Netflix’s new reboot of “Little House on the Prairie” has just arrived, which has led to inevitable comparisons to the original series.
Debuting in 1974 on NBC, “Little House on the Prairie” ran for nine hit seasons, ending its run in 1983 as one of television’s all-time most beloved shows.
Earlier this year, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly took to social media to issue a threat to Netflix about its upcoming show. Writing on X, Kelly told the streaming service that “if you wokeify ‘Little House on the Prairie’ I will make it my singular mission to absolutely ruin your project.”
The OG Laura Ingalls Clapped Back
The older series’ star, Melissa Gilbert, addressed Kelly’s statement in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“Did you watch the original?” said Gilbert, who recently joined the Hallmark family by guest-starring on “When Calls the Heart.”
“Have you seen the episode ‘The Wisdom of Solomon?'” Gilbert continued. “I don’t think we get more woke than that.'”
‘The Wisdom of Solomon’
According to Entertainment Weekly, that particular episode featured future “Diff’rent Strokes” regular Todd Bridges as a guest star. Just 12 at the time, Bridges played a young boy who steals a book because he wants to learn how to read; unable to attend the local school because he’s Black, and runs away after being punished for his crime.
The youngster is then taken under the wing of Michael Landon’s Charles Ingalls, and begins attending the school where Laura (Gilbert) and sister Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) teach. At the episode’s end, Charles’ kindness teaches the citizens of Walnut Grove — and, by extension, television viewers — important lessons about racial intolerance.
‘Little House’ Tackled Tough Topics
GettyIn an earlier interview with EW, Gilbert reminded that the original “Little House on the Prairie” series often tackled social issues with a perspective that could absolutely be construed as “woke.”
Gilbert referenced “the episodes we did about drug addiction, about nativism, about Native Americans, chauvinists, antisemitism, rape, drunk child abuse, child neglect, industrialization. We covered everything that’s going on in the world still.”
Melissa Gilbert Offered Her Own Definition of ‘Woke’
Gilbert, who portrayed youngest Ingalls child Laura throughout the series’ run, continued by providing her own definition of a word that’s become controversial in recent years.
“It’s not my job to defend the word ‘woke,’ but I mean, to my mind, it just means compassion for all,” she told the magazine.
“I don’t understand why that’s a bad thing,” she added, “and I don’t think anyone can ever convince me of that.”
This Isn’t a New Position for Melissa Gilbert
Long before plans were even in place for Netflix to produce a new version of “Little House on the Prairie,” Gilbert made similar statements about the original series.
As EW reported, when Gilbert invited Bridges to appear in a 2023 edition of her “Knitty Gritty Podcast,” they discussed the groundbreaking “Little House” episode in which he guested. Gilbert recalled that the original series was rediscovered by viewers via streaming, many of who reached out to her “saying, ‘Who knew “Little House” was woke?’ And we knew, because we did it!”
