The WORST episodes of Little House on the Prairie
Every episode of Little House on the Prairie ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Little House on the Prairie!
Based upon the best selling "Little House" series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The show follows the lives of a simple farming family, the Ingalls, who settle into a quaint little house near the small town of Walnut Grove during the late 1800s. The majority of the shows were narrated by Laura and the series follows her from when she and her family arrive in Walnut Grove until her adulthood with Almanzo Wilder, with whom she starts a family of her own.
#1 - The Older Brothers
Season 9 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/17/1983
The Older Brothers is a gang that used to have a notorious reputation. First they hold up Mr. Edwards but end up losing the money. Then they try to get ransom money for Mr. Edwards but that doesn't go very well.
#2 - Sins Of The Fathers
Season 9 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/10/1983
When Mrs. Carter's mother dies, Sarah Carter's father comes to town. He tries to get the Carters to come with home back to New York. He wants the Carters to have a better life. The Carters tell him that home sweet home is in Walnut Grove. After a while, Sarah's father begins to understand while the Carters feel this way.
#3 - The Halloween Dream
Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/29/1979
Albert's imagination starts to get the better of him when he dreams that he and Laura are taken by Indians.
#4 - Marvin's Garden
Season 9 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/3/1983
Jenny looses a necklace in a pond and almost drowns trying to get it. After the incident, she has partial brain damage and has to retrain herself to talk and walk. Jenny's friend, a retired doctor, helps Jenny to force herself to get better. Thanks to him, Jenny makes a complete recovery.
#5 - Alden's Dilemma
Season 9 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/6/1982
A minister that is passing through Walnut Grove arouses the suspicions of Reverend Alden and Mr. Edwards. Reverend Alden believes that he will lose his congregation to the other reverend. Mr. Edwards notices that this minister spends a lot of time with Mrs. Carter and Laura, which causes him to suspect the worse.
#6 - Rage
Season 9 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/18/1982
Mr. Stark has gotten himself so far in debt that he has lost his mind. He goes home and shoots his wife and daughter. Then he goes off and ends up at Laura's house. He mistakes Laura and Jenny for his wife and daughter, but when he sees Rose, he thinks that his daughter has had a baby.
#7 - A Child With No Name
Season 9 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/14/1983
Laura gives birth to a baby boy. The baby is fine and healthy for a while. Then for no apparent reason the baby dies. To ease her mind of the death, she blames Doc Baker for what happened to her baby. Doc's reputation declines so much that he must leave town to find work. Just before Doc Baker leaves, Rose comes down with small pox. Doc must stay quarantined with the Wilders for two weeks. Watching the Doc save Rose's life causes Laura to rethink her attitude about Doc Baker. Laura and the rest of the town convince him to stay on.
#8 - Welcome To Olesonville
Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/11/1982
Harriet finds a bearer bond from Walnut Grove. She uses this to try to get people to follow her suggestions. She tells the town council that if she doesn't get her way, she will cash in the bond which would force the town to pay Mrs. Oleson over $10,000.
#9 - Doctor's Lady
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/22/1975
Dr. Baker and Harriet's niece, Kate, fall in love with each other. Then their age difference becomes an issue.
#10 - Hello and Goodbye
Season 9 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/21/1983
Mr. Montague stays at the Wilder boarding house while he is at Walnut Grove researching for a book that he is writing. Matthew Roger has a hard decision to make when his biological father shows up. Matthew decides to leave Mr. Edwards and go with his father. Mr. Edwards moves into the boarding house so he wouldn't be lonely anymore.
#11 - Times Are Changing (2)
Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/4/1982
Royal has a very bad heart and asks Laura and Almanzo to take care of his daughter since he was going to die soon. Jenny is devastated by her father's death. After talking to Reverend Alden about heaven, she tries to commit suicide by drowning so that she could be with her father again. Jeb Carter is able to save Jenny although he can't swim. Laura convinces Jenny that she should do what would make her parents proud.
#12 - The Empire Builders
Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/22/1982
The people of Walnut Grove are at first excited when the railroad wants to build through the town. This excitement doesn't last long. The railroad tells several people that they must leave their houses. The people make a stand at the Carter's place. This delay in building convinces the railroad to find a different route.
