The Best Episodes of Little House on the Prairie
Every episode of Little House on the Prairie ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Little House on the Prairie!
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, and Karen Grassle, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s.
Top Episode Ratings Summary
The best episode of "Little House on the Prairie" is "The Richest Man In Walnut Grove", rated 8.8/10 from 452 user votes. It was directed by Michael Landon and written by N/A. "The Richest Man In Walnut Grove" aired on 9/10/1975 and is rated 0.1 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away (2)".
8.8/10 452 votes#1 - The Richest Man In Walnut Grove
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 1975-09-10
After the mill closes, Charles is unable to pay off his debt at the mercantile. Mr. Hanson is forced to close the mill after one of his big customers declares bankruptcy. This was after Hanson had already shipped them a bunch of lumber. Charles had been expecting two months worth of wages before Hanson was forced to close down. Charles must taken on several jobs at the same time. Mary gets a job to help the family, while Laura does the chores at home. When the bill finally gets paid, Nels tells Charles that he thinks Charles is the richest man in Walnut Grove, since he has a very loving family.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: N/A
8.7/10 420 votes#2 - I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away (2)
Season 4 Episode 22 - Aired 1978-03-12
Charles and Caroline sign Mary up for the blind school in Iowa. At first, Mary is very reluctant to learn anything at the school. However, after being with her teacher, Adam Kendall, for a while, she turns her outlook on life around. Mary is such a great student that Adam asks her to help her teach at a blind school with him.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.7/10 347 votes#3 - Sweet Sixteen
Season 6 Episode 22 - Aired 1980-02-24
The school district's superintendent comes to Walnut Grove, looking for someone who can replace a teacher who has fallen and broken her leg. Eliza Jane recommends Laura. Almanzo thinks he has no chance of Laura falling in love with him.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: Michael Landon
8.6/10 653 votes#4 - A Harvest of Friends
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1974-09-11
The Ingalls settle on the banks of Plum Creek in Walnut Grove. To get the farm set up, Charles must take on several jobs at once. He promises one person that if he didn't get the job done in the specified time, the person could have his oxen.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: N/A
8.6/10 560 votes#5 - Country Girls
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 1974-09-18
Laura and Mary start school for the first time. That is where they meet Nellie Oleson. Since Laura hasn't been to school before, she tries especially hard with her schoolwork. The students have to write an essay to present in front of the class. Laura recites what she would have written on the paper if she could have, instead of what was actually written on it.
Director: N/A
Writer: Juanita Bartlett
8.6/10 399 votes#6 - Remember Me (2)
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 1975-11-12
After Julia Sanderson's death, her three children stay with Grace, with help from Mr. Edwards. When Charles is unable to find someone to adopt all three children, he has to make the difficult decision to place them in separate homes. At the very last minute, Mr. Edwards makes a monumental decision: he marries Grace - and they take on all three children.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: Michael Landon
8.6/10 436 votes#7 - Blizzard
Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 1976-12-27
The day before Christmas vacation started, Miss Beadle lets the children out early when she notices that a snowstorm is beginning. The children aren't able to make it home before the storm starts. The men of Walnut Grove search for the children while Doc Baker takes care of the frostbitten children that show up at the school.
Director: N/A
Writer: Paul W. Cooper
8.6/10 324 votes#8 - He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (1)
Season 6 Episode 23 - Aired 1980-05-04
Almanzo asks for Laura's hand in marriage. Mr. Ingalls tells Almanzo to wait until Laura was eighteen. Not wanting to wait, Almanzo forces Laura to choose him or respect her father. Laura respects her father's wishes. Almanzo leaves town and causes Laura a lot of heartache. Harriet hires Percival Dalton to help her in the restaurant. Nellie and Percival fall in love and eventually Percival asks Nellie to marry him. Adam's father dies, which means that a new blind school wouldn't be built in Walnut Grove.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: N/A
8.6/10 341 votes#9 - He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (2)
Season 6 Episode 24 - Aired 1980-05-11
Laura helps Adam and Mary set up a new blind school in Sleepy Eye to try to get her mind off of Almanzo. Almanzo gets very sick.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: N/A
8.5/10 488 votes#10 - Town Party, Country Party
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 1974-10-30
Laura connects with a sweet, shy classmate named Olga Nordstrom, who happens to have been born with a short leg. Charles has an idea that can change Olga’s entire life, but the challenge will be convincing the child’s stubborn widowed father.
Director: Alf Kjellin
Writer: N/A
8.5/10 492 votes#11 - The Lord is My Shepherd (2)
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 1974-12-18
Believing that her jealousy was responsible for her infant brother's death and that her parents would rather have a son than a spare daughter, Laura climbs the highest hill she can find, hoping to get as close to God as possible to ask Him to take her instead and return the baby boy to the family. While Charles and Mr. Edwards desperately search for her, Laura meets Jonathan, a mystical mountain man who seems to have been sent purposely to guide her through this life-changing experience.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: N/A
8.5/10 455 votes#12 - Christmas At Plum Creek
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 1974-12-25
The Christmas holiday is approaching and the members of the Ingalls family go about their holiday shopping in secrecy. Laura is able to buy her mom a stove that she wanted after she sells her horse to Mr. Oleson.
