East of Eden is a 2026 American historical drama television limited series created by Zoe Kazan, starring Florence Pugh. It is adapted from the 1952 novel by John Steinbeck and premiered on Netflix on October 1, 2026. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Contents
Premise
The series takes place from the late 19th century to World War I and focuses on the life of Cathy Ames, along with half-brothers Adam and Charles Trask in Connecticut, as well as her sons, fraternal twin brothers Caleb and Aron, in Salinas Valley, California.
Cast
Main
Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames
Vaughan Reilly as Adolescent Cathy
Christopher Abbott as Adam Trask, Cathy's husband
Asher Whitehead as young Adam Trask
Costa D'Angelo as adolescent Adam Trask
Mike Faist as Charles Trask, Adam's half-brother
Gus Turner as young Charles Trask
Tom Sweet as adolescent Charles Trask
Hoon Lee as Lee, Adam's servant
Ciarán Hinds as Samuel Hamilton, Adam's neighbor
Recurring and guest
Joseph Zada as Caleb "Cal" Trask, Cathy and Adam's son and Aron's fraternal twin brother
Bodhi Aisher as Young Cal
Joe Anders as Aron Trask, Cathy and Adam's son and Caleb's fraternal twin brother
Jonah Wren Phillips as Young Aron
Martha Plimpton as Faye, the madam of a prestigious brothel
Tracy Letts as Cyrus Trask, Adam and Charles' strict father
Robert Morgan as Sherrif Quinn, investigating Cathy's disappearance
Josh McConville as Mr. Edwards, Cathy's pimp
Simon Maiden as Bill Ames, Cathy's father
Leeanna Walsman as Elizabeth Ames, Cathy's mother
Christopher Sommers as Mr. Bacon, an abusive brothel customer
Zoe Phillips as Abra Bacon, Mr. Bacon's daughter
Gigi Morabito as Young Abra
Nicholas Burton as James Grew, Cathy's naive Latin teacher
Anita Hegh as Liza Hamilton, Samuel's wife
Richard Hartley as Cotton Eye Joe, a musician at the brothel
Peter Hayden as Dr. Wilde, a doctor who attends the harlots
Production
Development
The series is adapted by Zoe Kazan, whose grandfather Elia Kazan directed the 1955 film adaptation of the novel. Anonymous Content and Fifth Season co-produced the seven-episode limited series for Netflix. In 2022, it was reported that the series was in development for Netflix, with Florence Pugh attached to star. Garth Davis was the director of the first four episodes, while Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre served as director of the last three episodes. Jeb Stuart served as co-showrunner alongside Kazan. Executive producers include Pugh, Kazan, Stuart, Davis, Clermont-Tonnerre, Antoine Douaihy, Steve Golin, David Levine, Zack Hayden and Jill Arthur.
Casting
In September 2024, it was reported that Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, and Hoon Lee had joined the series alongside Pugh. The following month, additional additions to the cast included Joseph Zada, Tracy Letts, Martha Plimpton, Joe Anders and Ciarán Hinds.
Filming
Principal photography began in New Zealand in October 2024. Filming locations are reported to include Auckland, Dunedin and Oamaru in the South Island. The production wrapped in March 2025. Initially Mike Faist was only signed on to appear in the first three episodes, but when Netflix saw early footage of his performance they commissioned one additional episode to feature Faist more.
Music
Laura Karpman composed the series' score.
Release
The series was released on Netflix on October 1, 2026.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 87% approval rating with an average rating of 7.6/10, based on 60 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Zoe Kazan imbues her legacy adaptation with delicious moral quandaries and sumptuous landscapes, but it's the expanded character work from Pugh and Lee that brings justice and dignity to this new canon of East of Eden." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 80 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.