Forget East Of Eden, This Apple TV Series Is A Masterclass In Historical Drama Television

Published Oct 6, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT

Mary Kassel is a Senior Writer & Critic who joined the Screen Rant team in 2023. 

After graduating from Emerson College with a degree in Media Arts Production, Kassel started at Screen Rant with a focus on the critical analysis side of movies and television while continuing to work on set in film production. 

At Screen Rant, Kassel primarily writes for the Classic TV section, mining their encyclopedic knowledge of television history for content. However, they also contribute to the Books team and review both film and television as a critic. 

It's not surprising that a new adaptation of East of Eden has hit screens, and that it's one of the best Netflix original TV shows released this year. Based on the 1952 novel by John Steinbeck, it's a quintessential American novel, and the 1955 East of Eden movie helped cement the story as one that can be retold thanks to Steinbeck's rich family saga. Following the Trask family at the turn of the 20th century, East of Eden grapples with themes of good and evil, the power of choice, and the breaking of generational cycles.

Florence Pugh's Cathy in East of Eden takes center stage in the new series in ways she couldn't have been before today. Cathy's darkness has a nuanced complexity that comes from the modern lens used to bring Steinbeck's novel to life in 2026. Though the series is still faithful to the book and rooted in its historical context, the shifts in this adaptation make the enduring story all the more timely for audiences. However, this is far from the first historically sweeping tale of family and fortune available to watch on streaming.

Premiering in 2022, Apple TV's take on the 2017 novel by Min Jin Lee, Pachinko, the series of the same name gives East of Eden a run for its money. Though the influence of Steinbeck and the historical fiction canon shines through in Lee's writing, she takes the genre to another level. Thanks to the quality of the source material and vivid characters, the screen adaptation of Pachinko deserves more recognition and proves itself to be a step above the 2026 East of Eden.

Pachinko Has An Even More Epic Scale Than East Of Eden

Spanning decades from the 1910s to the late 1980s, Pachinko similarly tracks the ups and downs of a family and the characters' struggle to find their place in the world. Set in Korea and Japan, and directly engaging with the Japanese occupation of Korea and the discrimination of this time, Pachinko sees its protagonists suffer and grow, pushing them even further than Steinbeck's characters in East of Eden.

If audiences enjoy the focus on Cathy in East of Eden, Pachinko will scratch that itch. One of the series' main characters, Kim Sunja, is a complicated matriarch, forced to make the best decision she can for the future of her family. Imperfect, but heartwrenchingly relatable, Sunja isn't an anti-hero like Cathy, but she's given just as much characterization and depth by the writing.

East of Eden takes a slightly more linear approach to its storytelling, dedicating full episodes to backstory and fleshing out what characters are doing behind the scenes before moving on with the central storyline of the Trask family. Conversely, Pachinko weaves the threads of its timeline together, acknowledging how deeply connected one moment from the past is to the decisions faced by those in the story's present.

Pachinko Deserves A Third Season

Pachinko is one of the best shows on Apple TV. Though the streaming service is known for its science fiction projects, Pachinko proves that Apple is just as capable of making a once-in-a-generation historical drama. Though East of Eden was able to condense the story into just seven episodes, the scale of Pachinko called for multi-season arcs, and there's no question that the show needs to return for season 3.

Unfortunately, fans have been waiting for Pachinko season 3 for a long time. Season 2 concluded in 2024, and with no concrete plans on the horizon for another installment, it's been difficult waiting to hear whether Pachinko will get the additional season it deserves. However, after the success of East of Eden, it's clear that Apple TV should take a chance on reviving Pachinko, as the story is just as compelling as Steinbeck's work and will stand the test of time as his novel has.