Mitchell (Meegwun Fairbrother) talks to his cousin about the land that the government is offering the Osage. The land offer exists because white settlers like Caroline (Crosby Fitzgerald) and Mary Ingalls (Skywalker Hughes) are coming because of the Homestead Act. The Osage territory that becomes Independence, Kansas is already home to people coming from everywhere. Together, they deal with challenges like horse thieves, government treaties, and starting over in or outside Independence.

Netflix’ new adaptation of Little House on the Prairie is the brainchild of producer / writer Rebecca Sonnenshine. Her CV has eclectic projects like The Boys and The Vampire Diaries, which share common themes here. Those shows are, if one looks at it, about communities, and it’s the same here when people can be scarce. The Ingalls family need others to survive, even if those other people present some red flags.

Little House‘s focus, again, is the Ingalls family and its scrappy youngest daughter Laura (Alice Halsey). The Ingalls portray family in the traditional sense in the same way that it depicts Mitchell’s family. Other families, though, are less biological and more chosen, like the people around Emily Henderson (Barrett Doss). Independence’s store manager, who is Black, cares for Caleb (Kowen Cadorath), both becoming close to the Ingalls. Another member of Emily’s chosen family is Dr. Tann (Jocko Sims), the first person that the Ingalls meet at Independence.

As viewers can see in Little House on the Prairie, the Ingalls figure out how they fit in Independence. The family’s patriarch Charles (Luke Bracey) doesn’t have a job but that makes his role a versatile one. The horse theft incident exposes the complex dynamic of characters who know each other briefly. It also turns Charles into one of Independence’s deputies, wanting to clear a new friend’s name.

Those who know about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books and the NBC show know that Independence isn’t canon. The real Ingalls settle in Minnesota and North Dakota, which means that they leave these great characters behind. It seems cruel to leave behind characters like Laura’s Osage best friend Good Eagle (Wren Zhawenim Gotts). But that thankfully means that it may also leave behind villains like the snaky railroad worker.

Again, Little House on the Prairie introduces great, diverse supporting characters only to yank them away. I’m partial to this adaptation’s rendition of Indigenous characters, opposite of their depiction in the books and show. And yes, Mitchell, his wife White Sun (Alyssa Wapanatǎhk) and Good Eagle serve as the Ingalls’ mirrors. But at least that approach adds humanity to characters in a genre with more Conservative, traditional mindsets.

Little House on the Prairie is available to stream on Netflix.