the frontier.
Skip it.

Review
Based on the Little House on the Prairie books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and published in the 1930s and 1940s, the most prominent adaptation was the television series of the same name starring Michael Landon that ran from 1974 to 1983.

The new adaptation visits the hardships of homesteading, but it's less documentary and more soap opera. These settlers never seem scrappy enough. Charles should be toiling in the fields all day, but he seems to have a lot of free time. The show doesn't explore the contradiction of being the only family to befriend the Osage while also settling stolen land.

The Ingalls family's journey becomes treacherous quickly when trying to cross a river. They make it across, losing their dog in the process. I guessed that was a bit of emotional manipulation, and I was right. The dog returns at the end of the episode. Charles Ingalls (Luke Bracey) and Caroline (Crosby Fitzgerald) are trying to make this dangerous venture work. They sold everything to move west, implying there's a reason behind it. Eldest daughter Mary (Skywalker Hughes) tries to remain proper, wishing they had stayed in the city. Precocious daughter Laura (Alice Halsey) is excited by the new adventure. She wants to make friends with the Osage who are being ousted. There's tension between them and the town as settlers are pushing the Osage out, hoping the government will sign off on the theft. Laura can't understand why there's violence.

E2: Luke Bracey, Crosby Fitzgerald play Charles, Caroline Ingalls

They get their cabin built in short order, though there is heightened drama with the help, Mr. Edwards (Warren Christie). It's obviously telegraphed

In the fourth episode all the characters have visions of home. I get they all have 'the fever' and this is an excuse to explore how they feel about the move, but once it happens to multiple characters it loses some intrigue.

Edwards is accused of stealing horses because why not. He's a great basis for a character, but the show only uses him as a means to add tension and drama. Carol is the most righteous one in the show, but it just makes her annoying. She encounters blatant racism against the owner of the general store. She doesn't take a stand, only pointing out how it's unjust.

It's winter in episode six, and I have go imagine it would be much more difficult than depicted. They should be freezing. People die in the winter during modern times. The episode is padded with drama between Mary and Laura. I get sisters fight, but this fails to explore the dynamic. Sisters clash and reconcile, but this fails to capture those moments. It's just tension leading to a big fight that's emotionally manipulative. It's forced and fake as we know it's a prelude to making up.

E5: Skywalker Hughes, Alice Halsey play Mary, Laura Ingalls

Frontier living is difficult, but this highlights dangers only as a way to create tension when needed. It's idealized. This portrays having a baby as incredibly oversimplified.

The reoccurring subplot is that all of these settlers are stealing Osage land. There's turmoil within the Osage as to whether they will sell or not. Most of them have resigned themselves to giving up, but this show doesn't delve into the violence and theft. It was easy enough to portray Charles as ignorant. He assumed it was just free land, as loaded as that is. Despite his lack of skepticism, once he works the land and builds his house he seems to consider it his. While he's befriended Osage, why do they see him as any better than others? While he talks to them, he still took their land.

With the nature of this show, I assumed the threat the family would be forced to leave was hollow and just finale episode drama. Surprisingly they are forced to leave Kansas and head to Minnesota. I'm curious how that works as they didn't have any money to start, never made any money, and racked up plenty of debt.

This show had the chance to be special. It could explore frontier conflict, the difficulties of starting with nothing, and what kind of people leave civilization behind to settle the west. Instead it opted for shallow stories and manufactured drama.