By james art 
Can you believe it’s been 50 years Little House on the Prairie first premiered on television? Melissa Gilbert she certainly can’t, and she uncovers something she never thought she’d experience.
Melissa, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder on the hit NBC series based on the book series of the same name, had some thoughts on the legacy of Little House on the Prairie when she appeared at the taping on October 30 The Kelly Clarkson Show. When host Kelly Clarkson praised her for being a part of the show, which aired between 1974 and 1983, Melissa decided to share a special moment she’s gained from the years viewers have loved the series.
“I’m looking [Little House on the Prairie] now with a couple of my granddaughters,” she revealed in a clip posted to Instagram. “They started watching and it’s just amazing. And it kills my mom too when she walks in and sees us all watching… [it’s] multigenerational. Yeah, she just starts sobbing.”
But that’s not the only thing Melissa had to say Little House on the Prairielong-term legacy of television.
When Kelly followed up and asked Melissa why she thinks the show still resonates so many years later, she explained how the stories told by the series are still relevant no matter what time frame they’re set in.
“A lot of people will say it is because the stories are about community and family and love and acceptance and all the good things in life that we all crave,” she added. “But we were also telling the stories of America in 1974 through the lens of 1874. We were telling stories about veterans coming home from Vietnam, but it was the Civil War. . . . We were telling the stories about racism, anti-Semitism, chauvinism and all the things that we fought against, and we’re still telling the same stories and trying to learn the same lessons.”
Although Little House on the Prairie hasn’t aired a new episode in quite some time, Melissa’s comments are the perfect follow-up as her career takes her back in time to another era. This time she will star in the historical drama When the heart calls season 12and she will play Georgie McGill, a woman who Deadline says “shares a surprising past with a special resident of Hope Valley.”
No matter what Melissa is up to, it’s great to see that she still loves the show that holds a special place in many people’s hearts. And if you still love Little House on the Prairie you can also continue to watch Peacock episodes.
As entertainment and news editor for Good housekeepingAdriana (she/her) writes about all things TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a BA in Journalism and a minor in Business Management. She covers shows like The rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey’s Anatomybut when she’s not watching the latest Netflix show, she’s doing martial arts or drinking too much coffee.