Tearjerker

Little House never shied away from heartbreak. Keep the tissues handy for these episodes about loss, grief and the hardest days in Walnut Grove. 28 episodes, in airing order.

1. Pilot MovieLittle House on the Prairie (Pilot Movie)First aired March 30, 1974Before the weekly series there was this two-hour NBC movie.
2. S1 E13The Lord Is My ShepherdFirst aired December 18, 1974Caroline gives birth to a son, Charles Frederick, and Pa is overjoyed.
3. S1 E17PlagueFirst aired January 29, 1975A deadly typhus outbreak strikes Walnut Grove, and the sick are quarantined in the church.
4. S2 E7Remember Me (Part 1)First aired November 5, 1975Julia Sanderson, a widow with three children, learns she is dying.
5. S3 E6Journey in the Spring (Part 1)First aired November 15, 1976After Charles's mother dies, his father, Lansford Ingalls, comes to visit Walnut Grove.
6. S3 E7Journey in the Spring (Part 2)First aired November 22, 1976When Bunny is badly hurt, Grandpa Lansford makes the painful decision to put her down.
7. S3 E11BlizzardFirst aired December 27, 1976On a mild winter day, Miss Beadle lets school out early, and the children head home just as a ferocious blizzard sweeps in.
8. S4 E1CastoffsFirst aired September 12, 1977Laura's faithful old dog Jack dies, and she is heartbroken.
9. S4 E3My EllenFirst aired September 26, 1977Laura's friend Ellen drowns in a swimming accident.
10. S4 E21I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (Part 1)First aired March 6, 1978Mary has fallen for a young man named Seth Barton, and life seems full of promise.
11. S5 E6There's No Place Like Home (Part 2)First aired October 16, 1978The families return to find Walnut Grove a near ghost town, its buildings empty and run down.
12. S5 E15The CraftsmanFirst aired January 8, 1979Albert takes an apprenticeship with Isaac Singerman, a Jewish woodworker, and learns about craftsmanship and faith from him.
13. S5 E18The Sound of ChildrenFirst aired February 5, 1979Mary and Adam are expecting their first child.
14. S5 E24The OdysseyFirst aired March 19, 1979Dylan, a young friend of Laura and Albert, is dying and longs to see the ocean before he goes.
15. S6 E11Author! Author!First aired November 26, 1979After Caroline's mother dies, her stepfather Frederick decides to write his autobiography.
16. S6 E18May We Make Them ProudFirst aired February 4, 1980Albert sneaks a smoke in the basement of the school for the blind, and a fire breaks out.
17. S7 E18Sylvia (Part 2)First aired February 16, 1981Sylvia's father plans to take her away from Walnut Grove, and Albert and Sylvia decide to run away and marry.
18. S7 E21The Lost Ones (Part 1)First aired May 4, 1981Alvin and Sarah Cooper die in a wagon accident, leaving behind two children, James and Cassandra.
19. S8 E8ChicagoFirst aired November 23, 1981Mr.
20. S8 E15Uncle JedFirst aired February 1, 1982James and Cassandra's Uncle Jed, a wealthy man from Minneapolis who once turned them away, comes to Walnut Grove wanting to take them home with him.
21. S8 E18Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow (Part 2)First aired February 22, 1982Laura gives birth to their daughter, Rose, but even the new baby can't pull Almanzo out of his depression.
22. S8 E20A Faraway CryFirst aired March 8, 1982Caroline goes with Doc Baker to a remote mining camp where influenza is spreading.
23. S9 E1Times Are Changing (Part 1)First aired September 27, 1982The ninth season, retitled Little House: A New Beginning, opens with big changes.
24. S9 E2Times Are Changing (Part 2)First aired October 4, 1982After her father dies, Jenny Wilder is lost and angry, and much of her anger lands on Laura.
25. S9 E17A Child with No NameFirst aired February 14, 1983Laura gives birth to a baby boy, but the infant dies before he can even be named.
26. S9 E18The Last SummerFirst aired February 21, 1983Jason Carter takes on odd jobs for Ruthy Leland, a girl his age.
27. S9 E21Hello and GoodbyeFirst aired March 21, 1983Matthew's real father turns up, and the boy leaves Walnut Grove to live with him.
28. TV MovieLittle House: Look Back to YesterdayFirst aired December 12, 1983The first of three TV movies that followed the series.