East of Eden premiered on Netflix on October 1, 2026 — a seven-episode limited series adapting John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel, reframed around Cathy Ames. It was adapted by Zoe Kazan, whose grandfather Elia Kazan directed the 1955 film version. Florence Pugh plays Cathy Ames, with Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist and Hoon Lee.
In Nielsen’s week of September 28–October 4 it ranked No. 2 among streaming originals with 782 million minutes — accumulated in just the four days after its premiere. On Netflix’s own global chart it was the No. 1 English-language show in its debut week (6.5 million views), then No. 2 in each of the following two weeks with 12.6 million and 6.2 million views.
It is a limited series: the story is told in full across the seven episodes, with no second season by design.
The Facts
Service: Netflix
Format: Limited series · 7 episodes
Premiered: October 1, 2026
Adapter: Zoe Kazan
Cast: Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, Hoon Lee
The number: 782 million minutes in four days (Nielsen)
Status: Complete
Sources: Nielsen U.S. Streaming Top 10 (Originals and Overall), week of September 28–October 4, 2026; Netflix global Top 10 (Tudum), weeks of October 5–11 and October 12–18, 2026; service announcements as noted. Read October 22, 2026. Photo credit on the image above.
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