One of the stars of the original “Little House on the Prairie” has stunned fans with their unexpected return to the Netflix reboot series of the same name.
While the premiere established their departure from the big woods, this second installment dives straight into the harsh realities of building a homestead from scratch. It was at that moment that the past and present collided, as the camera panned to reveal the veteran actor playing a completely new character, delivering a throwback nod to the original 1970s series.
Which of the Original ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Cast Members Has Returned?
NetflixSpoiler Alert: In episode 2 of “Little House on the Prairie,” Laura Ingalls (Alice Halsey) and her sister Mary (Skywalker Hughes) are lost. According to Variety, the girls “have become lost in the wild near their new home on the prairie in 1870s Independence, Kansas. While ‘Ma’ Caroline (Crosby Fitzgerald) and ‘Pa’ Charles (Luke Bracey) scramble to find them, the girls happen upon a trio of nefarious-looking people in the woods — including Ida, played by Alison Arngrim.”
The actress originated the role of Nellie Oleson on the original NBC series. Willa Dunn plays her in the reboot.
The outlet continued, “The scariest part of the scene is a dirty and disheveled Ida (Arngrim) attempting to hold the girls hostage until John Edwards (Warren Christie) quickly arrives to save the day.”
“Little House on the Prairie” showrunner Rebecca Sonneshine told Variety, “I always had this idea that I wanted Alison Arngrim to be in the show. So when I was writing Episode 2, I was telling a couple of my friends, ‘I want to get Alison Arngrim to play this lady, do you think she’d do it?’ And they were like, ‘maybe!’”
Sonneshine continued, “And then all this time later, when I actually got to make it, she said yes. I read her autobiography, and it’s so good. She’s so smart and cool and interesting and funny. And she did it; she came to the show, and it was so exciting. She was such a good sport. She was like, ‘Can I have more stuff on my teeth?’ Sure! Go for it!”
Is the Story the Same in the Netflix Series Than the Original ‘Little House?’
The new Netflix version of “Little House on the Prairie” keeps the same beloved characters you know, but it swaps the sunny, cozy vibe of the 1970s classic for a much more rugged, realistic look at frontier life. While the original show was filmed on bright California backlots, the new series was shot out on the open Canadian plains to give viewers a true sense of just how vast the wilderness really was back then.
The reboot also dives much deeper into the real history of the era rather than sticking to simple, neatly resolved weekly dramas. It tracks the Ingalls family as they settle directly in Kansas during a very tense time in American history, allowing the show to explore relationships with neighboring Native American tribes.
“Little House on the Prairie” is currently streaming on Netflix.
