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Few family shows bring back as many memories as Our Little Farm. The 1970s original certainly wasn’t perfect. Nevertheless, the series still has a permanent place among many viewers today. For me, the reason lay not so much in the stories themselves, but in the way they were told: calmly, sincerely and with great attention to their characters.
It is this core that is lost New edition from Netflix. Streaming service not just copies the original, but is more closely based on the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is noticeable from the very beginning. Instead of taking place directly in Walnut Grove, the action is initially set in Independence, Kansas, making it closer to the historical originals. I like this approach and it shows that Netflix wanted more than just a remake.
The focus is on Laura, the family is no longer there.
However, the biggest change concerns the main characters. Although the original is only Family With Ingalls alive, Laura’s story is clearly getting Netflix’s attention. This works surprisingly well. Laura is curious, brave and controversial. She carries the entire series with ease and for me that is one of her greatest strengths.
However, at the same time the focus is shifting. The family portrait increasingly becomes a story about Laura. This noticeably changes the dynamics of the series. I think this is especially unfortunate with Charles and Caroline Ingalls. In the original, both were the emotional center of the family. Charles radiated calm and reliability, Caroline held the family together. In the Netflix version, however, both remain surprisingly pale. It often feels like their development is driven by the plot rather than their personality. As a result, the family lacks the very foundation that previously distinguished them.
Eight episodes is simply not enough
For me, the biggest problem is something completely different: Netflix doesn’t take up my time. The series covers a period of about two years in just eight episodes. As soon as a conflict arises, it is already settled. Events that would previously have contained an entire episode are processed within minutes.
For me, the leisurely pace of the narrative has always been the hallmark of “Our Farm”. Many memories of the series are not of big drama, but of conversations, quiet moments or character reunions. Sometimes also from episodes where the plot deviated from the theme and told smaller side stories. These points are almost completely absent from the new edition.
Instead of allowing the characters to grow, the plot jumps from one event to the next. While this increases the pace, it robs the story of much of its emotional impact.
Good ideas are not used consistently
Netflix has shown several times what potential the new title has. Some of the minor characters are presented in an engaging and intriguing manner. But before they can really develop their contours, they fade into the background again.
On the other hand, I think the handling of the historical background was successful. The series shows in much more detail than the original that the Ingalls family settled on Osage land. This makes conflicts more understandable and credible.
Visually, the series is not always convincing. Time and time again, he takes stunning landscape photographs that capture the expanse of the prairie. However, many backgrounds seem surprisingly artificial. It often feels more like a film set than a living settlement.
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Good series, but not the best interpretation
This is why I don’t think the Netflix version failed at all. She has strong actors, interesting ideas, and is consciously trying to go her own way. Anyone who has never seen the original will probably appreciate the series differently.
Netflix turned it into a modern-day coming-of-age story about Laura Ingalls. You might like it. What’s lost to me, however, is exactly what made the series so timeless.