Saagar Kote
Netflix’s ‘East of Eden’ is a drama series created by Zoe Kazan and adapted from John Steinbeck’s novel. The story follows Cathy Ames (Florence Pugh), whose arrival in the lives of the Trask family sets off conflicts that continue for generations. Cathy becomes closely connected to brothers Adam Trask (Christopher Abbott) and Charles Trask (Mike Faist), driving a wedge between them as their family struggles with her choices. Their father, Cyrus Trask (Tracy Letts), stands at the beginning of the family’s story, while Adam’s sons Aron (Joe Anders) and Cal (Joseph Zada) carry it into another generation.
Along the way, the Trasks’ lives become connected with an Irishman, Samuel Hamilton (Ciarán Hinds), a Chinese American, Lee (Hoon Lee), and Faye (Martha Plimpton), a brothel owner. Spanning the years between the aftermath of the American Civil War and the start of World War I, the series examines a family shaped by conflict, changing times, and the consequences of the choices made by those at its center. Cathy’s legacy and her image as an anti-hero are explored through complex perspectives, placing her at the heart of the saga. These shows, similar to ‘East of Eden,’ depict stories of families, legacies, individuals, choices, history, and more.
12. The Miniaturist (2017-2018)
‘The Miniaturist’ centers on Petronella Oortman, AKA Nella (Anya Taylor-Joy), a young woman who enters a wealthy family and discovers that her new home is stranger than she thought. In 17th-century Netherlands, Nella leaves the countryside to marry wealthy merchant Johannes Brandt (Alex Hassell), accepting the arrangement to help pay off her family’s debts. After moving into the Brandt family’s Amsterdam home, Nella struggles to adjust to her new surroundings and win her husband’s affection. Johannes gives her a dollhouse as a gift, prompting Nella to contact a mysterious local miniaturist to furnish it.
However, the miniatures that begin arriving do more than decorate the house. Some appear without being ordered and are accompanied by mysterious notes, while the dolls representing members of the Brandt household seem to predict events that may affect their lives. When Nella investigates, she begins uncovering startling truths. Directed by Guillem Morales, the period drama series is based on Jessie Burton’s eponymous novel. ‘The Miniaturist’ and ‘East of Eden’ gradually reveal darker aspects of complex families. Nella discovers unsettling secrets after entering the Brandt household, while Cathy’s arrival and actions become a source of conflict that continues through the Trask family.
11. The Buccaneers (2023-)
‘The Buccaneers’ is a historical drama series from the creative mind of Katherine Jakeways and is based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel of the same title. Nan St. George (Kristine Froseth), Jinny St. George (Imogen Waterhouse), Conchita Closson (Alisha Boe), Lizzy Elmsworth (Aubri Ibrag), and Mabel Elmsworth (Josie Totah) travel from America to London in the 1870s after Conchita marries Lord Richard Marable (Josh Dylan). The women are sent to marry and gain access to English titles and status, but adapting to the strict traditions of high society proves difficult.
The women encounter cultural differences between American and English societies and struggle to find their place in a world governed by unfamiliar rules. Along the lines of ‘East of Eden,’ the narrative places its characters within societies that impose expectations upon them. The five American women are expected to marry into English high society, while the Trask family’s story unfolds across a period shaped by changing social circumstances in America.
10. Little Dorrit (2008)
‘Little Dorrit’ sheds light on Amy Dorrit (Claire Foy), who spends her days working to support her family and caring for her father, an inmate at London’s Marshalsea debtors’ prison. Her life changes when Arthur Clennam (Matthew Macfadyen), the son of Amy’s employer, returns to England after spending years abroad. Curious about why his cold and distant mother has taken an unusual interest in Amy, Arthur begins looking into the family’s past. His search eventually leads him to the Marshalsea, where he meets Amy’s father and discovers that his own family’s history is connected to the Dorrits.
Arthur continues searching for answers, and Amy’s kindness brings her into contact with people from different levels of English society. The British period drama series, based on Charles Dickens’ novel of the same name, is directed by Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, and Diarmuid Lawrence. Both ‘Little Dorrit’ and ‘East of Eden’ show families shaped by circumstances beyond their full control. The Dorrits’ lives revolve around Marshalsea and financial hardship, while the Trasks experience conflict and change across decades of American history.
