There are some classics that continue to want to be held up to the light and John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is one of them. A sprawling story of family, inheritance, desire and the seemingly impossible task of escaping the mistakes of those who came before us, the 1952 novel has been revisited on screen for generations. Now, Netflix has brought the Salinas Valley back to life once more, with Mike Faist and Florence Pugh at the helm.
This new East of Eden series takes its time with Steinbeck’s intergenerational epic, tracing the tangled histories of the Trask and Hamilton families against the vast landscape of turn-of-the-century California. At its centre is Cathy Ames – one of literature’s most complicated and enduringly controversial women – played by Pugh, alongside Christopher Abbott as Adam Trask. It is a story where family mythology looms large, secrets rarely remain buried, and the choices of one generation have a habit of resurfacing in the next.
But if you’ve already made your way through the series, there are plenty of places to go from here. The best shows like East of Eden aren’t necessarily straightforward Westerns. Rather, they share its fascination with dynasties and difficult families; with sweeping landscapes and historical upheaval; with love, ambition, betrayal and the complicated things we inherit.
From the frontier politics of Yellowstone and the generational sweep of Pachinko, to the period romance of The Buccaneers and another earlier journey into Steinbeck’s Salinas Valley, these are the shows to watch next if Netflix’s East of Eden left you wanting more.
1. Yellowstone
Where to stream: Stan
Taylor Sheridan’s modern Western follows the Dutton family as they fight to protect their sprawling Montana ranch from developers, politicians, and rival landowners. If what you’re looking for is the life and myth of the great American dynasty – then this your next bet.
2. Pachinko
Where to stream: Apple TV+
Another sweeping historical drama that spans multiple generations of a single family. Pachinko is adapted from the best-selling book by Korean-American writer Min Jin Lee, and traces how the choices and trauma of one generation echo into the next.
3. The Buccaneers
Where to stream: Apple TV+
Set in the same period, but across the world in London, The Buccaneers follows a group of ambitious young American women navigating 1870s high society. Old money meets new as romance, marriage and social ambition collide.
4. War & Peace
Where to stream: Stan
Tolstoy’s sprawling Russian epic gets the prestige television treatment in this 2016 adaptation starring Lily James, Paul Dano and James Norton. Against the backdrop of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, three young aristocrats navigate love, loss, ambition and the shifting fortunes of their families.
5. House of Guinness
Where to stream: Netflix
From Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight comes another story of family, fortune and succession. Set in Dublin in 1868, House of Guinness begins with the death of brewery patriarch Sir Benjamin Guinness, whose will leaves his four adult children to contend with the future of both the family business and one of Ireland’s most powerful dynasties.
6. Little House on the Prairie
Where to stream: Netflix
For something gentler, turn to the original frontier family saga. Following Charles and Caroline Ingalls and their children as they build a life on the American Midwest in the late 19th century, Little House on the Prairie trades the vast fortunes of other dynasties for something more intimate. You can opt for the original series to rent on Amazon, or watch the new iteration via Netflix.
7. Outlander
Where to stream: Stan, Netflix and BINGE
Part historical epic, part sweeping romance, Outlander begins when Second World War nurse Claire Randall is mysteriously transported from 1945 to Scotland in 1743. There, she meets Highland warrior Jamie Fraser, setting in motion a love story that moves across centuries, wars and generations.
8. East of Eden (1981 Miniseries)
Where to stream: Buy the box set on Amazon
Before the latest adaptation, there was this ambitious 1981 miniseries starring Jane Seymour, Timothy Bottoms and Bruce Boxleitner. Taking on far more of John Steinbeck’s novel than the famous 1955 film, it follows the intertwined fortunes of the Trask and Hamilton families across generations, exploring inheritance, rivalry and whether we’re destined to repeat the sins of those who came before us.
9. Anne with an E
Where to stream: Netflix
Inspired by Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, this coming-of-age drama follows fiercely imaginative orphan Anne Shirley after she is mistakenly sent to live with siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert on Prince Edward Island. Beyond its pastoral setting, the series expands the classic story into a thoughtful exploration of belonging, identity, family and finding your place.
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