"Little House on the Prairie" is coming back. A Netflix reboot launches on July 9. The original series captivated fans for over nine seasons in the 1970s and 1980s. More than 50 years have passed since the TV show first aired. Here's what happened to the main cast members after the cult series ended.

Michael Landon

Michael Landon (1936-1991), alias Charles Ingalls, was the lead actor, producer, screenwriter, and director of "Little House on the Prairie". The American actor became famous for his role as Little Joe Cartwright in "Bonanza", where he appeared from 1959 to 1973. When that series ended, he moved directly to "Little House on the Prairie". Landon then created "Highway to Heaven". Alongside his "Little House on the Prairie" colleague Victor French (1934-1989), he played an angel who lands on Earth and travels from town to town to help people in need.

The series ended after five seasons in 1989, shortly after Victor French died of lung cancer at the age of 54. Landon continued working for television and was supposed to develop a new series, but then received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He died shortly thereafter in 1991, also at the age of 54.

Karen Grassle

Landon's "Little House on the Prairie" co-star Karen Grassle (84) continued to appear on camera for many years after the series ended, in which she portrayed Caroline Ingalls. She was still seen in the feature film "Not to Forget" in 2021. Grassle played an Alzheimer's patient whose criminal grandson is court-ordered to care for her.

After the end of "Little House on the Prairie", she also worked extensively in theater. In 2021, she published her memoirs. In them, the actress described tensions between her and Landon, particularly after she asked for a raise and he rejected it.

Melissa Gilbert

Melissa Gilbert (62) not only portrayed Laura in "Little House on the Prairie". She also played Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker" (1979) and Anne Frank in "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1980). As she got older, she remained loyal to television and appeared in numerous TV movies. She was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 and ran for Congress in Michigan in 2015 before dropping out of the race for health reasons. She also took the stage as Caroline Ingalls in a musical production of "Little House on the Prairie".

Most recently, her private life has made headlines. Her husband Timothy Busfield (69) has been accused of inappropriate behavior with minors; he denies the allegations.

Melissa Sue Anderson

Mary actress Melissa Sue Anderson (63) took a different direction after "Little House on the Prairie" and appeared in the horror film "Happy Birthday to Me" (1981). To this day, this remains her most significant leading role.

In 1987, she joined "The Equalizer"; she married the series' creator, Michael Sloan (1946-2025), in 1990. The couple moved to Canada with their two children. Anderson only made sporadic appearances on camera after that.

Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush

To keep it secret that two different actresses played the role of Carrie in "Little House on the Prairie", they were initially credited by the production under the combined name Lindsay Sidney Greenbush. Their real names are Rachel Lindsay Rene Bush (56) and Sidney Robyn Danae Bush (56).

For their work on camera, they adopted the name "Greenbush" because their father, who was also an actor, used the stage name Billy Green Bush or Greenbush. The twins each later had one more acting appearance but left the industry after that.

These are the new stars of "Little House on the Prairie"

In the "Little House on the Prairie" Netflix reboot, Crosby Fitzgerald plays mother Caroline, while father Charles is portrayed by Luke Bracey. Alice Halsey becomes Laura Ingalls, Skywalker Hughes plays Mary. Additional cast members include Jocko Sims, Warren Christie, Meegwun Fairbrother, and Alyssa Wapanatâhk. The series was already renewed for another season before the first season even started.