On January 29, 2025, Netflix announced the greenlight of Little House on the Prairie, an epic and thrilling family adventure of the mythic American West based on the iconic book series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West, this fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical Little House books offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.
Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, Vampire Diaries, Archive 81) will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the new series. “I fell deeply in love with these books when I was five years old,” said Rebecca Sonnenshine. “They inspired me to become a writer and a filmmaker, and I am honored and thrilled to be adapting these stories for a new global audience with Netflix.”
Joy Gorman Wettels of Joy Coalition will also executive produce along with Trip Friendly for Friendly Family Productions, Dana Fox, and Susanna Fogel. CBS Studios and Anonymous Content Studios will produce for Netflix. Friendly is the son of Ed Friendly, who executive produced the original “Little House on the Prairie” TV series.
“It has been a long-held dream of mine to carry on my father’s legacy and adapt Wilder’s classic American stories for a 21st-century audience in a way that brings together fans of both the books and the original television series,” said Trip Friendly, CEO of Friendly Family Productions. “I am thrilled by our talented creative team led by Rebecca Sonnenshine who are bringing these beloved stories about family, community, and survival to long-time fans and new generations.”
Since its original publication in the 1930s, the Little House book series and brand have remained a constant in the global zeitgeist. The classic novels have sold over 73 million copies in over 100 countries, translated into at least 27 languages. The books were then adapted into the incredibly popular NBC series “Little House on the Prairie,” which aired for nine seasons and over 200 episodes between 1974 and 1983.
Most recently, 50 years after the 1974 show first debuted, Nielsen reports that fans of all generations have embraced the nostalgic show, garnering an astonishing 13.25 billion minutes of viewing on Peacock in 2024 alone.
“‘Little House on the Prairie’ has captured the hearts and imaginations of so many fans around the world, and we’re excited to share its enduring themes of hope and optimism with a fresh take on this iconic story,” said Jinny Howe, vice president of drama series for Netflix. “Rebecca’s vision threads the needle with an emotional depth that will delight both new and existing fans of this beloved classic.”
Please involve Melissa Gilbert, Alison Arngrim, Dean Butler, and other original cast members both in front of and/or behind the scenes. Obviously do a fresh take on it but I think that would be great and appeal to your Gen X viewers.