Netflix’s East of Eden series has a first-look trailer — and I’m hopeful John Steinbeck’s novel will get another worthy adaptation lucy.buglass@futurenet.com (Lucy Buglass) | usagoldmines.com

• Netflix has shared a trailer for its East of Eden adaptation, starring Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames
• The series is created by Zoe Kazan, whose grandfather, Elia Kazan, directed the 1955 movie adaptation
• Netflix’s East of Eden arrives on October 1, 2026

East of Eden has a trailer, and I’m feeling optimistic about Netflix’s take on John Steinbeck’s novel. We don’t have long to wait either, as the series arrives on October 1.

The original East of Eden novel is considered to be Steinbeck’s most ambitious novel. Spanning 600 pages, it follows the intertwined histories of two families: the Hamiltons and the Trasks, documenting their lives from the American Civil War to the end of World War I.

Florence Pugh stars as Cathy Ames, who marries Adam Trask (Christopher Abbott), and I’m already excited for Pugh’s take on the iconic literary villain. Cathy hides behind a charming exterior, but beneath it all, she’s manipulative and destroys people’s lives for fun and profit.

Take a look at the East of Eden trailer below to see how Cathy worms her way into the Trask family.

East of Eden will have seven episodes and was created by Zoe Kazan, whose grandfather, Elia Kazan, directed the 1955 movie adaptation starring James Dean.

Pugh and Abbott are joined by a great supporting cast, including Joseph Zada and Joe Anders as the Trask twins, Cal and Aron, and Ciaran Hinds as Samuel, the head of the Hamilton family, whose lives become linked with the Trasks.

The series will explore many of the book’s major plot points, such as Cathy abandoning her sons, which is a huge catalyst for their differing personalities. Cal believes he’s “evil” like his mother, and Aron invents an angelic, idealized version of his mother to cope.

I’m interested to see if the series will deviate from the book in any way, but based on the trailer, it seems pretty close so far. We’ll have to wait and see how it’s received when it’s released next month.

For now, why not check out our roundup of the best Netflix shows to see what else the best streaming service has to offer.