Little House on the Prairie (TV Miniseries)

The TV miniseries begins in Pepin, Wisconsin, in the mid 1870s. Charles Ingalls (Cameron Bancroft) is a rough-and-tumble woodsman and trapper, basically tired of working for The Man. Charles feels that the Big Woods around his home are becoming a little too crowded and civilized. Despite the coziness and warmth of his little house, and the nearness of family and friends, he decides to take his young family West and claim a farm on the plains of Kansas. Along for the ride are his patient and gentle wife Caroline (Erin Cottrell), and his two young daughters: prim, fearful Mary (Danielle Chuchran) and feisty, tomboyish Laura (Kyle Chavarria). Charles' wanderlust and thirst for adventure are mirrored by Laura, whose impish curiosity and utter fearlessness anchor the series. After an arduous overland journey filled with close calls (their covered wagon nearly crashes through the ice on the Mississippi River, they nearly tumble down a steep hill, the family dog almost drowns, and one of their horses is bitten by a rattlesnake, to name a few of their troubles), the Ingalls family settles on the wide and wild prairie along the Verdigris River. With a combination of grit, determination, and steadfast love, they begin to carve a life for themselves out of the wilderness. They soon meet a handful of other nearby settlers, including grizzled "wildcat from Tennessee" Mr. Edwards (Gregory Sporleder), and Mr. Scott (James Cosmo), a Scotsman with a piggish, bloodthirsty wife (Gina Stockdale). The Ingalls family is also under the close scrutiny of the local Indians, who apparently live just over the hill in their backyard, and are less than thrilled with the family's sudden arrival. The Ingalls' year on the prairie is a constant battle against the environment and the elements. They struggle to raise their cabin, dig a well, build a fireplace, celebrate Christmas in the wilderness... all of the memorable events of Wilder's original novel are dutifully preserved. Laura and Pa also have a number of run-ins with the local fauna, including being chased by a pack of wolves and a midnight attack by a fierce mountain lion.