History of Little House on the Prairie (TV series) in Timeline

Little House on the Prairie is a historical drama TV series set in the 1870s-1890s, loosely based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. It chronicles the life of the Ingalls family – Charles, Caroline, Laura, Mary, and Carrie – as they navigate farming life near Walnut Grove, Minnesota. The show explores themes of family, community, resilience, and morality in a frontier setting, depicting their struggles and triumphs in building a life in the American West.

1946: Series is suggested to not be a Western

In The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present, Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh suggested that the series is not a Western in the usual sense, mentioning that there were no cowboys, Indians, or cowtown saloons. This happened in 1946.

January 17, 1971: Ending theme music first appeared in Bonanza episode

On January 17, 1971, the ending theme music for "Little House on the Prairie", written by David Rose, originally appeared as incidental music in "Top Hand", an episode of Michael Landon's previous series, Bonanza.

Loading Video...

1972: Ed Friendly acquires rights to Little House novels

In 1972, Ed Friendly, a television producer and former NBC executive, secured the film and television rights to Laura Ingalls Wilder's novels with encouragement from his wife and daughter. He then hired Blanche Hanalis to write the teleplay for a two-hour pilot movie.

March 30, 1974: Little House on the Prairie pilot airs

On March 30, 1974, the pilot movie for "Little House on the Prairie," based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's third book, was broadcast for the first time. The pilot aired on NBC.

September 11, 1974: Little House on the Prairie series premieres on NBC

On September 11, 1974, the "Little House on the Prairie" regular series premiered on the NBC network, marking the beginning of its long run.

Loading Video...

1974: Ed Friendly leaves Little House production

In mid-1974, Ed Friendly departed from the production of "Little House on the Prairie" due to creative differences with Michael Landon. NBC supported Landon, giving him complete creative control over the series.

September 24, 1975: Pa Ingalls portrayed as a monomythic hero

On September 24, 1975, in the season 2 episode "Ebenezer Sprague", John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett analyze the character of Pa Ingalls, describing him as embodying the hero's journey of the monomyth in "The Myth of the American Superhero".

1975: Series named national favorite

In 1975, a poll conducted by Scholastic Newstime recognized "Little House on the Prairie" as its national favorite show.

September 27, 1976: Series moved to Monday nights

On September 27, 1976, the "Little House on the Prairie" series was moved to Monday nights in the 8:00–9:00 ET timeslot. It remained in that timeslot until cancellation.

1976: Series moved to Monday night time slot

In 1976, "Little House on the Prairie" was moved to a Monday night time slot, improving its ratings. From season three through season seven, it was one of NBC's highest-rated scripted series.

1978: Little House moves filming to MGM Studios

In 1978, the filming location for "Little House on the Prairie" shifted from Paramount Studios to Stage 15 at MGM Studios. Stage 15 was the biggest soundstage at MGM, having been the set for The Wizard of Oz.

1980: Michael Landon discusses ending the series

In 1980, Michael Landon indicated that the series would conclude after its eighth season due to "many contractual agreements".

March 21, 1983: Little House on the Prairie series last aired

On March 21, 1983, the "Little House on the Prairie" series aired its final episode, concluding its run. The show's ninth and final season was titled "Little House: A New Beginning."

Loading Video...

December 12, 1983: Look Back to Yesterday airs on NBC

On December 12, 1983, NBC aired the made-for-television movie "Little House: Look Back to Yesterday" following the cancellation of the series.

Loading Video...

1983: Little House: Look Back to Yesterday airs

In 1983, following the cancellation of the "Little House on the Prairie" series, NBC aired the made-for-television movie "Little House: Look Back to Yesterday" on December 12.

Loading Video...

February 6, 1984: The Last Farewell airs on NBC

On February 6, 1984, NBC broadcast the made-for-television movie "Little House: The Last Farewell", which followed the cancellation of the original series.

Loading Video...

December 17, 1984: Bless All the Dear Children airs on NBC

On December 17, 1984, NBC aired the made-for-television movie "Little House: Bless All the Dear Children". The film was broadcast during the Christmas season.