#13 - Little Lou
Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/25/1982
A tiny circus performer, Lou, decides to look for work in Walnut Grove after his wife dies while giving birth to his baby girl. A prejudice Mrs. Oleson uses her power to make sure that the dwarf doesn't find work. She even threatens Mr. Anderson that she would close her account at the bank if he hired Lou. To keep the infant alive, the dwarf must steal food. Mrs. Oleson decides to press charges when she finds out who stole the food. When Nancy falls in a well, Lou risks his life to save the girl. That's when Mrs. Oleson decides that being small has its advantages and decides to drop all charges.
#14 - Love
Season 9 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/29/1982
Laura's childhood friend, Jane Canfield, comes back to Walnut Grove. Although she is blind, she falls in love with Mr. Edwards, a person who was old enough to be her father. Jane then undergoes an operation which allows her to see again. After a lot of soul searching, Mr. Edwards tells Jane that she should go out and find herself a better life. At the end of the show, we see Mr. Edwards in the distance watching Jane leave on the stagecoach.
#15 - As Long As We're Together (2)
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/18/1978
Charles even sells his fiddle to buy Mary a gift. At the party, Mary gives Pa his fiddle back. Laura gives Mary a card. Mary is so proud of Laura writing the letter in braille. Almost everyone is in tears, including Mrs. Oleson, when Mary announces that she has nothing to wish for, since she has everything that she could possibly want.
#16 - The Last Summer
Season 9 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/21/1983
Jason Carter starts working for an old lady. Jason becomes great friends of the lady. However, Jason's mom believes the lady is being too nice. Jason is forbidden to work for the old lady until Sarah finds out that the lady will soon die.
#17 - May I Have This Dance?
Season 9 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/14/1983
No longer a mama's boy, Willie announces his engagement and plans to marry his sweetheart. All this upsets his mother greatly, who makes several attempts to get her way.
#18 - The King Is Dead
Season 6 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/12/1979
Jonathan is tricked into believing that he is a good wrestler. Jimmy Hart tricks Jonathan into believing this just to make money off of Jonathan. The local region is betting heavily including many residents of Walnut Grove who stand to lose a lot of money. Mrs. Oleson is betting heavily too, with the church funds, which she is treasurer for. Milo has to prove to Jonathan that he has been set up. In the end, Jonathan has Milo (the wrestler he beat in round one), take his place in the wrestling ring.
#19 - Castoffs
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/12/1977
When Laura's dog, Jack, dies, her Pa gives her a new dog, Bandit, after the dog follows him home. Although the dog seems very friendly to Laura, Laura doesn't want it. When Laura later visits Aunt Kezia, a lonely women, she realizes that she really loves Bandit.
#20 - Home Again (1)
Season 9 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/7/1983
When Albert continually breaks the law, Charles takes him out of the big city and back to Walnut Grove. Albert doesn't change in Walnut Grove because he is addicted to morphine. Charles finally forces Albert to stop using morphine. He stays with Albert while he goes through withdrawal. Thanks to Charles, Albert is no longer addicted to morphine. We find out at the end of the show that Albert will become Dr. Albert Ingalls.
#21 - Gambini The Great
Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/9/1981
In an episode about hero worship, Charles and Nels share deep concerns over an aging circus performer's influence on the children of Walnut Grove. Particularly since some of them - Albert and Willie in particular - have tried some of the daredevil's more dangerous stunts, with mixed results.
#22 - The Return of Mr. Edwards
Season 6 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/5/1979
After an accident where a tree falls on him, Mr. Edwards is injured and can't walk properly and feels like he is only half a man. Charles and Laura visit him, where Mr. Edwards seems to come out of his dark mood at seeing Laura. Charles, Mr. Edwards and Laura go on a hunting trip, where Mr. Edwards has deadly intent on his mind. Charles then resorts to a serious tactic to help his friend.
#23 - The Faith Healer
Season 6 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/19/1979
A preacher who works as a faith healer establishes a congregation in Walnut Grove, taking parishioners from Rev. Alden's church. But things grow deadly serious when a teen-age boy dies from a ruptured appendix after being healed from the pain.
#24 - To Live With Fear (1)
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/14/1977
Mary has an accident with a horse in the barn. When Mary starts to get worse, the Ingalls take her to a specialist. There they learn that Mary needs an immediate operation.
#25 - The Angry Heart
Season 6 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/17/1979
Todd was a boy who got beaten up by his drunk father. Now Todd is 17 and is visiting his grandparents in Walnut Grove. Todd quickly gets into trouble. Charles puts Todd in jail when his watch is stolen. Todd is forced to work on Mr. Ingalls' farm. This causes Todd to learn to become a nicer person.