Netflix just dropped the first season of their adaptation of Little House on the Prairie, and it will most assuredly be accused of being “woke” by certain people. That’s a good thing.

Because those accusations of “wokeness” are coming because the Netflix adaptation addresses the complicated relationships between white settlers and the Osage people to whom the land belonged. White people like the Ingalls assumed the land would be theirs, an assumption that had no basis in the law of the time.

This is covered in the book by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which follows a family moving from Wisconsin to the “unsettled” west, in Kansas near the town of Independence. The series makes the Osage characters in the story – real people who had their own opinions about the influx of white folks claiming their land. The show takes us inside their homes and lets them speak for themselves.

There are Black characters as well, such as Dr. George Tann (Jocko Sims), who treats Caroline after she is injured on the journey, and again after she breaks her foot helping Charles build their little house on the prairie. Dr. George Tann really existed and was an important figure in Independence, and Netflix’s adaptation makes his character more than a service provider – he has a back story, love interest and gets a good portion of the screen time not devoted to the Ingalls.

Wokeness aside, one could wonder if it was even necessary to reboot Little House, given the long-running series that debuted in 1974 is available to watch various streaming services? Perhaps necessary is not the right word. But the new series is welcome as a fine adaptation that offers some new insights into the characters and the story missing from the previous series.

Though it hews closely to the 1974 pilot movie, Netflix’s version feels fresher and more modern as it strives for authenticity as found in the original texts (which themselves were often edited and embellished versions of Ingalls Wilder’s memories of pioneer life, written in the 1930s, decades after the events took place.) The cast is for the most part very believable as pioneers in the old west. Luke Bracey stars as Charles Ingalls and Crosby Fitzgerald is his wife, Caroline. Their two daughters are Mary (Skywalker Hughes) and Laura (a spirited Alice Halsey, perfect), and both seem at home camping out until their house is built.

The first friend the family makes in their new settlement is John French, played by Warren Christie. The character was a bluff, comedic figure in the original series, but here he’s and alcoholic haunted by a dark past. But the Ingalls themselves have left their former home under less-than-ideal circumstances. Mr. French helps Charles build the family home, but after Caroline calls him out on his alcoholic tremors, he vanishes – which leads to more tragedy.

Caroline is a complicated character here. When Laura tries to befriend a local Osage girl, Caroline orders her to stay away from the Native people. But later, she befriends Emily (Barrett Doss), the Black proprietress of the Independence general store after she is snubbed by the rich lady who all but runs the town, Jemma James. She’s played by Mary Holland and is for all intents and purposes the Harriet Oleson of the show.

Caroline has a counterpart in the Osage tribe, White Sun (Alyssa Wapanatâhk), who also strongly discourages her daughter Good
Eagle (Wren Zhawenim Gotts) and husband William Mitchell (Meegwun Fairbrother) from interacting with the new family in town. But she has her reasons, and it takes a little time until we understand why.

The series, created by Little House book fan Rebecca Sonnenshine, does a good job of showing just how difficult and frightening it was to be a pioneer, starting a life in a new location with nothing but a few possessions and the will to work hard to build that new life. It also puts to the side the myth that this could be done alone. Charles and Caroline quickly find that it takes a village, no matter how much they would prefer to make it on their own.

All in all, Little House on the Prairie on Netflix is an engaging, even addictive modern retelling of the Little House tale that stays true to the original story while also allowing the viewer to see through the eyes more than just the Ingalls family. And that’s a very good thing.

All eight episodes are available to stream on Netflix. and a second season has already been greenlit.