Melissa Gilbert weighs in on new Little House reboot amid controversy
Melissa Gilbert starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder in the original NBC series, based on Laura’s autobiographical frontier saga novels, from 1974 to 1983.
Former The Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert has defended the Netflix reboot of the show, saying it’s the perfect example of “dramatic license”.
Melissa starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder in the original NBC series, based on Laura’s autobiographical frontier saga novels, from 1974 to 1983.
However, now the show has been rebooted for a new franchise on Netflix, it has attracted some criticism about “historical accuracy”, with Melissa responding in a post on the Substack publishing platform.
Beginning by telling her fans she’s unsure if she can be “fully objective because I am too deeply involved to weigh in without emotion”, Melissa then admitted she’s still uncertain whether it’s her “place” to offer her views.
However, she did then continue to share her thoughts on whether either the original series, or the Netflix reboot, were “historically accurate”, adding: “The short answer is no, neither are entirely accurate to the times nor the books.”
She continued: “My hope is that folks realise that these are all perfect examples of dramatic license. Even the real Laura took dramatic license in writing her books.
“For example, in the book, Little House on the Prairie, all three Ingalls girls are older than they were in real life.
“So rather than getting all twisted up in what’s real and what’s dramatised, maybe just sit back and go for the ride the creative minds behind these shows want to take you on. If you like it, stick with it. If you don’t, you don’t have to watch.”
Melissa’s post comes after her co-star Dean Butler, who joined the original series in season 6 as Almanzo Wilder, spoke about the reboot, admitting there’s one aspect he is particularly enjoying.
In a video on Instagram, he said: “Something that I love about the program that I think would have been really fun in the original — which we did not do ... is the family singing.
“Writers have rolled in songs that Pa played on his fiddle, and the family is singing along, and they’re doing it beautifully.”
