‘East of Eden’ Trailer Puts Florence Pugh’s Cathy Ames at the Center of a Family Saga Where Evil Can Hide Behind Beauty
The new trailer for Netflix’s East of Eden offers a chilling introduction to Cathy Ames, the enigmatic woman at the heart of Zoe Kazan’s seven-episode adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel. Played by Florence Pugh, Cathy arrives in the lives of the Trask brothers and quickly becomes the force that threatens to tear their family apart.
The limited series premieres globally on Netflix on October 1, 2026, with all seven episodes arriving at once.
At the center of the story are brothers Adam Trask, played by Christopher Abbott, and Charles Trask, played by Mike Faist. Their lives change dramatically when Cathy appears at their home injured and covered in blood.
“I believe there are monsters born in this world to human parents,” Cathy says in the trailer. She describes a monster as a variation from what society considers normal, suggesting from the outset that her character will challenge the boundary between human nature and morality.
Cathy Ames arrives in the Trask family’s life
When Adam encounters Cathy, he asks her name.
“You may call me Cathy,” she tells him.
Adam is immediately drawn to her. Despite the fact that she spends much of her time secluded in her room, he believes her presence has transformed the house and says that she “brightens the whole house.”
Charles is far less trusting.
He warns his brother that a woman like Cathy does not simply appear without consequences. He fears she will eventually destroy Adam, and he does not want to stand by and watch it happen.
Adam, however, decides to marry Cathy and promises to protect her and make her happy.
The trailer makes clear that Adam’s faith in Cathy may be badly misplaced.
“Evil is not always apparent at first glance,” Cathy says in voiceover. “It can come cloaked in goodness, or beauty, or love.”
That idea sits at the center of Kazan’s interpretation of Steinbeck’s novel. The story draws heavily on the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, using the conflict between brothers as a framework for examining jealousy, morality, family and the choices passed from one generation to the next.
A family saga stretching across generations
While Cathy is the focus of the new adaptation, East of Eden encompasses a much larger family story.
The series follows the Trask family across generations, with Cathy’s life becoming intertwined with Adam and Charles and, later, Adam’s twin sons, Cal and Aron.
Joseph Zada plays Cal Trask, while Joe Anders portrays Aron Trask. Later in the trailer, Adam is urged not to leave the boys without a father when they are already growing up without a mother.
Faist’s Charles can also be heard reflecting on the consequences of their upbringing, saying that he fears their father condemned the brothers to the wrong fates.
The series brings in other major figures from Steinbeck’s novel, including Cyrus Trask, played by Tracy Letts; Faye, played by Martha Plimpton; Samuel Hamilton, played by Ciarán Hinds; and Lee, played by Hoon Lee.
The story spans decades and connects the Trask and Hamilton families as they build their lives in California’s Salinas Valley. Netflix describes the adaptation as a story about what families pass down, and what each generation must ultimately choose for itself.
Zoe Kazan brings Steinbeck’s novel to Netflix
Kazan wrote the television adaptation and serves as co-showrunner with Jeb Stuart. She and Florence Pugh are also among the series’ executive producers.
The project has a particularly personal connection to Kazan. Her grandfather, Elia Kazan, directed the 1955 film adaptation of East of Eden. Zoe Kazan is now putting her own version of Steinbeck’s story on screen more than seven decades after the novel was first published.
The new series comes from co-studios Fifth Season and Anonymous Content and was filmed across multiple locations in New Zealand.
Garth Davis directs Episodes 1 through 4, while Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre directs Episodes 5 through 7. Antoine Douiahy and Zack Hayden also serve as executive producers.
The adaptation was first announced nearly four years before its 2026 release, with Pugh attached to play Cathy. Netflix ultimately ordered the project as a seven-episode limited series, with the story placing renewed emphasis on Cathy as its central antihero.
A new take on one of Steinbeck’s defining stories
The trailer presents East of Eden as a sweeping family drama built around the enduring struggle between good and evil. Cathy’s arrival sets the story in motion, but the consequences reach far beyond her relationship with Adam and Charles.
The series also explores how the choices and wounds of one generation shape the next. Netflix’s official description frames the story around a fiercely independent woman whose presence drives a wedge between two brothers, setting off a saga that unfolds across generations.
For Kazan, adapting the novel meant returning to a story that has a direct connection to her family while remaining deeply rooted in Steinbeck’s original work. The result is a new television interpretation of East of Eden that places Cathy Ames firmly at the center of its examination of love, family, violence, morality and human choice.
East of Eden stars Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames, Christopher Abbott as Adam Trask, Mike Faist as Charles Trask, Tracy Letts as Cyrus Trask, Martha Plimpton as Faye, Ciarán Hinds as Samuel Hamilton, Hoon Lee as Lee, Joseph Zada as Cal Trask and Joe Anders as Aron Trask. All seven episodes premiere on Netflix on October 1, 2026.