What the Original Cast of ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Has Said About the Netflix Reboot

With Netflix preparing to introduce a new generation to Little House on the Prairie, the cast of the landmark 1970s series have shared their thoughts on the latest adaptation of the beloved frontier story by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Their reactions ranged from excitement about returning to the literary roots of Little House on the Prairie to confidence that its timeless themes still resonated with audiences. They also weighed in on how the reboot should — and shouldn’t — be compared to the classic series that introduced generations of viewers to the Ingalls family.

Here’s a look at what members of the original cast had to say about the reboot.

Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson

“It’s not really like a reboot; they’re not going back to Walnut Grove,” said Alison Arngrim to ReMIND. “They’re not going to have Doc Baker and Miss Beadle, and they’re certainly not going to have Al Burton, and all the people who were made up for the show. It is going back to the books.”

Arngrim further stated that a new Little House series makes perfect sense in an era where every beloved franchise and IP gets a refresh, a reboot, or a remake.

“There are many properties that do get remade with whole new cast and whole new looks and whole new ways of looking at it quite successfully,” says Arngrim. “And we often find, ‘Oh, that one didn’t work. That one wasn’t good. Oh, I really like this one better than that one.’ So, as strange as it may sound, Laura Ingalls books and Little House on the Prairie may be one of those things that is eternal, and it’s just going to keep happening. It’s kind of like you have the multiverse, the superhero multiverse. … This is like that. This is part of the Laura Ingalls Wilder multiverse.”

Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder

In response to Megyn Kelly, who posted on X, “Netflix, if you woke-ify Little House on the Prairie, I will make it my singular mission to absolutely ruin your project,” the former Laura wrote on Instagram, “Apparently Megyn tweeted (I’m not on that platform) asking that Netflix not ‘woke-ify’ their Little House remake. Umm…watch the original again. TV doesn’t get too much more ‘woke’ than 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,” wrote Gilbert.

Dean Butler, who played Almanzo Wilder

Speaking to ReMIND, Dean Butler originally said, “There have been so many different announcements about reboots or re-imaginings” through the years. “But this had a different feel to it. This felt like this was really real.”

But he was initially worried. “One of the first feelings, in all honesty, is probably, well, ‘If this works, are they going to forget about what we did all those years ago?’ And then the next thought is, ‘It’s going to be very difficult to create something that touches people’s hearts in the way that the original did.’”

Butler explained the creator and star Michael Landon had developed a “certain specific kind of touching, personal, intimate storytelling about the human condition” that’s connected with audiences across generations.

“What is the television audience and what do they want? … There’s a very different expectation. And if this adaptation of Little House can meet the expectation of this more current audience and bring along a few of those who have loved it, it’s going to be very successful,” said Butler.

Rachel Lindsay Greenbush, who played Carrie Ingalls

“I think it’s great,” said Rachel Lindsay Greenbush of the new series to ReMIND. “I think with social media, we tend to think of ourselves more as individuals — and in the story of the series and the books, it’s more about community as a whole, and your neighbor. And I think that’s needed more today.”

“It was a hard time, but it was a simpler time,” she noted, stating that the show might resonate with fans of the old show. “I can’t wait to see it come out; I can’t wait to watch it.”

Little House on the Prairie, Series Premiere, Thursday, July 9, Netflix

— Additional reporting by Gabrielle Moss