Netflix’s East of Eden Centers Cathy in a Seven-Part Retelling

Netflix’s seven-part adaptation of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is available to stream, retelling the Trask family saga across generations with Florence Pugh’s Cathy Ames at the center of its interpretation. Written by Zoe Kazan, the series revisits the novel’s conflict over family, inheritance and personal choice while giving greater attention to Cathy than earlier screen versions did. The story begins with half-brothers Adam and Charles Trask, whose rivalry is shaped by their father, Cyrus. As adults, they take in Cathy, a wounded stranger whom Adam later marries. The family story continues with Adam and Cathy’s twin sons, Cal and Aron, as tensions and patterns of favoritism pass from one generation to the next. The narrative draws on the biblical story of Cain and Abel and the question of whether people can choose between good and evil. The series covers more of Steinbeck’s multigenerational story than the 1955 film directed by Kazan’s grandfather, Elia Kazan, which focused on the later portion of the novel. The new adaptation has seven parts.