We have been on this journey together for a while now, and today is the day it all starts paying off. From production updates to casting news to behind-the-scenes whispers, you have had a front-row seat to the making of Netflix’s “Little House on the Prairie” reboot, and the first official teaser has just landed. Go ahead and take a moment. You have earned this.
Alice Halsey narrates the teaser as Laura Ingalls, and the decision to open with her voice rather than a flashy montage tells you a lot about the tone this production is going for. “Once upon a time, Ma and Pa and Mary and Laura left the Big Woods of Wisconsin and moved to the prairie, where a new life was waiting for them,” she says. “Every day and every night was an adventure. And even though they were all alone, and very small against the sky and the stars, they were happy. Because they were a family, and they were together.” Pretty great opening, honestly.
Skywalker Hughes shows up as Mary Ingalls, and if you have been following the coverage since production was underway, neither of these castings will come as a surprise. It is just nice to finally see them in action.
For anyone who needs a quick refresher on why this project matters so much, “Little House on the Prairie” is drawn from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s semi-autobiographical book series, published between 1932 and 1943, with a final volume released in 1971 after her death. The books inspired one of the most beloved television dramas in American history, the NBC series that ran from 1974 to 1983. Netflix is not picking up where that show left off. This is a full return to the source material, described officially as a blend of family drama, frontier survival story, and origin tale of the American West.
Rebecca Sonnenshine is at the helm as showrunner and executive producer, collaborating with Joy Gorman Wettels, Trip Friendly, and Dana Fox. The directing team, which includes Sarah Adina Smith, Julie Anne Robinson, Kat Candler, Erica Tremblay, and Sydney Freeland, is one of the stronger creative lineups Netflix has assembled for a project like this. CBS Studios and Anonymous Content are producing.
“Little House on the Prairie” premieres on Netflix on July 9. After everything we have covered together getting to this point, that date cannot come fast enough.