Director: N/A
Writer: Arthur Heinemann
8.5/10 408 votes#13 - Plague
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 1975-01-29
Several people in Walnut Grove get very sick. A quarantine is set up in the church while the source of the illness is being sought.
Director: N/A
Writer: Michael Landon
8.5/10 430 votes#14 - Remember Me (1)
Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 1975-11-05
A widowed mother named Julia Sanderson (Patricia Neal) learns she has a terminal illness and, with no close relatives to care for her three children, John Jr., Carl and Alicia, she gets Charles to promise to find the children a new home after she dies. Meanwhile, Laura and Mary rescue some abandoned puppies, and the relationship between Mr. Edwards and Grace Snider begins to blossom.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: N/A
8.5/10 445 votes#15 - The Collection
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 1976-09-27
Reverend Alden gets sick while collecting donations. Caleb Hodgekiss, an ex-convict, helps the Reverend by giving him a place to stay and volunteering to get the donations from Walnut Grove. Caleb poses as a friend of the Reverend so that he might get donations which he initially planned to keep for himself.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: Arthur Heinemann
- 8.5/10 416 votes
#16 - I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away (1)
Season 4 Episode 21 - Aired 1978-03-05
Mary falls in love with Seth. When Mary's eyesight starts to get worse, Charles takes her to a specialist. He is devastated when the specialist tells him that Mary will lose her sight. Charles is unable to tell Mary for a while that she is going blind. When Mary does go blind, the whole family suffers.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.4/10 458 votes#17 - The Lord is My Shepherd (1)
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 1974-12-18
Caroline becomes pregnant. Shortly after the baby is born, he becomes ill.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: Michael Landon
8.4/10 399 votes#18 - Haunted House
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 1975-09-24
Although many in Walnut Grove think he's a homicidal maniac who lives in a haunted house, brave Laura Ingalls befriends mysterious hermit, Amos Pike, and soon discovers the truth behind both the rumors and the old man's reclusive life.
Director: Victor French
Writer: N/A
8.4/10 318 votes#19 - There's No Place Like Home (2)
Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 1978-10-15
As the Ingalls, Garveys and Olesons return to Walnut Grove they discover a town that is badly in need of repair. With a lot of hard work, from everyone around them, they're able to get the town back to its old self, helping a number of people who feel they are living in a dead town, like Lars Hanson.
Director: N/A
Writer: Michael Landon
8.4/10 344 votes#20 - Back To School (1)
Season 6 Episode 1 - Aired 1979-09-16
The school's new teacher is Ms. Wilder. Laura falls in love with Ms. Wilder's brother Almanzo. Laura is crushed when Nellie invites Almanzo over for dinner. Laura gets even with Nellie by volunteering to cook dinner for them. Laura adds some hot spices to the chicken and since Nellie had said that she had cooked the meal, Almanzo stays away from Nellie.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: Michael Landon
8.4/10 325 votes#21 - Back To School (2)
Season 6 Episode 2 - Aired 1979-09-23
When Laura and Nellie get in a fight about the graduation test, Almanzo separates them and takes Laura home with him. When Charles finds out that Almanzo took Laura home with him, Charles goes to Almanzo's place and punches Almanzo because he fears his daughter was being taken advantage of. Laura yells at the fighting pair and tells them that she is no longer a child.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: Michael Landon
8.4/10 382 votes#22 - Sylvia (1)
Season 7 Episode 17 - Aired 1981-02-09
A schoolyard escapade involving Albert brands 15-year-old girl Sylvia a tease. The two fall in love, but Albert is unaware of a number of circumstances which have thrown Sylvia's life into a frightening tailspin - getting raped by an unknown assailant and the girl's domineering father.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: Michael Landon
8.3/10 527 votes#23 - 100 Mile Walk
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 1974-09-25
In the beginning, things look very good for the Ingalls until a bad hailstorm ruins their crops. Charles and some other farmers must leave to look for work. They end up working in a quarry. While Charles is away, Caroline is able to get the women of Walnut Grove to join together to harvest the remaining crops.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.3/10 470 votes#24 - Mr. Edwards' Homecoming
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 1974-10-02
While Charles is in Mankato, he runs into Mr. Edwards and invites him to come to Walnut Grove. Caroline tries to match Mr. Edwards up with Grace Snider, but instead she just ends up in the way since Mr. Edwards is able to charm Grace all by himself. Although there are a couple problems that must be overcome, things turn out for the best in the end.
Director: Michael Landon
Writer: Joel Murcott
8.3/10 435 votes#25 - School Mom
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 1974-11-13
After Ms. Beadle sprains her ankle, Caroline becomes the substitute teacher. Caroline takes a special interest in helping an older student, Abel, learn to read. One day Mrs. Oleson shows up and causes Abel to quit school. Because of this Caroline quits, but returns after she convinces Abel to give school another chance.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A