East of Eden is a 2026 American historical drama television limited series created by Zoe Kazan, starring Florence Pugh. It is adapted from John Steinbeck's 1952 novel of the same name and premiered on Netflix on October 1, 2026.
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 Aaron's fraternal twin brother Joe Anders as Aron Trask, Cathy and Adam's son and Caleb's fraternal twin brother 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 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 Amelia Reynolds as Ethel, a harlot employed at Faye's Rose Flanagan as Georgia, a harlot employed at Faye's Courtney Cavallaro as Alice, a harlot employed at Faye's Perry Yung as Older Lau, the cook who raised Lee Jack Barry as Will Hamilton, Samuel's son Brad McMurray as Joe Valery, an enforcer for Kate's brothel
Episodes
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 86% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10, based on 50 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.
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