Little House on the Prairie (2026 TV series)
American Western family drama television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Little House on the Prairie is a television series based on the Little House on the Prairie books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The series was developed and produced by CBS Studios and Anonymous Content, and commissioned by Netflix in January 2025.
| Little House on the Prairie | |
|---|---|
Release poster | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Rebecca Sonnenshine |
| Showrunner | Rebecca Sonnenshine |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Running time | 42–57 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | July 9, 2026 – present |
Little House on the Prairie premiered on Netflix on July 9, 2026. The series was renewed for a second season in March 2026, ahead of its premiere.
Cast
Main
- Luke Bracey as Charles Ingalls
- Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline Ingalls
- Alice Halsey as Laura Ingalls
- Skywalker Hughes as Mary Ingalls
- Warren Christie as John Edwards
- Jocko Sims as Dr. George Tann
- Meegwun Fairbrother as William Mitchell
- Alyssa Wapanatâhk as White Sun
- Wren Zhawenim Gotts as Good Eagle
Recurring
- Xander Cole as Little Puma
- Barrett Doss as Emily Henderson
- Mary Holland as Jemma James
- Michael Hough as Eli James
- Kowen Cadorath as Caleb
- Thosh Collins as Louis
- Maclean Fish as Adam Scott
- Rebecca Amzallag as Lacey Aubert
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Independence" | Sarah Adina Smith | Television story by : Rebecca Sonnenshine Teleplay by : Rebecca Sonnenshine | July 9, 2026 | |
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Caroline and Charles Ingalls leave Wisconsin with their daughters, Mary and Laura, hoping to claim land near Independence, Kansas. While crossing a river, their wagon nearly overturns, many supplies are lost, and their dog, Jack, is swept away. Dr. George Tann treats Caroline’s injury and directs Charles to someone, who can help him locate available land. Laura also encounters a young Osage girl traveling with her family. In Independence, Caroline learns that the settlement has no post office or school and they cannot afford all the supplies the family needs. Mary gains the attention of Caleb, a young store employee. After Charles leaves to inspect land, Laura mistakes wolves for Jack, forcing Caroline to shoot at them. The family begins building a house on their new land. Laura later discovers that a doll she found earlier belongs to the Osage girl and returns it to her, though Caroline warns Laura against further contact. The Osage discuss the settlers occupying land. Caroline breaks her foot while helping build the house. Dr. Tann treats her and tells Charles that she is pregnant. He warns that the family will need help to survive. Charles asks John Edwards for assistance, but Edwards reacts violently before later apologizing. Charles offers to return east once Caroline recovers, she insists they continue. Jack returns with Edwards, who offers to help build the Ingalls’ house. Edwards warns Charles that the land is not as free as they were led to believe. | |||||
| 2 | "The House on the Prairie" | Julie Anne Robinson | Rebecca Sonnenshine | July 9, 2026 | |
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Edwards is caught drinking by Caroline. She asks him to leave without consulting Charles. This leads to a search for Edwards that also causes the girls to get lost in the tall grass prairie. | |||||
| 3 | "News of the World" | Julie Anne Robinson | Francesca Butler | July 9, 2026 | |
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Land relationships in Independence become more complicated as the Ingalls household is visited by two Osage men. | |||||
| 4 | "Life Let Us Cherish" | Kat Candler | P. Carter Kristensen | July 9, 2026 | |
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Fever strikes several members of the Ingalls family. | |||||
| 5 | "A Circle of Blue Sky" | Kat Candler | Adam Starks | July 9, 2026 | |
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The local church in Independence begins construction. The Ingalls women attempt to connect to local prominent women. Edwards is accused of stealing local horses, but is exonerated by Charles. | |||||
| 6 | "Peace on Earth" | Erica Tremblay | Eleanor Burgess | July 9, 2026 | |
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Christmas and a new baby comes to the Ingalls family | |||||
| 7 | "A Softer Note in the Sound of the Wind" | Sydney Freeland | Tom Hanada | July 9, 2026 | |
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Osage chiefs meet to consider the treaty to sell their land, as the town welcomes a new Reverend. Laura and Good Eagle hunt for "treasure" around town. | |||||
| 8 | "This is Now" | Sydney Freeland | Adam Starks & Eleanor Burgess | July 9, 2026 | |
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Founder's Day, celebrating 2 years of the town, brings reflections on the future for the residents of Independence. In the middle of festivities, a fast moving prairie fire from a passing storm threatens the town. | |||||
Production
Development
In December 2020, it was announced that Paramount TV Studios and Anonymous Content would be developing an hour-long drama series based on Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie novel. At the time, the series was set to be executive produced by Trip Friendly for Friendly Family Productions, Joy Gorman Wettels for Joy Coalition, and Dana Fox.[1] CBS Studios absorbed Paramount TV Studios’ slate in 2024.[2]
Netflix officially ordered the first season of the new Little House on the Prairie adaptation in January 2025.[3] At that time, Rebecca Sonnenshine was announced as an executive producer and series showrunner. Susanna Fogel was also added as an executive producer.[4]
Speaking in February 2025, actress Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder on the entire run of the earlier series, said she had no issue with the new adaptation and that there was "plenty of room" for "someone else's interpretation".[5] Original cast members Alison Arngrim and Dean Butler told ReMIND Magazine the new series would be more focused on the original books, rather than a reboot of their series.[6] They also responded to the social media reaction from commentator Megyn Kelly, who had posted on Twitter that "if you wokeify Little House on the Prairie I will make it my singular mission to absolutely ruin your project."[6] Members of the original cast responded by pointing out that the original series addressed topics that would be considered "woke" today, such as racism, addiction, nativism, antisemitism, misogyny, rape, spousal abuse and other topics.[6][7][5]
The series was renewed for a second season on March 3, 2026.[8][9]
Casting
An open casting call for the main role of young Laura and other main cast members was announced in March 2025.[10] In April 2025, 10 year-old actress Alice Halsey was cast in the role of Laura Ingalls,[11] with Luke Bracey, Crosby Fitzgerald, and Skywalker Hughes cast the following month in the roles of Charles, Caroline, and Mary respectively.[12] Later cast were Warren Christie as John Edwards, Meegwun Fairbrother as Mitchell, Wren Zhawenim Gotts as Good Eagle, Alyssa Wapanatǎhk as White Sun and Jocko Sims as Dr. George Tann.[13] In July 2025, Mary Holland and Barrett Doss were amongst seven more additions to the cast.[14] In May 2026, it was announced that Willa Dunn would play Nellie Oleson in Season 2.[15] Rachelle Lefevre and Charlotte Sullivan were added to the Season 2 cast in June 2026, with Lefevre in the role of the town schoolteacher, Eva Beadle, and Sullivan playing Margaret Oleson, mother of Nellie Oleson.[16]
Filming
Principal photography began on June 10, 2025, and filming wrapped in October 2025.[10][13][17] Filming locations include Winnipeg, Canada.[18]
Release
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 80% approval rating based on 49 reviews, with an average of rated reviews of 6.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Little House on the Prairie dusts off the 70s and enters a new era of conscious creation and adaptation, striking the right balance between nostalgia and inspiration to craft a new and enlivened path for itself."[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 67 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[21]