Netflix has released “East of Eden,” a seven-episode limited series based on John Steinbeck’s classic 1952 novel, with Florence Pugh leading the cast as Cathy Ames.
Netflix premiered East of Eden on October 1, 2026, bringing Steinbeck’s famous family story to television in a new adaptation created and written by Zoe Kazan.
The series follows the Trask and Hamilton families across generations and explores family, love, betrayal, morality and the choices that shape people’s lives. Pugh plays Cathy Ames, one of the story’s most important and complicated characters, while Christopher Abbott plays Adam Trask and Mike Faist plays Charles Trask.
The new adaptation gives Cathy a much larger focus than the famous 1955 film version. Kazan has approached the character with more attention to her background, motivations and the experiences that shaped her. The series therefore gives viewers a different way to understand a character who has long been viewed as one of Steinbeck’s darkest creations.
The project also has a special connection to Hollywood history. Zoe Kazan is the granddaughter of Elia Kazan, the director of the 1955 East of Eden film starring James Dean. This new television version allows Zoe Kazan to return to the same literary story from a very different perspective.
Unlike the original story's California setting, much of the Netflix series was filmed in New Zealand. Production moved more than 6,000 miles from California, using locations across the country to recreate the landscapes and architecture of early 20th-century America. The production used parts of New Zealand's South Island as a stand-in for Steinbeck's California.
All seven episodes of East of Eden are now streaming on Netflix. The series gives a new generation a chance to experience Steinbeck's story while putting Cathy Ames and her perspective at the center of the adaptation.
