What To Know
- Dr. George Tann, featured in Netflix’s new Little House on the Prairie series, is based on a real Black physician who treated the Ingalls family.
- The character, portrayed by Jocko Sims, is historically accurate and appears in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s original books.
In the 1970s, Little House on the Prairie was a cultural phenomenon, captivating millions of viewers each week with its heartfelt stories, memorable characters, and timeless lessons about family, faith, and perseverance. Based on the beloved books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the series became one of the defining television shows of its era and remains a cherished classic decades later.
But die-hard fans of the books know that several characters who became familiar faces on television were either significantly different from their literary counterparts or were created specifically for the series to help expand the world of Walnut Grove.
In the new Netflix series, it has been revealed that Season 1 will adapt the third book in Wilder’s series, Little House on the Prairie. Many fans of the original TV show (but not necessarily the books) may be surprised to learn that the story takes place in the developing town of Independence, Kansas, far from the familiar setting of Walnut Grove.
As such, many of the characters who became staples of the original television series will not be present, while audiences will instead see several figures from the books receive much larger roles and more fully developed storylines.
One of the characters who has sparked discussion among longtime fans is Dr. George Tann, played by Jocko Sims. While viewers of the original television series may not recognize the name, the character actually has roots in the Little House books and plays a key role during the Ingalls family’s time in Kansas, serving as their physician in place of Dr. Baker (played by Kevin Hagen in the original series). Interestingly, Dr. Tann did make a brief appearance in the Season 3 episode “The Wisdom of Solomon,” though the Netflix adaptation will expand his role considerably.
Based on the real-life Dr. George A. Tann, the character is inspired by a pioneering Black physician who lived near the Ingalls family during their time in Kansas. Born into a free Black family in 1835, Tann became known for practicing “eclectic medicine” and caring for both settlers and Native American communities in the area. While there are no records showing that he attended medical school, he learned his profession through training and experience, as many Black doctors did at the time. He became especially respected for his skill in treating broken bones.
After relocating to Kansas under the Homestead Act, Tann and his father purchased land neighboring Charles Ingalls (played by Luke Bracey in the new series), making him a real-life figure in the Ingalls family’s story.
Eric Zachanowich/Netflix
In Chapter 15, “Fever ‘N’ Ague,” of Little House on the Prairie, Wilder introduces Dr. George Tann as the physician who treats her after she falls ill with malaria:
“Then the doctor came. And he was the Black man. Laura had never seen a Black man before, and she could not take her eyes off Dr. Tann. He was so very black. She would have been afraid of him if she had not liked him so much.
He smiled at her with all his white teeth. He talked with Pa and Ma, and laughed a rolling, jolly laugh.”
For the new Netflix reboot, Sims told The Hollywood Reporter that he did his research before digging into the role. “I’m still learning things about him. He was adored. He was immersed in Native American cultures, speaking different languages while taking care of people.”
“I would welcome the opportunity to get to know him even more and spend more time digging and talking to historians,” said Sims.
And though there is already some pushback, the character is book-accurate.
“We’ll get some hate, people calling it ‘woke.’ I’ve already seen a couple of people say, ‘Oh, they’re adding these characters in.’ Megyn Kelly took some shots before there was a page written, but I love what [star of the NBC series] Melissa Gilbert said back to her. It was like, ‘I don’t know if you’ve seen the original show, but we were pretty woke,’” Sims told the publication. “Unfortunately, that’s the culture we’re in nowadays, where there has been this concerted effort to diminish DEI efforts — and that’s not even what this is. This is just telling true stories.”
Sims is referring to a post Kelly wrote on X when the project was announced that read, “Netflix, if you woke-ify Little House on the Prairie, I will make it my singular mission to absolutely ruin your project.”
Little House on the Prairie showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine says Sims’ Dr. Tann is a “connector of different communities and different economic strata” in a post-Civil War world.
“I really wanted someone who moved between worlds, who had a very small life in Pennsylvania, realizing that he wanted more after being changed by the war, which led him to apprentice as a doctor. The West is calling to him in a different way than someone like Charles [Ingalls], but it’s the same allure, which is that I can reinvent myself,” said Sonnenshine to THR. “It’s the idea that war sends you to places that you never would’ve gone, and how that opens up the world. That’s where we started with a character who treated the white settlers, the Black settlers who were there, and also treated the Osage and the Cherokee. People now say that that couldn’t be, but it was true.”
Little House on the Prairie, Season 1, July 9, Netflix