Loading Video...

1984: Little House: The Last Farewell and Bless All the Dear Children air

In 1984, NBC aired two made-for-television movies following the series cancellation: "Little House: The Last Farewell" on February 6, and "Little House: Bless All the Dear Children" on December 17. "Bless All the Dear Children" was filmed before "The Last Farewell", but aired last.

Loading Video...

1993: All-Time Best Family Show

In 1993, the "Little House on the Prairie" series was voted "All-Time Best Family Show" in a TV Guide reader's poll.

1997: "I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away" Listed in TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes

In 1997, TV Guide included the two-part episode "I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away" as #97 on its 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time list. The episode focuses on Mary Ingalls going blind.

2003: Full seasons of Little House released on DVD

In 2003, with DVD players becoming more common, full seasons of "Little House on the Prairie" were released on DVD by Goldhil in partnership with NBC Enterprises. Initial releases used time-compressed episodes.

2005: Little House on the Prairie miniseries airs

In 2005, Friendly produced a six-part "Little House on the Prairie" miniseries for Wonderful World of Disney. The miniseries was based on two of Wilder's books and remained more faithful to the original material as Friendly had desired with the original series.

Loading Video...

2007: Lionsgate and Imavision sign exclusive DVD distribution agreement

In 2007, Lionsgate signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Imavision to release the entire "Little House on the Prairie" series on DVD.

2008: Musical adaptation of Little House staged

In 2008, a musical adaptation of "Little House on the Prairie" was staged and performed at the Guthrie Theater in Minnesota, starring Melissa Gilbert as Ma Ingalls.

2009: Little House musical tours other cities

In 2009, the musical production of "Little House on the Prairie" toured other cities following its initial staging at the Guthrie Theater in Minnesota in 2008.

October 2012: Film adaptation announced

In October 2012, Sony Pictures announced the development of a film adaptation of the "Little House on the Prairie" novel.

2012: Imavision offers streaming of series

In 2012, Imavision began offering the "Little House on the Prairie" series via real-time streaming to address declining DVD sales in Canada.

2014: Lionsgate re-releases series in high definition formats

In 2014, Lionsgate Home Entertainment began re-releasing "Little House on the Prairie" in North America in blu-ray full-frame, DVD full-frame, and ultraviolet HD digital download formats, restored to their original broadcast length and remastered for high-definition picture and sound.

2016: All-movie collection released

In 2016, following the release of the series, an all-movie collection of "Little House on the Prairie" was released.

2016: Paramount Pictures drops film project

In early 2016, it was reported that Paramount Pictures had picked up the "Little House on the Prairie" film adaptation project in turnaround, but an agreement was never reached, and the project was dropped.

2019: Little House streams on Amazon Prime Video

In 2019, "Little House on the Prairie" became available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

December 2020: Reboot announced

In December 2020, Paramount Television Studios and Anonymous Content announced the development of a reboot of "Little House on the Prairie" as a one-hour dramatic series adaptation.

2020: The New York Times describes Little House

In 2020, The New York Times described "Little House on the Prairie" as "perfectly balanced between sweet and sour," highlighting its simplicity, self-sufficiency, and sentimentality.

2020: Little House becomes available on Peacock

In 2020, the "Little House on the Prairie" series was added to Peacock for streaming.

2023: Series becomes available on FAST channels

In 2023, "Little House on the Prairie" began airing on free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels, including Amazon Freevee and Xumo.

Loading Video...

2024: Nielsen recognizes Little House with ARTEY award

In 2024, "Little House on the Prairie" was recognized by Nielsen Media Research with an ARTEY award as a top streaming legacy program, accumulating 13.25 billion minutes viewed on Peacock.

January 2025: Nielsen recognizes Little House with ARTEY award

In January 2025, Nielsen Media Research recognized "Little House on the Prairie" with an ARTEY award as a top streaming legacy program, recognizing 13.25 billion minutes viewed on Peacock in 2024. According to Nielsen, 63% of viewing came from adults 35-64 and 17% was among black viewers.