Dean Butler Reacts to ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Reboot: ‘It Will Be Very Different’
The ‘Little House’ alum shares why the reboot will feel different from the beloved original series
Little House On The Prairie’s Dean Butler, who portrayed Almanzo James Wilder, had his own reaction to the news of a reboot, concerned that the work done on the original series might be forgotten. Butler shared his thoughts after Netflix made the announcement.
On Netflix’s ‘Little House’ reboot announcement
“There have been so many different announcements about reboots or re-imaginings, but this had a different feel to it, Butler shared. “This felt like this was really real…One of the first feelings, in all honesty, is probably, well, ‘If this works, are they going to forget about what we did all those years ago?'” He continued, “And then the next thought is, ‘It’s going to be very difficult to create something that touches people’s hearts in the way that the original did.’”
But things have changed since the original Little House On The Prairie went off the air over 40 years ago. With a new generation of viewers and an entirely different environment, the new reboot will certainly have differences from the original, which Butler says had a “certain specific kind of touching, personal, intimate storytelling about the human condition.”
As for Melissa Gilbert’s, who portrayed Laura Ingalls on the original series, thoughts on the reboot, she seems supportive of the idea.
“I think there’s room in the Little House universe for all different kinds of stories to be told…” Gilbert shared. “These are classic stories, and no one’s done it where they hewed to the books completely. [The original] was Michael Landon’s interpretation, and now it’s time for someone else’s interpretation.”
Dean Butler on the changing audience
While fans are excited to hear about the reboot of a fan-favorite series, Butler says that it will be different than the original. With a new creator behind the story and new actors to portray beloved characters, things will be different. Butler commented on the difference.
“Michael was Michael,” he said. “He was a unique creative presence with this magical touch with an audience. And look, the creative team on the new show may also have a magical touch with an audience, but it’s a different touch and it will be different.”
But the characters won’t be the only change. The feel of the story will certainly be updated, considering how the television landscape has developed over the past 40 years. And now with the addition of streaming, viewers will take the show in in a different way.
Butler explained “The audience has changed. What is the television audience and what do they want? … There’s a very different expectation. And if this adaptation of Little House can meet the expectation of this more current audience and bring along a few of those who have loved it, it’s going to be very successful.”
Michael Landon’s legacy
Michael Landon, the man who portrayed Charles Ingalls in the original series, was sure that Little House would be a success for years to come. Landon, who was also a director, producer and writer for the show, and sadly passed away at age 54 in 1991, shared with the cast and Butler that audiences would be enjoying the story of the Ingalls “long after we’re all gone.”
“There was enormous aspiration in what Michael was doing,” Butler said. “Michael said years ago, ‘People will be watching this long after we’re all gone.’ Well, at 25, when he said that, it felt a little hyperbole to me. It’s like, ‘come on now.’ Now, at 68, I’m looking at this, and I’m saying, ‘yeah, absolutely people are going to be watching this.’”
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