Long before Yellowstone was the ruling Western/rural drama that swept the hearts of audiences nationwide, there was another long-running series that held the title. While not your traditional Western (more like a Midwestern), Little House on the Prairie certainly appealed to rural audiences similarly to how Yellowstone does now, albeit with a “family values” mindset rather than the political “hoo blah” the Paramount series suggests. While certain Yellowstone projects were initially written more like a novel, Little House was actually based on a series of them, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which helped secure its long-running popularity. But aside from the rural connection, where do these shows intersect?
Jen Landon is Michael Landon’s Daughter
In the third season of Yellowstone, there were plenty of changes that shook up the series, one of them being the introduction of the new ranch hand Teeter. Played by Jen Landon, Teeter was introduced in the episode “Freight Trains and Monsters,” and quickly became a recurring character on the show. By the most recent fifth season, Landon was promoted to a series regular, and Teeter has been with us ever since. Known for her Texan accent and hard-broiled attitude, Teeter has grown on audiences and developed into more than just a Southern caricature over her time on the show.
If the surname “Landon” sounds familiar, then you’re probably connecting some dots. Yes, Yellowstone’s Jen Landon is the daughter of Little House on the Prairie’s Michael Landon. The older Landon not only starred as Charles “Pa” Ingalls on the hit series (which ran for nine seasons and three post-series made-for-TV specials), but also executive produced the series. Additionally, Landon was one of the show’s most prolific writers and directors, having directed some of the most important episodes of the series as well as the original pilot film and the post-series special Little House: Last Farewell, which saw the destruction of the town.
Unlike some of her siblings, Jen Landon didn’t ever appear on Little House. The actress wouldn’t officially begin her acting career until the 21st century, and since the long-running series went off the air in the early ’80s, she never had the chance. Though, she did appear in one of the final episodes of her father’s next series following Little House, Highway to Heaven, where she played a little girl. Uncredited for this role, her next appearance with her father was in the made-for-TV movie Us, meant to be the pilot for Michael Landon’s next series. Sadly, the series was never made as Landon died of pancreatic cancer in 1991.
Michael Landon’s Extensive Television Career
Of course, Michael Landon’s history with the Western genre preceeds even Little House. When first starting out in the entertainment business, Landon made a living playing Little Joe Cartwright on Bonanza, which is still considered one of the greatest television Westerns of all time. Landon was on Bonanza for over a decade, appearing in 430 episodes of the long-running Western series. Immediately following his time on Bonanza, Landon directed and starred in Little House, which aired for nearly a decade.
In his time on Little House, Landon became a household name. The series’ commitment to family values, simple living, and it’s over-all feel-good attitude was a marker of its success, and is why the series still appears regularly on reruns today. But following the three Little House made-for-TV follow-ups, Landon shifted from the Western genre to something more spiritual set in modern day (well, modern for the ’80s). Reuniting with his Little House co-star Victor French, Landon created his next series titled Highway to Heaven where he played Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to help ordinary people in need. The series was a far cry from what we were used to with Little House, but served as an interesting forerunner to future shows like Touched By An Angel and Ghost Whisperer.
After a shortened final season, Highway to Heaven was canceled after five years. As Landon and French’s last series together (the latter died shortly after in 1989), it was a heck of a show to end on. The star only made two more television films before his death, the first being the somewhat-autobiographical Where Pigeons Go to Die, which he both starred in and directed, and the second being Us, which gave him the opportunity to work alongside two of his children: Jen Landon, and his adoptive son Mark Landon.
Jen Landon is Following In Her Father’s Footsteps
In addition to Jen and Mark, Michael Landon had seven other children, including actress Leslie Landon (who also appeared on Little House, most notably as Etta Plum), filmmaker Christopher Landon (known best for writing the Paranormal Activity movies), and filmmaker Michael Landon, Jr., who created the Love Comes Softly and When Calls The Heart franchises for Hallmark. Understandably, Landon’s work in the film industry paved the way for his children to continue the Landon name in Hollywood, either as writers, directors, or actors.
While Christopher Landon has stuck to the horror genre (he also directed Freaky and the Happy Death Day films), Jen Landon and Michael Landon, Jr. have taken their father’s torch and continued to tread in the Western space. While Landon, Jr.’s career is arguably more similar to his fathers given the content he creates, Jen Landon’s role on the top television Western of our time feels awfully like her father. While she’s certainly following in her father’s footsteps, the younger Landon has carved a distinct career for herself in the process. In addition to Yellowstone, Landon landed recurring roles on Banshee, FBI: Most Wanted, and Animal Kingdom, as well as daytime soaps like As The World Turns.
However Teeter’s story shapes up on Yellowstone, and whether she follows the cast into the Kevin Costner-less sequel series following, it’s clear that Jen Landon is making a name for herself in a way that would make her father proud. Though Yellowstone isn’t exactly Little House on the Prairie, its increasing popularity and particular brand of Western is something to be celebrated, and may hopefully spawn more exciting content in the future. Who knows, maybe if Paramount’s Little House reboot ever comes to fruition, we’ll see Jen Landon leading the charge. One could dream anyway.