East of Eden | Official Trailer | Netflix

Netflix's seven-episode limited series adapts John Steinbeck's novel through Cathy Ames and generations of the Trask family. Florence Pugh stars as Cathy, alongside Christopher Abbott as Adam and Mike

Netflix’s limited series East of Eden adapts John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel into seven episodes. Florence Pugh plays Cathy Ames, whose life upends the relationship between brothers Adam Trask and Charles Trask, carrying the family saga into the next generation. The entire series was released on Netflix on October 1, 2026. The official trailer condenses the tensions repeated across generations alongside Cathy’s voice.

A Family Saga Centered on Cathy

This adaptation follows the Trask family chronicle while placing Cathy at the center of the story. Christopher Abbott plays Adam, Mike Faist plays Charles, Joseph Zada plays Cal, and Joe Anders plays Aron. The rift Cathy creates between the two brothers becomes the starting point for showing how the choices of one generation remain with the children of the next.

Time Continuing Beneath the Shadow of War

The story begins in the aftermath of the American Civil War and extends into the early years of World War I. The lives of the Trask and Hamilton families, who settle in the Salinas Valley, become intertwined, with Ciarán Hinds’s Samuel Hamilton, Hoon Lee’s Lee, and Martha Plimpton’s Faye at the intersection. It is a period drama that explores a changing American society and individual choices through the conflict within one family.

An Adaptation Divided into Seven Episodes

Zoe Kazan wrote all seven episodes and served as executive producer. Garth Davis directed episodes 1–4, while Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre directed episodes 5–7, dividing the limited series into two parts. The episodes expand step by step from the brothers’ coming of age to Cathy’s past and new identity, and finally to the concerns of the next generation on the eve of war.