Netflix's 7-Part Western Series Officially Keeps Getting Bigger And Bigger

Published Nov 3, 2026, 11:13 AM EST

Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour.

It's been just over a month since Netflix released its new historical drama East of Eden, and the audience keeps growing in a massive way.

Florence Pugh stars in the latest adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 novel. Reviews for East of Eden have been positive across the board, with critics giving it a Certified Fresh score of 88% and audiences an 85%. In its first four days, 6.5 million viewers streamed the Zoe Kazan-created miniseries, which debuted at the top of the streaming charts.

The viewership numbers have now skyrocketed further. After its initial 6.5 million views, East of Eden has now garnered 28.9 million views in its fourth week, growing 4.4 times over the past month, Deadline reports. The only series on Netflix to have a larger spike is Adolescence, which grew 4.7 times in a similar four-week period.

Interestingly, East of Eden's debut viewership of 6.5 million was low compared to other shows that have been released on the popular streamer over the past seven months, but interest in the series kept rising with each passing week. In its fourth week, East of Eden was No. 6 on Netflix's Top 10 chart.

Additionally, Steinbeck's novel has seen a 200% increase in sales and was No. 1 on Amazon, thanks to this new adaptation.

Kazan, who previously acted in It's Complicated, Ruby Sparks (which she also executive produced and wrote), The Big Sick and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, told Deadline that there's a misconception that classic and iconic books are "boring and dusty." However, they stand the test of time because they're "gripping, emotional and full of the wild drama of being human."

One of her goals with East of Eden was to "lower the barrier to entry a little, to allow more people to feel that East of Eden could hold something powerful specifically for them." Kazan not only created this new adaptation, but she also served as an executive producer and co-showrunner with Jeb Stuart, and wrote all the scripts.

Zoe Kazan: “I think we have this collective misconception that ‘great books’ are boring and dusty, like eating our spinach. But most books that we consider to be classics have stood the test of time for a reason–because they are gripping, emotional, and full of the wild drama of being human. One of my aims in making this show was to lower the barrier to entry a little, to allow more people to feel that East of Eden could hold something powerful specifically for them.”

East of Eden is a period piece that centers on Pugh's Cathy Ames and her family, and shows how their lives intertwine with the Hamilton family. Pugh's co-stars include Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, Hoon Lee and Ciarán Hinds.

The first time East of Eden was adapted for the screen was in 1955. The Elia Kazan-directed film earned similarly positive reviews as Kazan's version. Cast member Jo Van Fleet won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars, and the movie won Best Motion Picture – Drama and a Special Achievement Award (James Dean) at the Golden Globes.

Twenty-six years later, East of Eden made its way to the small screen with a miniseries on ABC. It had strong ratings and went on to win an Emmy for art direction and two Golden Globes for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television and Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television (Jane Seymour).

Now Netflix and Kazan have debuted a brand-new adaptation of East of Eden. Only time will tell if it finds awards show success this time around, but the viewership data in its first month on Netflix proves that the classic Steinbeck story is resonating with audiences yet again.

• 

  Christopher Abbott

  Adam Trask

• 

  Cathy Ames