Review: 'East of Eden' makes Florence Pugh the most dangerous force on TV in 2026

Review. 'East of Eden', which landed on Netflix on Thursday (Oct. 1), runs seven episodes and carries a rare ambition: adapting John Steinbeck's entire novel, not just the slice that the 1955 James Dean film turned into myth. Zoe Kazan, who wrote the series and runs it alongside Jeb Stuart, opens the saga in the early 20th century and follows two generations of the Trask family, split apart by a woman nobody can figure out.

That woman is Florence Pugh's Cathy Ames, and that is where the series wins. Pugh, also an executive producer, never softens the character to make her likable: her Cathy is equal parts magnetic and frightening, and the script has the nerve to leave her without an easy explanation. Christopher Abbott (Adam) and Mike Faist (Charles) hold up the brothers' clash well, and Ciarán Hinds, as Samuel Hamilton, gives the drama the warmth it needs.

American critics back up that impression: the series debuted at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes (27 reviews). The AV Club's Hunter Ingram said Kazan has set a new standard for literary adaptations on TV, and The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg wrote that, unlike the 1955 film, the show seems to understand why the book is special.

Not everything is as steady. The tone stays dark from start to finish, and Newsday's Verne Gay went as far as calling it 'a grim, gloomy, sodden slog.' The split in directing duties, with Garth Davis on the first four episodes and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre on the last three, is also felt in the shift of pace. Still, this is the kind of adaptation that treats its audience like adults and hands Pugh the most complex role of her career.

Score: 8/10