9. North & South (2004)
‘North & South’ is a British historical drama series from director Brian Percival and adapted by Sandy Welch from Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel of the same name. Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) leaves southern England when her father gives up his position in the clergy and moves their family to the industrial town of Milton. The unfamiliar world of factories soon puts Margaret in the middle of growing tensions between mill owners and laborers. Her sympathy for the workers brings her into conflict with John Thornton (Richard Armitage), a proud cotton mill owner who believes strongly in social class and his own position.
Despite their opposing views, Margaret and Thornton gradually become drawn to each other. Their bond develops even as a growing divide emerges between the people who own the mills and those who work in them. Akin to ‘East of Eden,’ the show features characters who challenge the assumptions surrounding them. Margaret questions the divide between mill owners and workers, while Cathy occupies a morally complex position that influences how the Trask family understands her.
8. A Suitable Boy (2020)
Set in newly independent India, ‘A Suitable Boy’ is a British drama series directed by Mira Nair and Shimit Amin, based on Vikram Seth’s novel of the same name. In 1951, 19-year-old literature student Lata Mehra (Tanya Maniktala) finds herself at the center of her mother Rupa Mehra’s (Mahira Kakkar) efforts to arrange a suitable marriage for her. Lata resists pressure from both her domineering mother and opinionated brother, Arun Mehra (Vivek Gomber). Three very different men compete for Lata’s affection, and she struggles between her family’s expectations and her own desire for romance.
Spanning 18 months, the story follows four interconnected families across North India, offering a broad portrait of the country and its rich culture during a crucial period. Ultimately, Lata must choose among her suitors and decide what kind of future she wants. While ‘A Suitable Boy’ is a family saga that explores Indian social intricacies, ‘East of Eden’ explores similar themes in an American setting, with both stories portraying how individual choices can affect relationships and shape the course of family life.
7. Downton Abbey (2010-2015)
Created by Julian Fellowes, ‘Downton Abbey’ is a British historical drama series that explores the tribulations of the Crawley family and their caretakers as they navigate life in a grand country estate during the early 20th century. The story begins with the sinking of the Titanic, which kills the men expected to inherit Downton and leaves the family facing an uncertain future. Lord Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), has devoted his life to protecting the estate, but with no son to succeed him, his distant cousin Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) becomes the new heir.
Matthew’s arrival brings a more modern outlook to the traditional family, creating tension. Robert’s daughters face their own struggles, while the caretakers downstairs deal with their own crises within the tightly controlled world of Downton. Much like ‘East of Eden’ does with the Trasks, ‘Downton Abbey’ follows a family through shifting historical periods, showing how social shifts affect its traditional way of life and lead to unexpected outcomes for its members.
6. War & Peace (2016)
Spanning years of war, romance, and family upheaval, ‘War & Peace’ is a British historical drama series crafted under Tom Harper’s directorial vision and adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s eponymous novel. The saga begins in the Russian Empire in 1805, where Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano), the son of Russia’s richest man, longs to find meaning and change the world. Natasha Rostova (Lily James) searches for true love, while Andrei Bolkonsky (James Norton) seeks a higher purpose. Natasha’s brother Nikolai Rostov (Jack Lowden) joins the Imperial Russian Army, and his childhood love for Sonya Rostova (Aisling Loftus) is complicated by his parents’ insistence that he marry a wealthy woman.
As Napoleon’s campaign reaches Russia, five aristocratic families face devastating changes and are forced to come to terms with a seemingly uncertain future. Both ‘War & Peace’ and ‘East of Eden’ connect personal relationships with larger historical changes. Napoleon’s war against Russia transforms the lives of Pierre, Natasha, Andrei, and their families, while the Trask family saga unfolds from the aftermath of the American Civil War and continues till the beginning of World War I.
