East of Eden on Netflix: What Time All 7 Episodes Drop, Cast and Directors

Netflix has had Zoe Kazan's take on East of Eden in the works since 2022, when Florence Pugh signed on to play Cathy Ames. It was shot in New Zealand from October 2024 to March 2025, and after a teaser in May and a full trailer this month, it finally has a slot: next Thursday.

Here is what you need to plan the night (or the early morning).

Short version — East of Eden premieres on Netflix on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, with all seven episodes released at once. Netflix's new series normally go live at 12 a.m. Pacific, which is 3 a.m. Eastern. It's a limited series, so the whole story is in those seven episodes.

What time does East of Eden come out on Netflix?

Netflix hasn't posted a special time for this one, so expect the standard drop. We explain why nearly every Netflix original lands at the same moment in our Netflix release times guide. In practice, East and Central viewers can start before breakfast, and anyone on the West Coast can stay up on Wednesday night.

The Alaska, Hawaii and UK rows are our conversion from 3 a.m. ET. Arizona doesn't observe daylight saving time, so in early October it matches Pacific.

How many episodes are there, and are they weekly?

Seven, and they all arrive together. Netflix's Tudum announcement and What's on Netflix both list a single-day, all-episodes release. There's no weekly schedule to track; if you'd like to know how Netflix decides between the two models, see weekly vs. binge releases.

Kazan wrote the series and runs it; Alexander Chee shares the writing credit on episode 5. Netflix hasn't published episode titles or runtimes yet. We'll add them here once the pages go live.

What is East of Eden about?

It's John Steinbeck's 1952 novel about two generations of the Trask family, set largely in California's Salinas Valley. Netflix describes the new version as a portrait of the family against big historical forces, with Cathy Ames placed at the center rather than at the edges. We won't go further than that; the book is 70 years old, but plenty of viewers are coming to it fresh.

Who is in the cast?

Is this the first East of Eden adaptation?

No. Elia Kazan directed the 1955 film with James Dean as Cal, and ABC aired a miniseries in 1981 with Jane Seymour as Cathy. There's a family thread here too: Zoe Kazan is Elia Kazan's granddaughter.

Will there be an East of Eden season 2?

Netflix bills it as a limited series, and the seven episodes cover the adaptation. Nothing has been announced beyond that, and a second season isn't how Netflix is positioning it.

Where to watch East of Eden

Only on Netflix, worldwide, on any plan including Standard with ads. Current prices sit on our streaming plans and prices page. The rest of Netflix's schedule is on the Netflix page, and this week's releases day by day are in this week's streaming schedule.

If you like Netflix's all-at-once period dramas, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is the other big one this fall, and A Different World dropped its full run this past Thursday. Every title we time is in the release times index.

👉 Seven episodes, one drop: the West Coast gets it at midnight Wednesday, the East Coast at 3 a.m. Thursday.

FAQ

Is East of Eden on Netflix on Sept. 30 or Oct. 1? The listed date is Thursday, Oct. 1. In Pacific, Alaska and Hawaii time it shows up late Wednesday night.

How many episodes of East of Eden are there? Seven, all released the same day.

Who plays Cathy in East of Eden? Florence Pugh, who is also an executive producer.

Where was East of Eden filmed? In New Zealand, including Auckland, Dunedin and Oamaru, standing in for California.

Sources

• Netflix Tudum — release date, seven episodes, cast and directors
• What's on Netflix — Oct. 1 global release, all episodes at once
• Wikipedia — production history, filming locations, writers
• TVmaze — Netflix listing for Oct. 1

By the Streaming On Air desk · Updated 4:45 a.m. ET