Netflix’s new reboot is finally making waves. The show rebooted Little House on the Prairie, and it had an underwhelming start.
Although Little House on the Prairie became an instant streaming hit following its July 9 premiere and reached the No. 1 spot several days later in the U.S., by the end of the first week, the show wasn’t strong enough to dominate the charts. Per Tudum, Little House on the Prairie is officially the No. 1 show on Netflix.
Little House on the Prairie Is a Netflix Hit
In its first week, Little House on the Prairie premiered in third place overall with 6.4 million views and 42.7 million hours viewed. It fell behind the docuseries Worst Neighbor Ever and Harlan Coben’s ultra-hit I Will Find You, which dominated the charts for weeks.
The Netflix reboot of the hit classic finally got more wind in its second week. The show was officially No. 1 with 9.8 million views and 65 million hours viewed. It reached the #1 spot in 20 countries, including the U.S., entering the Top 10 in 85 countries. Little House on the Prairie has spent two weeks in the Top 10 so far, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
The new series is based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books, which were based on her childhood and adulthood in the American Midwest. She published eight of the nine novels during her lifetime between the 1930s and 1940s, with the final one, The First Four Years, published posthumously in 1971. The books received several adaptations, most famously the NBC series of the same name, which ran from 1974 to 1983.
The Netflix show is based on the third book in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series, Little House on the Prairie, and Season 1 follows the Ingalls family as they establish their “new forever” outside the small but quickly developing town of Independence.
The foursome, along with their dog Jack, face the often harsh conditions of 1800s prairie life, including fever, wolves, and fire — obstacles that longtime fans will recognize from the original novels.
Season 1 received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, and was, naturally, also accused of being “too woke.” Critics gave the show enough positive reviews for a Certified Fresh badge, and it holds a respectable 79% approval score. Meanwhile, audiences gave it an unimpressive 67% score. Some noted they were “pleasantly surprised” with the new version, while others claimed it was “too woke” because it avoided some of the original show’s themes.
Little House on the Prairie Will Return
The new global success is great news for the series, which has already been renewed for Season 2. The cast is already back to work, as Season 2 is currently in production and expected to last until October.
Season 1 features a cameo from original star Alison Arngrim, who plays the antagonistic bully Nellie Oleson in the NBC show. In the reboot, she played a very different character in the second episode of the Netflix series. Meanwhile, the new incarnation of Nellie will be a major part of Season 2, where she will be played by Willa Dunn. Also joining the cast are Charlotte Sullivan (Law & Order: Organized Crime, FBI) as Nellie’s energetic and quick-witted mother, Margaret Oleson, and Rachelle Lefevre (North by North, Liz Here Now) as beloved schoolteacher Eva Beadle.
Little House on the Prairie Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.
