Little House On The Prairie Netflix adaptation draws mixed reviews as it's branded 'the reboot nobody needed' and a 'whimsical re-imagining' that will leave viewers 'sobbing for a simpler world'

Netflix's Little House On The Prairie reboot has received a mixed reaction from critics.

The streamer's January announcement that it was developing a 'fresh adaptation' of the books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder was met by fury from some fans who begged 'please don't ruin another treasured piece of literature and Americana.'  

Showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine - who has worked on The Vampire Diaries and The Boys - quickly defended the decision to reimagine the books and the beloved 1970s TV series, saying the books 'inspired me to become a writer and a filmmaker.'

The 1970s' series star Melissa Gilbert also had high hopes, pointing out: 'We really twisted the true story around quite a bit. I'm hoping, and from what I understand, is that the remake will hew closer to the books than we did.'

And now the reviews are in, with some critics writing that it's 'the reboot nobody needed'. 

Anita Singh in her two star review for The Telegraph said: 'Anyone old enough to remember the 1970s series will regard it with misty-eyed nostalgia. Anyone young enough to be in the market for children's programmes will prefer the streamer's more garish options to a wholesome story of pioneer life in pretty bonnets. 

'It's the reboot that nobody needed.' 

Lucy Mangan in her three star review for The Guardian found some positives in the revamp though, writing that scenes depicting the friendship between the Ingalls family and their new Kansas neighbours 'will have you sobbing as if it were 1970 and the world was simple again by episode four at the latest.'

'It is exactly the revamp you would expect. The new LHOTP is a precision-tooled and well-oiled machine,' Mangan summarised.

'All children’s and most adult problems are solvable within a one-to-three episode arc. There are peppermint sticks in the general store, handmade quilts on the snug cabin’s beds and at least three songs and dances round the campfire per episode. You may take that as a promise or a warning as you wish.' 

The original TV series swiftly moved past the events of the book, and the family's initial settlement on tribal land in Kansas in favour of a Minnesota location, but the reboot dedicates its whole first season to the early events of the books. 

Most critics praised this decision and Sonnenshine's broadened out focus on characters such as Dr. Tann (Jocko Sims), who is based on a real-life Black doctor who saves the Ingalls’ lives.

Writing for the Radio Times in a four star review David Brown also praised the 'attention paid to those whose land is being settled, specifically the Osage people forced to surrender what was once theirs.' 

'The result is an undeniably heartfelt family drama that, for all its coming-of-age anxieties and sweeping vistas, also dares to ask some difficult questions about the true price of progress.' 

Daniel Fienberg for The Hollywood Reporter singled out the cast which is led by young actor Alice Halsey who plays Laura.

'Much of the show’s success is attributable to casting directors Rachel Tenner and Rick Messina and a young cast that walks the line right up to precocity without ever sacrificing what has always made these characters so endearingly imperfect,' Fienberg wrote.

'I don’t gravitate toward “wholesome” or “earnest” as attributes in most of my favorite shows, but I bought into Little House On The Prairie and I’m relieved that Netflix has already renewed it for a second season.'

Variety critic Aramide Tinubu also shared a positive review, deciding that 'for those who loved the original show and books, and for viewers being introduced to the Ingalls for the first time, “Little House” illustrates the beauty of community, the horrors of encroachment and displacement, and the cost of being an American.'

Judy Berman for Time though said that 'Little House suffers from the same cloying excesses as its predecessor.'

'More childlike mischief might’ve helped. Yet instead of contorting the Ingallses into the people we wish they’d been, maybe it’s simply time we acknowledge that theirs may not be the enduring story we once imagined it to be.'

Little House On The Prairie is available to stream on Netflix now.