Fans of Little House on the Prairie received some unsettling news as one of the original stars revealed that the reboot of the beloved Western drama, set to premiere on Netflix, will not feature any of the original cast members. The announcement, made in January, comes 42 years after the original show wrapped up in 1983.
Netflix’s reboot is billed as “part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West.” However, Alison Arngrim, who famously portrayed the character of Nellie Oleson from 1974 to 1982, confirmed in an interview on Wednesday that the new series will not include her or any of her original castmates.
“None of us, as far as I know, our gang, are in at this point,” Arngrim revealed. However, she added a lighthearted twist, joking, “I have been joking for years that I’m finally old enough to play Mrs. Oleson, so call me!”
Arngrim also shared her thoughts on the differences between the original show and the new reboot. She clarified that the reboot is not a traditional revival of the series, but rather a new adaptation inspired by the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.
“It’s not really like a reboot, they’re not going back to Walnut Grove,” Arngrim explained. “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.”
The new series, Arngrim emphasized, is part of what she calls the “Laura Ingalls Wilder multiverse,” reassuring fans that the new show will stay true to the original novels. “So concerns that they’re going to run amok away from the books and make it into something weird — not happening.”
Netflix’s Vice President of Drama Series, Jinny Howe, stated that the reboot will offer a “fresh take on this iconic story,” praising showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine for her ability to infuse the series with “emotional depth” that will appeal to both new and long-time fans. Sonnenshine herself expressed her excitement, sharing that she had fallen in love with the Little House books at the age of five, and that they had inspired her career as a writer and filmmaker.
The reboot announcement has sparked controversy online, with many social media users expressing concerns that the series would be overly “woke.” Tweets ranged from frustration, with one user writing, “Please don’t ruin another treasured piece of literature and Americana,” to outright opposition, with another writing, “Why does it have to be ‘reimagined’? You’re going to screw this up.” Others urged Netflix to “leave things alone for the love of God,” while one user threatened to “absolutely ruin your project” if it followed a “woke” agenda.
The criticism even caught the attention of original star Melissa Gilbert, who responded to Megyn Kelly’s tweet, which criticized the reboot’s potential for political correctness. Gilbert reminded Kelly and others that the original Little House on the Prairie already tackled serious social issues such as racism, addiction, and misogyny. “TV doesn’t get too much more ‘woke’ than we did,” Gilbert wrote on Instagram, inviting critics to revisit the original series, which she said addressed “every other ‘woke’ topic you can think of.”
As the new series prepares to make its debut, it remains to be seen how fans will respond to this modern reinterpretation of the iconic story.
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