New "Little House"

Call me corny, but I'm ecstatic that ABC and Disney have chosen to revive and refresh the Little House on the Prairie series. After watching the movie premiere Saturday night, I'll give it an 8.

That rating will, no doubt, improve as I get used to the new actors portraying characters firmly fixed in my mind through decades of watching the originals and the reruns. Overall, I think the new take on this much-loved collection of classic stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder did a masterful job of hooking me into wanting more.

I have to admit that I approached the movie with a bit of skepticism because of how much I had loved the earlier series. Nothing could match what these great actors had accomplished, I thought.

I was wrong. Phenomenal photography, well-cast actors, and and highly-crafted attempts toward portraying as much authenticity as possible gave the new series its own special touch. The two hours moved by quickly, and the premiere's dramatic ending with "TO BE CONTINUED" in the midst of high drama will have me perched in front of my TV next Saturday evening.

With this series, families can once again sit down together and enjoy some refreshing, wholesome entertainment with a few positive messages packaged within. There must have been something very redeeming in the old series for it to have been kept alive and loved by so many viewers for so long.

If I could talk to television honchos, I'd let 'em know this new "Little House" reflects a step in the right direction. That is, as long as we don't see a bunch of copycat series trailing after it, diluting the effect, like the dozens of ridiculous reality shows all following the same predictable formula. Cop and lawyer shows are great, but a few go a long way in that realm too.

Besides the "Little House" stories, we have so many rich aspects of history in this country from which to tap for dramatic entertainment. If producers would only seek out more ideas from this endless wealth for future programming, we could be entertained and educated at the same time.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to Saturday nights on ABC. I'm especially anxious to see how they replace Nellie Olson and her mother. Now that will be a formidable challenge!

Welcome back "Little House."