Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie introduces audiences to a fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved books, accompanied by an emotionally rich score from Emmy-nominated composer Dan Romer. Rather than looking to the original television series for inspiration, Romer set out to create a musical identity rooted in the emotional core of Wilder’s stories.

The eight-episode drama follows the Ingalls family as they leave Wisconsin to build a new life on the Kansas frontier, balancing intimate family drama with the hardships of frontier life. During our conversation, Romer discussed everything from his unexpected journey into film scoring to collaborating with showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine and crafting the musical heart of the series.

Discovering Film Scoring

Before discussing Little House on the Prairie, Romer reflected on the journey that led him to become one of today’s most respected film composers. He explained that he didn’t seriously consider composing for film until his final year of college, when a friend unexpectedly asked him to score a short film. That opportunity introduced him to filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, beginning a creative partnership that would eventually lead to Beasts of the Southern Wild and launch a career that has since included projects like Station Eleven, Luca, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and now Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie.

Romer also cited Danny Elfman, Jon Brion, and John Williams among the composers who inspired him early on, while admitting that much of his education came from listening to the scores he admired and, as he put it, trying to “reverse engineer” how film scoring worked.

Starting From a Clean Slate

Although many viewers associate Little House on the Prairie with the beloved television series, Romer revealed that he hadn’t watched the original before joining the project. During his first conversation with showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine, they agreed that this adaptation should establish its own musical identity rather than draw inspiration from the earlier series. Instead, the goal was to create a fresh score rooted in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s original books.

The world of Little House wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to Romer, however. He shared that his mother had read the books to him when he was very young, giving him a personal connection to the source material long before he began composing the music for the series. That foundation gave him the freedom to develop a score specifically for this adaptation, allowing the books, rather than the previous television series, to shape its musical identity.

Building a Theme for the Family

One of Romer’s earliest goals was to create a melody that audiences would immediately recognize throughout the series. Rather than composing individual themes for each member of the Ingalls family, he felt the story was best served by a single central theme. Because the family spends so much of the series together, he explained that separate character motifs never felt quite right. Instead, he wanted the music to represent the emotional heart of the family as a whole, while allowing a few additional themes to emerge for specific situations throughout the story. 

Romer also revealed that the central melody came to him before he had even begun scoring to picture. As production progressed, the opening sequence went through several iterations while he and the creative team refined how the theme would work alongside the narration. Once established, however, that melody became a recurring musical thread throughout the season, reappearing in different forms as the story unfolds. 

Collaboration Over Spectacle

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation centered on Romer’s collaboration with showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine. From the outset, Sonnenshine had a clear vision for how music should function within the series. Rather than leaning into traditional Americana instrumentation throughout the score, she wanted instruments like fiddles and mandolins to exist naturally within the world of the story itself, such as when Pa is playing the fiddle, while allowing the orchestral score to establish its own emotional language. That distinction helped the on-screen performances feel authentic while giving the score its own unique identity. 

Romer also spoke highly of Sonnenshine’s instincts as a collaborator, explaining that she understood when a scene needed the music to step forward and when it needed to quietly recede. Rather than relying on sweeping orchestral moments to heighten every emotional beat, she encouraged restraint whenever it best served the story. As a result, the score supports the performances and narrative without ever overwhelming them, allowing the emotion to emerge naturally.

The Craft Behind the Music

As someone fascinated by the filmmaking process, one of the topics I was most curious about was what happens after a score has already been written. Romer explained that post-production is rarely straightforward. Sometimes a cue simply needs to be adjusted to fit a new edit, while other times a scene evolves enough that it calls for an entirely new musical approach. Rather than following a single formula, every change is approached on a case-by-case basis, depending on what best serves the story. 

That flexibility is a reminder that composing for film doesn’t end once the music is written. As the edit continues to evolve, so too does the score, making the process an ongoing collaboration between the composer, filmmakers, and editors until the final version of the story is complete.

Romer also shared that while Little House on the Prairie features recordings with roughly twenty string players and four trombonists, much of the score also includes instruments he performed himself, including piano, accordion, percussion, and other textures that helped shape the final sound.

A Score Built on Hope

When our conversation came to a close, I asked Romer what he hoped someone would feel if they happened to hear the Little House on the Prairie soundtrack on its own, even before experiencing the series. His answer beautifully summed up both the score and the heart of the show.

“I would hope that they would feel sort of… both emotional, like a sadness and a nostalgia, but also an excitement about the future.”

It’s a fitting description of a score that balances warmth, reflection, and optimism. Whether heard on its own or alongside the series, Romer’s music captures the emotional spirit of Little House on the Prairie. Like the series itself, it isn’t interested in simply recreating the past. Instead, it invites audiences to rediscover it through a new lens.

Want to hear more from Dan Romer? 

Check out our highlight reel from the interview below, where he discusses creating the score for Little House on the Prairie, collaborating with showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine, and his approach to film scoring.