Netflix’s ‘East of Eden’ Fixes the Biggest Mistake in James Dean’s 1955 Classic
Giovana Gelhoren is a High-Trending Topics Writer at Collider, covering the most-talked-about stars, movies, and TV shows. Before joining Collider, she was a Digital News Writer at People Magazine and served as Associate Editor at SheKnows, where she honed her expertise in celebrity coverage and entertainment journalism.
A proud Latina from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Giovana graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Journalism and International Studies. She has interviewed countless celebrities, including Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Brenda Song, and is known for her encyclopedic knowledge of film, TV, and pop culture.
Currently on Netflix, the platform’s newest period drama series, East of Eden, is reigning supreme. Per FlixPatrol, the seven-episode series, which premiered on October 1, 2026, is No. 1 worldwide, and is successfully beating out Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. But while the feat is certainly impressive, it’s perhaps an indication that fans of the original novel, John Steinbeck‘s 1952 book by the same name, as well as its adaptations, are likely flocking to tune in to its newest, most modern version yet.
What Is ‘East of Eden’ About?
In a retelling of Cain and Abel from the Bible, East of Eden centers around two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, during the late 19th century. In the Trask household, the series follows two brothers, Adam (Christopher Abbott) and Charles (Mike Faist), who, right when Adam returns from service, receive an unexpected visitor. One night, a woman, Pugh’s Cathy Ames, turns up on their porch, beaten and bleeding to death. Charles cautions Adam against pursuing Cathy, seeing a darkness in her that reflects his own, but Adam disregards his brother’s warnings. To Adam, Cathy is merely a survivor of a vicious attack, and while helping her heal, he falls in love with her and marries her.
With all that said, while the 1955 movie adaptation of East of Eden is a classic, Netflix’s newly released version brings something new to the story and certainly makes a case for its existence. With a larger scope, more backstory for all of its characters, and a central antihero that’s more than just purely evil and cruel, East of Eden delivers a modern, gripping take on the original source material that’s certainly worth a watch.
