Florence Pugh’s Netflix Western Miniseries Officially Hits a Massive Streaming Milestone

1 week ago 28

Published Oct 30, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT

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Florence Pugh is a woman who knows her potatoes, whether they be big or small. Her career choices have been almost flawless to date, and she can steal scenes in a tiny, supporting role like in Oppenheimer, but she can also utterly dominate a prestige television series that brings one of America's most famous novels back to the screen.

East of Eden has officially passed 1 billion minutes watched in the United States, earning an enormous 1.162 billion viewing minutes during the week of October 5–11, according to Nielsen. The seven-part Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novel finished No. 3 on the overall streaming chart, behind Prime Video's Carrie and Netflix's Below.

The series takes place over a number of decades in the lives of Cathy (Pugh) and the Trask family, while it's bookended by the American Civil War and World War I. Over the years, the paths of the Trask family intersect with people like Samuel Hamilton, an Irishman who made his way to California where he raised a family and got to know the land. They also encounter Lee, a Chinese American, whose heart is as big as his intellect, and Faye, a brothel owner who may be her own worst enemy.

Who's Involved in 'East of Eden'?

Pugh stars alongside Christopher Abbott (Poor Things) as Adam Trask, Mike Faist (Challengers) as Charles Trask, Hoon Lee (Banshee) as Lee, Tracy Letts (Ford v Ferrari) as Cyrus Trask, Martha Plimpton (The Goonies) as Faye, Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones) as Samuel Hamilton, Joseph Zada (We Were Liars) as Cal Trask, and Joe Anders (Bonus Track) as Aron Trask.

East of Eden has received plenty of praise from critics, particularly for Pugh's performance and the ambition of Zoe Kazan's adaptation. Unlike the famous 1955 movie, which focused on the later chapters of Steinbeck's novel, the Netflix series gives Cathy a much bigger role and more time to explore her complicated story. Nick Hilton of The Independent described it as “a lush, thoughtful new Netflix mini-series,” while The Guardian called it “brilliant, compelling entertainment,” highlighting the performances and impressive production. Collider's Therese Lacson was similarly impressed, praising Kazan for creating "a faithful adaptation that still takes risks."

East of Eden is streaming now exclusively on Netflix, with all seven episodes available.