"Little House on the Prairie" is making a big return on ABC.
Alphabet is teaming with producer Ed Friendly for a six-hour miniseries based on the classic autobiographical saga of Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose first book about growing up on the American frontier was published 70 years ago.

Mini, scheduled to bow during the 2004-05 season under the "Wonderful World of Disney" banner, will be a more faithful adaptation of the book series than the long-running NBC drama, which focused more on the father figure (played by Michael Landon) than the books did.

Six-hour project, budgeted at $15 million-$20 million, will be written by Katie Ford, with David Cunningham ("To End All Wars") on board as helmer. Hans Proppe, who produced ABC mini "Anne Frank," is also on board as a producer. Production is set to begin in Calgary early next year.

ABC and Friendly already have hammered out a deal to bring back "Little House." Friendly has the rights to all nine books and has given ABC an option to use them as the basis of a new series should the mini perform as well as Alphabet execs hope.

Friendly produced the pilot for NBC's "Little House" skein but left the show not long after the first season due to creative differences.

"I walked away because it became too much of a Michael Landon vehicle," he said. "I don't mean to knock Michael; he had his own vision. My vision was that Laura was the star. I am proud of the series (because) even though it wasn't faithful to the books, it was in its own way a damn fine series. But now I'd like to go back and do it the way Laura Ingalls Wilder would have wanted."

ABC longform chief Quinn Taylor said bringing back "Little House" is a "slam dunk" idea.

"It's one of the most beloved children's classics of all time," he said. "You put it on as part of the 'Wonderful World of Disney,' and it's a no-brainer."

Still, it has taken a while for the project to get the greenlight. ABC Entertainment chief Susan Lyne first approached Friendly about building a new "House" franchise more than two years ago, back when she headed longform at the net.

"Susan came all the way to Rancho Santa Fe," said Friendly, 81. "She wouldn't let me retire."

Taylor said he views the new "Little House" mini "as a road picture" of sorts, since the family leaves the Big Woods to make their way west over the course of 18 months. All of the action will be seen through the eyes of Laura, who's around 8 at the time the story begins.

"She'll comment on things with the innocence of a child," Taylor said. "She doesn't know that if she wanders through the high grass, she could be lost."

Many of the aspects of the NBC series familiar to fans won't be present in the ABC mini. While Charles and Caroline still have three kids, they won't settle in the town of Walnut Grove, and Nellie Olsen won't be around to harass Laura.

"When Charles has to get supplies, he has to travel to Independence, which is two days away by horseback," Taylor said. "He leaves a wife and kids in the middle of hostile country, with hostile weather, Indians and wildlife."

The last "Little House"-related TV project was the 1999 CBS telepic "Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder." In 1997, Universal pacted with Friendly and scribe Horton Foote to bring "Little House" to the bigscreen, but no feature was ever produced.

In addition to producing the original "Little House," Friendly's long list of producer credits include "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" and the mini "Backstairs at the White House."

Cunningham is repped by WMA and Management 360.

Part 1 will air March 26. There will be 3 parts, each 2 hours long.

The classic tales of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her pioneer family's brave travels across the rugged Kansas Territory at the turn of the century are the basis of "Little House on the Prairie," a limited series airing as part of ABC's "The Wonderful World of Disney" and premiering in a two-hour telecast SATURDAY, MARCH 26 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. In no way based on the television show of the 1970s, this series actually marks a return to the autobiographical books written by Ms. Wilder.

Part 1 will air March 26. There will be 3 parts, each 2 hours long.

The classic tales of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her pioneer family's brave travels across the rugged Kansas Territory at the turn of the century are the basis of "Little House on the Prairie," a limited series airing as part of ABC's "The Wonderful World of Disney" and premiering in a two-hour telecast SATURDAY, MARCH 26 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. In no way based on the television show of the 1970s, this series actually marks a return to the autobiographical books written by Ms. Wilder.

Part 1 will air March 26 from 8-10pm, but now ABC has decided to air the remaining 4 hours, in one hour blocks on Saturdays, April 2, 9, 16 and 23 from 8-9pm.

That's cool! One of the eps airs on my birthday!

I'm really looking forward to this. I hate that the 1974-1983 series takes so much flack for not staying true to the books. It definitely strayed away from the books, but I still think the show was great television for most of the run (started getting a little down around the middle of 1981-1982 for me).

Its going to seem strange watching other actors play these rolls.

The first part did very well for Saturday last night. For its first hour the show did a 5.1/9, and it built on that to 5.5/10 for the second hour. Total rating was a 5.3/10. 2nd place behind NCAA Basketball coverage on CBS.

I wonder how the ratings were through the whole thing.. Was it good enough to make it into a tv show?

Premiere ratings were great, but with DST, ratings fell through the floor, sticking between 5 and 6 million viewers. Personally, I loved it, but it's over.

Premiere ratings were great, but with DST, ratings fell through the floor, sticking between 5 and 6 million viewers. Personally, I loved it, but it's over.

What do you mean by DST? what's that? hmmm well 5 and 6 million that's alot of people..

What do you mean by DST? what's that? hmmm well 5 and 6 million that's alot of people..

Daylight Savings Time(getting dark later)

5-6 million is NOT a lot when you consider how many people are watching TV at that hour... the only time that's a lot is during the overnight hours.

I was able to watch some of the episodes, and I thought it was a pretty good show...

the thing I liked least about the telecasts were the CONSTANT, EXTREME close ups of the actors' faces That's uncomfortable to watch, at least for me...totally un-necessary