East of Eden
What’s it rated? TV-MA
When? 2026
Where’s it showing? Netflix
Directed by Garth Davis (episodes 1 to 4) and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (5 to 7) and written by Zoe Kazan (except episode 5, co-written with Alexander Chee), this sweeping multigenerational drama comes closest to capturing the full scope of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel that adapts the biblical story of Cain and Abel.
The most famous film adaptation is no doubt director Elia Kazan’s 1955 film starring James Dean, but that covered only the last quarter of Steinbeck’s novel. Zoe Kazan is Elia’s granddaughter, and for those familiar with the novel and the 1955 film, what might be most surprising about Zoe’s miniseries is she focuses more fully on Cathy Ames, Cal and Aron’s sex-worker mother who was a major character in the novel but barely a blip in the 1955 film. Here, Cathy—played brilliantly by Florence Pugh—is given even more of a backstory and more psychological depth than in the novel.
Also interestingly, the Hamiliton family—major characters in the novel—is minimized in the miniseries, allowing the story to focus more fully on the Trasks. Cathy, called Kate after she takes control of a brothel, is like a wrecking ball rolling through the Trask family. (seven 51-to-68-min. episodes)
—Glen Starkey
