Netflix’s New 8-Part Western Is So Popular, It’s Already Been Renewed Through Season 2

Netflix has done something almost unprecedented for a TV platform in the 2020s, by renewing a series for season 2 months before its first episode has even been released. Its revival of a classic TV Western is looking like such a surefire hit, that the streaming giant has decided to take a punt on another season ahead of time.

It helps, of course, that the show in question was one of the most popular TV releases of the 20th century in its previous iteration. When we think about the best and most iconic TV shows of the 1970s, it’s hard to look beyond this uniquely inclusive family Western, based on the true story of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s childhood.

Netflix’s new adaptation of Little House on the Prairie comes 43 years after the original NBC show ended after eight seasons, 205 episodes, and 11 years riding high in the network TV ratings. It remains to be seen whether this streaming version of the series can do as well. Either way, Netflix is going all in for this reboot.

Little House On The Prairie Is One Of The Most Popular TV Franchises Ever

Image via NBC

While Little House on the Prairie isn’t typically listed among the TV shows to have ruled the world, the small-screen Western’s popularity is beyond doubt. The series not only managed to continue throughout the toughest decade in NBC’s history. It was consistently bringing in one of the biggest audiences in American television during that period.

In fact, the original show’s unparalleled popularity continues to this day. In 2025, a report from data company Nielsen suggested that Little House on the Prairie was the world’s most streamed legacy TV series in 2024. It compiled a whopping 13.25 billion viewing minutes, beating second-placed Gunsmoke by over three billion minutes (via Variety).

Little House on the Prairie is a rare case among classic Westerns, in that it explicitly appeals to all demographics, by telling a wholesome family story that doesn’t shy away from challenging storylines. It’s easy to see why it’s spent half a century as one of the most beloved shows on television.

Netflix’s Reboot Of The Show Capitalizes On This Popularity

Of course, Netflix has seen a huge opportunity to capitalize on the enduring popularity of the series, by rewriting Little House on the Prairie for a modern audience. At first glance, this new streaming version of the story appears to be much the same as the original show, at least in visual terms.

However, it will serve as a fresh interpretation of the autobiographical children’s novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, about growing up on the Great Plains of the American Midwest. The Netflix series has been developed by Rebecca Sonnenshine, who’s best-known for producing Prime Video’s The Boys, and writing hit movie The Housemaid.

Early indications from the show’s press releases and trailers suggest that this iteration of Little House on the Prairie is more faithful to the Ingalls books than the original TV adaptation. Still, it’s the previous series on the small screen that most viewers will be comparing it to.

Little House On The Prairie Has Already Been Renewed By Netflix

Not many TV shows are renewed immediately after their streaming debut. But Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie has managed something even more extraordinary, by getting renewed for a second season long before its series premiere. Actor Willa Dunn has already been cast as Nellie Oleson for season 2, implying that Netflix is in this project for the long haul.

At this rate, we shouldn’t be surprised if Little House on the Prairie is renewed through season 3 later this year. All the evidence points towards this streaming reboot of the classic show being an overwhelming success, which could turn a whole new generation of viewers onto life growing up on the American frontier.

Release Date

July 9, 2026

Network

Netflix

Directors

Kat Candler, Julie Anne Robinson, Sydney Freeland, Sarah Adina Smith, Erica Tremblay

Cast

• 

  Alice Halsey

  Laura Ingalls

• 

  Luke Bracey

  Charles Ingalls

• 

  Crosby Fitzgerald

  Caroline Ingalls

• 

  Skywalker Hughes

  Mary Ingalls