Netflix’s LITTLE HOUSE OF THE PRAIRIE Reboot Casts Charles, Caroline, and Mary Ingalls
Netflix’s upcoming Little House on the Prairie reboot has officially rounded out the core Ingalls family with the casting of Charles, Caroline, and Mary.
Taking on the iconic role of Charles Ingalls is Elvis and Holidate star Luke Bracey. Stepping into the shoes of family matriarch Caroline is Palm Royale’s Crosby Fitzgerald. And playing Mary, the eldest daughter and contrast to her wild sister Laura, is Skywalker Hughes from Joe Pickett.
They join Alice Halsey, previously announced as Laura Ingalls and narrator of the new series.
The reboot comes from showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, The Vampire Diaries) and CBS Studios, is being described as “part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West.”
Rather than trying to replicate the long-running 1974 series led by Michael Landon, this version begins when the Ingalls family is still relatively young with just two daughters, Mary and Laura, and leans more into the survivalist and emotional realism of prairie life.
Bracey’s Charles is framed as rugged and romantic, but layered. “Bracey’s Charles Ingalls won his wife’s heart by carrying her three miles through the snow to a winter dance. He’s a man who’d fit in seamlessly into the 21st century.
“Ruggedly handsome, charming, outgoing. A farmer and a trapper. A carpenter and an artist. A poet, a musician, a skilled storyteller. The original Girl Dad. He is an optimist, always glass half-full. But he is also a wanderer. A seeker. A man forever in search of greener pastures.”
Meanwhile, Fitzgerald’s Caroline is the kind of foundation that holds a family together through brutal winters and big dreams. “Fitzgerald’s Caroline Ingalls did not marry her husband out of convenience — they fell truly madly deeply in love.
“It was a great romance, and it still is. She’s got a playful side, a romantic side, but at the end of the day, she’s the one who keeps this family on track. Like moms do. She’s quiet and patient and practical, but with a core of steel.
“She gave up her teaching career to have a family, but that yearning for independence never quite went away. Her marriage is one of equals — something rare in the 19th century. And though her trust in her husband is tested, the strength of their love endures.”
As for Mary, Hughes will portray her as the emotional counterweight to Laura, a dynamic that promises tension and heart. “Hughes’ Mary Ingalls is Laura’s older sister and polar opposite. A rule follower. Quiet and studious.
“Always angling to be the good daughter, the obedient one, the ladylike one, the prettier one. Other parents love Mary. Unlike her sister, she is uncomfortable in the natural world: the sun is too hot, the snow is too cold.
“She loves pretty ribbons and reading poetry and long afternoons of sewing. In other words, Laura and Mary are oil and water. Best friends and mortal enemies. They love each other deeply and hate each other intensely. But in the end, they always have each other’s backs — there is no choice but to protect each other in this wild new landscape.”
Executive producers on the show include Sonnenshine, Joy Gorman Wettels (13 Reasons Why), Trip Friendly for Friendly Family Productions, Dana Fox (Cruella), and Susanna Fogel (Booksmart).
Sarah Adina Smith (Hanna) is directing the pilot. The show is being produced by CBS Studios in partnership with Anonymous Content Studio.
Filming kicks off this June in Winnipeg, Canada and if the show lives up to the promise of its creative team and cast, Netflix could have a new frontier classic on its hands.
Source: Deadline