If anyone were to ask me to name one of the best family oriented shows to ever hit network television, I would without hesitation, say “Little House on the Prairie.” A couple of weeks ago I told you about the release of the original pilot episode for “Little House on the Prairie” and marveled at the fact that it had been thirty years since the premiere of the long-running series. Because I grew up with a taste for all styles of entertainment, I was as much at home watching “Little House on the Prairie” as I was almost any other type of show. I was impressed with the series from the outset, and tuned in every week for the entirety of its ten-year run. During that time, it never wavered from its original premise, which was to tell a good story while teaching simple lessons in values. Since the show ran for so many years, viewers were also able to watch as the youngest of the Ingalls family grew up, married and eventually moved on.

Though there had been a few good family shows during the early years of television, there were fewer and fewer as we moved into the 1970s. What “Little House on the Prairie” was able to do was prove there was an audience for this type of positive programming, and paved the way for the few family shows that have followed in its wake. Shows like “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman”, “Highway to Heaven” and “Touched by an Angel” might have never made it onto a major network if it hadn’t been for “Little House…”

The thing I find funny is though the ratings proved that “Little House on the Prairie” was insanely popular, I’m actually hard-pressed to find people willing to admit they watched it. Many of my friends call the show way too saccharine to ever waste their time on. For some reason people seem to be embarrassed to admit they watched the show, and I think this in part held up it’s release on DVD. Some distributors probably felt no one would buy it, and kept their attention focused on shows they deemed more profitable. Fortunately there are distributors out there willing to take a chance, and I applaud Goldhil Home Media getting together with Imavision and releasing not one, but two whole seasons of “Little House on the Prairie” at the same time.

The 1st season of “Little House…” (1974 – 1975), based on the popular books by the real Laura Ingalls Wilder, was a hit almost right out of the gate. Over the course of those first 23 episodes, the series took chances by touching on some really tough issues and circumstances. In fact the series was so wildly popular that it lasted a whole 9 seasons. The final season being re-titled “Little House: A New Beginning.”

And speaking of this final season, Imavision released the 9th season of “Little House on the Prairie” a few months ago and watching these episodes again reminded how strong of a show it continued to be even after the radical change and loss of Michael Landon (though he did continue to write, produce and direct episodes). This season focused more on a grown up Laura Ingalls Wilder (Melissa Gilbert) and her life with Almanzo (Dean Butler). Also gone was the always despicable Nellie (Allison Arngrim), though she did show back up for a guest appearance. And I did forget that this final season added Shannon Doherty to the cast as Jenny Wilder.

One of the things that surprised me was just how much darker the series became during these final episodes. After all, Pa Ingalls decided to pack up the family and move them to the big city, though he did return for an episode where he brings Albert (Matthew Laborteaux) back to Walnut Grove in order to help him fight an addiction to morphine. And one of the episodes, in which a man shoots his wife and daughter in a fit of rage, was especially tough to watch. Robert Loggia starred in this one, and being the great actor that he is, tears up the screen with his performance. In another heartbreaking episode, we witness the birth… and death of Laura's baby. And on and on it goes through the season. Great stories to be sure, just less a little less light.

The first few DVD sets of this series didn’t really offer much in the way of extra features, but that has changed over the course of the last couple. This new 9th season set includes interviews with Dean Butler, who played Almanzo and Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie. Arngrim was featured on previous sets, but I never tire of hearing from her. I remember meeting her about 15 years ago when she was doing stand-up comedy. She was incredibly funny and picked on me because I was the only person to raise my hand in the audience when she asked who had seen “Little House.” We spoke for a while after her show and she was genuinely charming.

You'll also find a nice documentary that focuses on the real Laura Ingalls Wilder's writing as viewed by several members of the show's cast and crew. There is also a tour of some of the places that Wilder lived and wrote about.

There is also a Trivia Challenge on the final disk, put together by author/journalist Patrick Loubatiere (who also conducted the interviews). What I thought was going to be a snap, was actually pretty tough unless you had just watched the DVDs. (Memories of past viewings don’t quite hold up so well at my advanced age.) Loubatiere really knows his material, and it shows in the included 88 page book, Little House on the Prairie: From A to Z. In it Loubatiere gives us a glossary of sorts and shares all manner of memories and facts from the series.

So far all of the DVD sets have been handsomely put together with box slipcases that hold foldout disc holders, each containing six discs. The foldouts are adorned with photos from the series, and each disc has a picture of one of the main characters. The sets also include little booklets that list each episode along with a brief synopsis.

When the sets first started being released I heard rumblings as to the quality of the transfers, and after watching quite a few of the episodes from each set, I’d like to put those comments to rest. For those who are not too picky and just want to watch the shows, the transfers are fine. There are some minor spots and scratches that were probably on the original prints, but they aren’t even remotely bothersome. The only people who will complain are those with super high-end audio / visual equipment who expect perfection on their discs. These guys complain about the slightest glitches, so they’ll probably go nuts over these. If you’re only interest is in having some really good copies of the series to watch whenever you like, I doubt you’ll have a problem. As it stands, there are have been improvements with each set, and now I think there is even less for the whiners to whine about.

Personally, I’m just thrilled to have access to one of the best family shows to ever air on network television. I now have the ability to share it with my family, which now includes a 2 ½ year old girl. I can’t wait to start watching with her when she’s old enough to enjoy and appreciate the series, and perhaps even identify with Laura Ingalls. (I've already started reading her the books to get her ready…)

I’m very glad to see that sales of these sets have been lucrative enough for Imavision to release them all the way through to the end.

Episodes :
Times Are Changing, Parts 1 & 2
Welcome to Olesonville
Rage
Little Lou
The Wild Boy, Parts 1 & 2
The Return of Nellie
The Empire Builders
Love
Alden's Dilemma
Marvin's Gardens
Sins of the Father
The Older Brothers
Once Upon a Time
Home Again
A Child with No Name
The Last Summer
For the Love of Blanche
May I Have this Dance?
Hello and Goodbye

Starring: Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson, and Victor French
Extras: Interviews with Allison Arngrim and Dean Butler, Laura's Legacy, Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Site Tour, Season 9 Trivia Challenge, Exclusive Book - Little House on the Prairie A-Z
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Goldhil Home Media / Imavision / NBC Home Video
Release Date: Available
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Little House on the Prairie: Season 9 an A.