Dean Butler, who played Almanzo Wilder on Little House on the Prairie, recently shared his pick for the episode that “jumped the shark” during an appearance on The Patrick LabyorSheaux podcast. Butler singled out Season 9, Episode 20, “For the Love of Blanche,” as his least favorite. In this episode, Mr. Edwards (Victor French) promises a dying traveler to care for his “baby,” only to discover the baby is actually an orangutan named Blanche. The storyline ends with Blanche being sent to a zoo and never mentioned again.
Butler admitted the plot felt out of place, saying, “I just felt like we jumped this huge shark with this orangutan. It’s like, ‘Where does this come from?’” Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson) recalled the absurdity of the episode with laughter, while podcast host Patrick Labyorteaux (Andrew Garvey) joked about the popularity of orangutans in entertainment, referencing Clint Eastwood’s orangutan co-star in Every Which Way but Loose.
Arngrim also shared her own least favorite episodes—any involving sporting events—since her character usually sat in the stands, bored for hours in the heat.
Many fans have their own picks for “jump the shark” moments in Little House on the Prairie, especially in later seasons when the show introduced increasingly far-fetched storylines, like the arrival of Blanche the orangutan. Other commonly cited moments include the introduction of new families and characters in the final season, and some of the show’s more melodramatic plot twists.
Little House on the Prairie is currently streaming on HBO Max, Prime Video, Philo, and FRNDLY TV. Which episode do you think “jumped the shark,” or what storyline felt the most out of place for you in this beloved series?