Shows Like Netflix’s ‘East of Eden’ That Carry the Same Family Saga Weight
Netflix’s ‘East of Eden’ is a limited series adapted from John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel, written and executive produced by Zoe Kazan, with Florence Pugh playing Cathy Ames. It premieres October 1 on Netflix. Kazan told Netflix that Steinbeck’s writing has held her attention since she first read the book as a young teen.
Viewers looking for shows like Netflix’s ‘East of Eden’ have plenty of sweeping family dramas to choose from. The new series covers the years between the aftermath of the American Civil War and the start of World War I, and it examines a family shaped by conflict and changing times. The titles below share that focus on inheritance, rivalry, and the choices that echo through generations.
‘Pachinko’
Created by Soo Hugh and based on Min Jin Lee’s novel, the series follows the family of Kim Sunja from Korea in 1915 through 1989. It is listed on Apple TV+.
Like the Trask story, it shows how history, family, and individual choices intertwine, with a Korean woman’s experience in Japan at its center. The saga spans four generations that face prejudice and economic struggle.
‘The House of the Spirits’
This Spanish drama is based on Isabel Allende’s novel and follows the Trueba family through the diaries of Clara, as her granddaughter Alba reads them in the 1970s. The family story is shaped by forbidden love, political upheaval, and bitter estrangement.
Like Steinbeck’s saga, it shows the actions of one generation leaving consequences for the next. It is listed on Prime Video.
‘The Forsyte Saga’
Adapted from John Galsworthy’s novel series, this British drama centers on several generations of a wealthy family from the 1870s to the 1920s. It leans on marriage, jealousy, and old grievances to drive its story forward.
Soames Forsyte’s unhappy marriage to Irene and the choices of Young Jolyon continue to affect their children, much as Cathy’s impact on Adam and Charles eventually shapes the lives of Aron and Cal.
‘The Thorn Birds’
Set largely on the Cleary family’s sheep station in the Australian outback, this romantic drama follows Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph de Bricassart, a priest whose attraction to her conflicts with his religious ideals.
Their bond carries consequences for the wider family across more than five decades, which parallels how Cathy’s dynamics with Adam and Charles create divisions that last in the Trask household.
‘Succession’
The Roy family controls a global media and entertainment empire, and when their aging father begins stepping back, the adult siblings fight for control. It is listed on Max.
Sibling jealousy and a hunger for parental approval fuel the conflict, which IFORHER likens to the biblical rivalries behind Steinbeck’s work.
‘Bloodline’
The Rayburn family’s carefully kept secrets begin resurfacing when their estranged black sheep brother returns home. It is listed on Netflix.
The show is said to mirror the Trask household through its Cain and Abel tension, with one brother carrying the family’s sin while the others protect their own innocence.
‘1883’
Set after the Civil War, the series follows the Dutton ancestors on a wagon train across the Great Plains toward the Pacific Northwest, before fate eventually turns them toward Montana.
It explores how grief, resilience, and wild open landscapes define a family’s foundational character. It is listed on Paramount+.
‘Godless’
This Western miniseries follows gang leader Frank Griffin as he tracks down his former surrogate son and protege, Roy Goode, a pursuit that leads to La Belle, New Mexico.
Betrayal, flawed surrogate father and son bonds, and the consequences of past sins connect it to Steinbeck’s core themes. It is listed on Netflix.
‘Peaky Blinders’
Set in Birmingham in 1919, this crime saga follows the Shelby family and Tommy Shelby as he tries to lift the family name from street bookmakers to legitimate standing.
It captures the pull of family duty and the psychological cost of unchecked ambition. It is listed on Netflix.
‘War & Peace’
Adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s novel under director Tom Harper, the series begins in the Russian Empire in 1805 and follows five aristocratic families as Napoleon’s campaign reaches Russia.
It ties personal relationships to larger historical change, in the same way the Trask saga runs from the aftermath of the Civil War to the start of World War I. For anyone who has already met Pugh’s Cathy Ames, which of these families comes closest to the Trasks’ tangled legacy, and does any of them handle a character like her better?
