‘Little House on the Prairie’ Series Reboot Set at Netflix

Netflix has greenlit a new TV adaptation of “Little House on the Prairie,” the beloved book series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Rebecca Sonnenshine (“The Boys,” “Vampire Diaries,” “Archive 81”) will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the new series. 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.

“’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.”

The official logline for the new series states: “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.”

Ingalls Wilder released eight “Little House” books in the 1930s and ’40s, while a ninth was published posthumously in 1971. The books are based on her childhood in the American Midwest in the late 1800s. More than 73 million copies of the books have been sold to date.

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. Three made-for-TV “Little House” movies were released after the series, and the show’s appeal has endured long after it ended. Nielsen recently reported that the original series was one of the most-streamed library titles of 2024, garnering 13.25 billion viewing minutes on Peacock over the course of the year.

“I fell deeply in love with these books when I was five years old,” said 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.”

Sonnenshine is repped by UTA, Circle Management + Production, and Hansen Jacobson.

“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,” Friendly added. “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.”

With this series order, Netflix has now commissioned three Western frontier series in the past few years. Most recently, the streamer released the limited drama “American Primeval” starring Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin. The streamer is also prepping the Western drama “The Abandons,” although series creator and showrunner Kurt Sutter exited the project back in October with a few weeks left on the shooting schedule. Filming was completed, but no premiere date for the series has been set at the time of this publishing.

Netflix also previously released the Western limited series “Godless” in 2017, with that show receiving 12 Emmy nominations with three wins.