Little House on the Prairie
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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The Little House series of novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder have sold tens of millions of copies. They also were made into a very successful TV series beginning in the 1970s. Now, the Ingalls family is back in a new Little House on the Prairie series on Netflix. That doesn't take place in Minnesota, where the old show spent most of its time. Instead, its focus is earlier in Laura's life in Kansas, where the promise of available land for the family comes at the expense of a local Osage population that's being pushed out. I'm Linda Holmes, and joining me today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is culture critic Kristen Meinzer. Hello, Kristen. Hey, Linda. Also with us is Soraya Nadia McDonald. She's a cultural critic and a journalist.
Hello, Soraya.
Hello. Hello. Hello.
So the Netflix take on Little House on the Prairie is based on the one Wilder book that was actually called Little House on the Prairie, which is about the family's time in Kansas. In the series, they move to a homestead near Independence because Charles, played here by Luke Bracey, is under the impression that the land is in the process of being made available for settlement. But in fact, it's on land where the Osage people very much still live, and the United States government is in the process of quote-unquote negotiating to buy the land from them and persuade them to leave. The Ingalls family gets to know a local Osage family named the Mitchells, and Laura, played by Alice Halsey, becomes close friends with their daughter, Good Eagle.
She's played by Wren Joannam Gatz.
I love poems, and I've always wanted to go to school in St. Paul where my mom and father went.
What is the new Netflix Little House on the Prairie series about and where is it set?
You should come to school with us. Really? School would be so much better with you and not just Mary.
All eight episodes are streaming on Netflix now. Kristen, I'm going to start with you. What did you think of this take on Little House on the Prairie?
I loved this take. And full disclosure, I will say I am a Little House enthusiast. Not only have I read all the books and seen every episode of the show a million times, the 1970s show, I've read every memoir of every star of the original 1970s series. And of course, read the Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. So I am going in saying that. So I love this show because it includes a lot of the real history of Laura Ingalls Wilder's time in Kansas. There really was a Dr. Tan there who saves everybody from the fever. And I always missed him because there were black settlers, especially in Kansas. And this show depicts that. We have the Osage perspective actually shown. Not everything is through the eyes of Laura and her family.
We actually go inside Osage households, Osage meetings, and so on. So there's a little bit more nuance here than there was in the original series, which I appreciate. Is the show a little schlocky? Absolutely. Is it a little hallmark? Yes, I would expect nothing less. But I still really love this show.
Yeah, and in fact, I will say, Warren Christie, who plays Mr. Edwards, is a Hallmark movie veteran. Very big deal in that universe. So if he looks familiar to you, then that's probably why. And he is so handsome. He's very handsome.
Who are the hosts and critics discussing this Little House adaptation?
Soraya, what did you think?
That does add an interesting wrinkle. Mm-hmm. I enjoyed this. I don't know that I was necessarily enthusiastic as Kristen. The high watermark for Netflix adaptations of children's literature remains Anne with an E, which is, of course, the adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. That's still the one that I think remains... most beloved in my heart. And then probably after that is The Babysitter's Club.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–2:04
2
What is the new Netflix Little House on the Prairie series about and where is it set?
2:04–3:41
3
Who are the hosts and critics discussing this Little House adaptation?
3:41–5:25
4
How does the Netflix series portray the Ingalls' move to Kansas and the Osage presence?
5:25–9:18
5
What did critics think of the show's tone, pacing and nostalgic comparisons to the 1970s TV version?
9:18–16:22
6
How does the series integrate Osage characters and perspectives into the Little House story?
16:22–24:49