Little House on the Prairie is an American Western historical drama television series loosely based on the Little House on the Prairie book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The series is centered on the Ingalls family, who live on a farm on Plum Creek near Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s–1890s. Charles, Caroline, Laura, Mary, and Carrie Ingalls are respectively portrayed by Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson, and twins Lindsay and Sydney Greenbush. In 1972, with the encouragement of his wife and daughter, television producer and former NBC executive Ed Friendly acquired the film and television rights to Wilder's novels from Roger Lea MacBride and engaged Blanche Hanalis to write the teleplay for a two-hour motion picture pilot. Friendly then asked Michael Landon to direct the pilot; Landon agreed on the condition that he could also play Charles Ingalls. Conflict between Friendly's and Landon's vision for the show ultimately led to the disinvolvement of Friendly in the production, leaving complete creative control to Michael Landon. The pilot, which first aired on March 30, 1974, was based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's third Little House book, Little House on the Prairie. The rest of the regular series premiered on the NBC network on September 11, 1974, and last aired on March 21, 1983. In the show's ninth and final season, with the departure of Michael Landon, the title was changed to Little House: A New Beginning. Three post-series movies were made. Since the original series run, the show has aired continuously in syndication and is available on a number of streaming platforms. Although initial reviews from critics were less than positive, the series ultimately became an audience favorite, with strong ratings through most of the series run. Initial reviews drew comparisons to The Waltons, which was getting solid ratings at the time. Ultimately, positive reviews followed the first season until cancellation, and continued through syndication as the show has remained popular with audiences.