Netflix's 7-Part East Of Eden Series Fixes The 1955 Movie's Biggest Flaw

Published Oct 2, 2026, 7:54 PM EDT

Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant with expertise in new streaming releases. He's published over 3000 articles at SR, including weekly recommendation guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.

Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.

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Netflix's East of Eden adaptation is the streamer's biggest new release this week and already fixes one major flaw from the 1955 movie. Even though the classic film helped make James Dean a Hollywood icon, it only covers the last third of the original novel written by John Steinbeck, while the Netflix series is much more expansive and features a fuller spectrum of the entire source material. Because of this key difference, Netflix's new East of Eden series has a case for being the greatest adaptation of the novel ever made for the screen.

Following its global premiere on Thursday, October 1, East of Eden has surged to the #4 worldwide and #2 U.S. spots on Netflix's viewership charts, positioning it nicely for a strong opening weekend run. The Netflix adaptation was developed by Zoe Kazan, the granddaughter of the prolific filmmaker Elia Kazan, who directed the 1955 feature film. Elia Kazan specifically chose to focus on the final 80 pages of the 601-page epic to narrow in on the conflict between Cal, his brother, and his father, whereas the modern adaptation begins much earlier in the text, diving into the core characters' backstories.

Netflix's East Of Eden Series Finally Tells Steinbeck's Full Family Saga

Netflix's East of Eden provides more than five additional hours of screen time to tell a more complete adaptation of Steinbeck's novel, while the 1955 movie's runtime was less than two hours. Where the main characters, namely the Trask and Hamilton families, are firmly established in a linear and limited timeline in the movie, the Netflix series spans multiple generations and decades to better match the initial scope of the novel. Even though the movie has remained an all-time classic for more than 70 years, its format was only able to capture less than a fourth of the novel, while Netflix's version covers more than half of it.

While Netflix's series could certainly have been stretched to 8 or more episodes to include more of the source material, a seven-episode length was determined to be the sweet spot for modern audiences. The Trask family's storyline is mostly told, but the Hamilton family's storyline is greatly reduced to fit the limits of a 7-part series. This proves to be a winning approach to adapting the monumental novel, as both critics and audiences have applauded the final result within the first few days of its release. This resulted in a Rotten Tomatoes score of 86% and an audience score of 73%, although these figures may change by the end of the weekend.

Florence Pugh's Cathy Gets The Focus The 1955 Movie Couldn't Give Her

Image via Netflix

Apart from the broader scope, another key narrative difference between the 1955 movie and Netflix's new East of Eden adaptation is its increased focus on Cathy/Kate, which some Steinbeck purists may take issue with. Netflix's version gives Florence Pugh's character significantly more depth, positioning her as one of the story's central antiheroes rather than primarily a supporting antagonist. That's a major departure from the 1955 movie, which omitted most of Cathy's backstory, but many critics have argued that the expanded characterization makes Netflix's adaptation richer and more engaging.

Cathy's increased focus and depth also lay the groundwork for Pugh to shine in Netflix's East of Eden and provide one of her best career performances.

Question 1 of 3

East of Eden