Florence Pugh's Miniseries Based On 74-Year-Old Masterpiece Is Now Streaming On Netflix

Published Oct 1, 2026, 11:48 AM EDT

Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.

It has been a while since viewers saw Florence Pugh in a new project, but the star’s return to the screen in 2026’s Netflix literary adaptation is more than worth the wait. After her breakout roles in 2019’s Fighting with My Family and Midsommar, Florence Pugh was everywhere for a while. The superstar appeared in the movies Don’t Worry Darling, The Wonder, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, A Good Person, Oppenheimer, The Boy and the Heron, and Dune: Part Two between 2022 and 2024 alone.

That rundown doesn’t even include her most famous role as Yelena Belova in Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thunderbolts*, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, not to mention the upcoming blockbuster Avengers: Doomsday. However, despite, or perhaps because of, just how ubiquitous the acclaimed actor was in recent years, Pugh has had a markedly quieter 2025 and 2026. Outside of guest appearances in Marvel Zombies and her lead role in Thunderbolts*, Pugh’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day cameo is her only screen role in the last two years.

Fortunately, the arrival of Netflix’s John Steinbeck adaptation East of Eden brings the long wait for Pugh’s return to an end. All seven episodes of the historical drama miniseries are now available to stream on Netflix. Based on the 1952 novel of the same name, East of Eden follows Christopher Abbott’s Adam Trask and his half-brother, Mike Faist’s Charles Trask, in a multi-generational epic tragedy centered on Pugh’s central protagonist, Cathy Ames.

All 7 Episodes Of East Of Eden Release October 1st On Netflix

One of the thorniest figures in American literature, Cathy is an outright monstrous character who continues to divide critics and readers decades after the book’s original release. Without giving away too many spoilers unduly, suffice to say that all the novel’s lead characters are archetypical figures, and Cathy’s archetype represents the concept of Biblical evil. Some readers were understandably wary of the prospect of an adaptation that could end up softening the character, especially with a beloved star like Pugh in the lead.

Fortunately, the superb reviews received by East of Eden appear to prove that the miniseries sidestepped this mistake. The show has received rave write-ups, with critics calling the family saga engrossing and saying that Pugh commands the screen as the acerbic, amoral Cathy. Since her early roles in indie hits like Lady Macbeth, Pugh has never shied away from morally complex characters, despite her most famous role being that of a comic book heroine.

Florence Pugh's Netflix Is East Of Eden's Second Miniseries Adaptation

Notably, Pugh’s acclaimed take on East of Eden’s Cathy isn’t the first screen version of the character, nor even the second. In 1956, Jo Van Fleet won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for director/ infamous turncoat Elia Kazan’s 1955 movie version of East of Eden. Over two decades later, future Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman star Jane Seymour won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for playing Cathy in a 1981 miniseries version of Steinbeck’s novel.

Penned by Dynasty’s Richard and Esther Shapiro and directed by Harvey Hart, this eight-hour epic offered an immersive take on the novel that co-starred Airplane’s Lloyd Bridges and Die Hard’s Hart Bochner. The epic tale hasn’t graced the screen since, until now. Netflix’s new take on East of Eden is created by Eliza Kazan’s granddaughter Zoe Kazan.

While every screen version of Cathy has been celebrated, it remains to be seen whether Pugh’s take on the character is considered the definitive screen portrayal of Steinbeck’s infamously venomous antagonist. One thing that is certain already is that Florence Pugh’s East of Eden performance has been singled out as a highlight of Netflix’s miniseries take on the novel.