Netflix's 'Little House on the Prairie' Reboot Showrunner Highlights Cast Chemistry

Little House on the Prairie is about to get a whole new audience thanks to the upcoming Netflix reboot. Set to hit the streamer on July 9, the reimagining is an 8-episode survival drama that follows Laura Ingalls Wilder's original books as the family seeks a new life in Independence, Kansas. While the iconic show's characters of Pa Charles, Ma Caroline, Laura, Mary and Carrie will always be likened to the original cast of Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson and twins Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush - the reboot's showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine is confident old and new fans will find magic in the new cast.

Luke Bracey stars as Charles, Crosby Fitzgerald takes on the role of Caroline, Alice Halsey plays Laura, and Joe Skywalker Hughes plays Mary. In terms of casting, Sonnenshine told PEOPLE it was all about chemistry, specifically for Ma and Pa.

"It's a love story about a family, but it's also a love story between Caroline and Charles," she said, adding that Bracey "embodies everything you need in a Pa."

For Caroline, Sonnenshine says she needed someone who could emote a maternal side, saying of Fitzgerald, "She's really beautiful and real and feels so connected to her [TV] kids. And I think when you watch it as an audience member, you feel very connected to Caroline and she feels so connected to Luke. They have a great chemistry."

Finding the right actors to play the children, who Sonnenshine says are the real anchors, would be the icing on the cake. "Skywalker first auditioned for Laura, and I'm like, ‘That's Mary,' " Sonnenshine says. "There's just something about her. She has this extraordinary grace and gentleness."

Because the story is told through Laura's eyes, who played the central role, seemingly mattered the most of all. Sonnenshine says Halsey evokes Laura's spirit. "I think that Alice has sort of got this innate curiosity for the world and she's such a wonderful, deep actress that can really draw you in," she says. "And as a viewer, it's just really incredibly emotional scenes that feel very real."

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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 7:15 AM.