The 1970s Michael Landon vehicle “Little House on the Prairie” has been a symbol of wholesome programming for so long, it’s a wonder Disney-owned ABC didn’t remake it years ago. The new show, “Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie” (7 p.m. today, ABC) will unfold in a limited run and debuts as a two-hour movie. Graced with gorgeous scenery and good-looking characters, this “House” is easy on the eyes. The adaptation is also true to good old-fashioned 19th-century taciturnity. Cameron Bancroft plays Charles “Pa” Ingalls with the understated toughness of Clint Eastwood circa “A Fistful of Dollars.”

Thankfully, the two girls — Laura (Kyle Chavarria) and Mary (Danielle Ryan Chuchran) — comport themselves with the “seen and not heard” ethos of the era. “House” displays a comforting lack of cute precocity. Erin Cottrell is the one wrong note. As Caroline “Ma” Ingalls, she looks like a healthy 20-something who just walked out of “Little Sorority House on the Prairie.”

The movie involves Charles Ingalls’ decision to uproot his family from the comfortable confines of Wisconsin to live on a free parcel of land in the Kansas wilderness. For reasons unknown, the filmmakers abandoned a key aspect of the “Little House” books in which Laura serves as the central character and narrator. The enduring series appealed to generations of children because it showed the settling of America from a child’s point of view. This attractive and often entertaining film dispenses with Laura’s narration and she becomes just another character.

Today’s highlights

• The NCAA Basketball tournament (6 p.m., CBS) continues.
• An incoming jet has been hijacked on “LAX” (7 p.m., NBC).
• Maya Angelou hosts “The 20 Greatest Songs of Faith” (7 p.m., CMT).
• John Walsh is host to the 800th episode of “America’s Most Wanted” (8 p.m., Fox).
• The beauty business is a killer on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (9 p.m., NBC).

Sunday’s highlights

• Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): advocates for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia; runners who participate in races over a 100 miles long; a controversial ossuary.
• Orphans in the media storm on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (7 p.m., ABC).
• Head lice and heartache on “Desperate Housewives” (8 p.m., ABC).