5. The Cazalets (2001)
‘The Cazalets’ begins in 1937, when the Cazalet family gathers at their country home in Sussex as the threat of World War II grows. The family includes brothers Hugh (Hugh Bonneville), Edward (Stephen Dillane), and Rupert (Paul Rhys), along with their sister Rachel (Catherine Russell) and their families. At first, they enjoy a comfortable life together, but the years ahead bring major changes. Births, deaths, marriages, affairs, medical issues, and family secrets begin to test their relationships. When war reaches Britain, the Cazalets can no longer hide their problems behind their privileged lives. While three generations struggle with the effects of the conflict, the family must find a way to stay together and cope with a world that is changing around them.
With Suri Krishnamma in the director’s seat, the British drama series is based on ‘The Light Years’ and ‘Marking Time,’ the first two novels in Elizabeth Jane Howard’s ‘Cazalet Chronicles.’ Both ‘The Cazalets’ and ‘East of Eden’ give significant attention to relationships between different generations. The Cazalets’ legacy is threatened as war and secrets invade their lives, while the Trasks face divisions that continue to reshape the family over time.
4. The House of the Spirits (2026)
‘The House of the Spirits’ or ‘La casa de los espíritus’ is a Spanish drama series from the creative minds of Francisca Alegria and Fernanda Urrejola, based on Isabel Allende’s novel of the same title. Told mainly through Alba’s (Rochi Hernández) perspective in the 1970s, the story follows the Trueba family through the memories recorded in her grandmother Clara’s (Dolores Fonzi) diaries. Clara, her daughter Blanca (Fernanda Urrejola), and Alba become central to a family saga shaped by love, class struggle, political conflict, and secrets. As the Trueba family rises in a conservative South American country, the women confront oppression through political awareness.
Their personal lives become increasingly entangled with the country’s turbulent history, and Alba uses Clara’s memories to understand the forces that have shaped her family and country. Similar to ‘East of Eden,’ the show is a family saga in which the actions of one generation leave consequences for those who follow. The Trueba family’s history passes from Clara to Blanca and Alba, while the Trask story moves from Cyrus and his sons, Adam and Charles, to the next generation of Aron and Cal.
3. The Thorn Birds (1983)
A forbidden love becomes intertwined with the fortunes of a family across generations in ‘The Thorn Birds,’ a romantic drama series crafted under Daryl Duke’s direction and based on Colleen McCullough’s eponymous novel. Set largely at the Cleary family’s sheep station in the Australian outback, the narrative follows Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward) and Father Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain), an ambitious Catholic priest whose growing attraction to Meggie conflicts with his religious ideals. When Meggie’s aunt forces Ralph to choose between their relationship and the church, he chooses his career but remains drawn back to Meggie.
For more than five decades, Meggie and Ralph remain bound by a love they cannot fully pursue, with their decisions carrying consequences for the family around them. ‘The Thorn Birds’ and ‘East of Eden’ place complicated relationships at the center of a wider family story. Meggie’s emotional connection with Father Ralph affects the Cleary family over decades, while Cathy’s dynamics with Adam and Charles create divisions that continue to affect the Trask family.
2. Pachinko (2022-2024)
Spanning more than seven decades, ‘Pachinko’ is a drama series by creator Soo Hugh, based on Min Jin Lee’s novel of the same name. The story begins in Korea in 1915 and follows the family of Kim Sunja (Kim Min-ha and Youn Yuh-jung) through 1989. In 1931, Sunja, in hope of a different life, leaves her family in Japanese-occupied Korea and moves to the Koreatown of Osaka, Japan. The narrative explores the difficult conditions faced by Korean immigrants and the discrimination they experience in Japanese society. Years later, an elderly Sunja cares for her ill sister-in-law in Osaka while remembering a complex past.
Meanwhile, her grandson Solomon (Jin Ha) returns to Japan to negotiate a property deal and advance his career. While Sunja’s memories and Solomon’s ambitions bring different generations together, secrets from their shared family history begin to surface. While ‘Pachinko’ uses a Korean woman’s experiences in Japan to explore how history, family, and individual choices intertwine, ‘East of Eden’ does the same through Cathy in a primarily American setting.
1. The Forsyte Saga (2002-2003)
‘The Forsyte Saga’ is a British drama series from directors Andy Wilson, Christopher Menaul, and David Moore, based on John Galsworthy’s eponymous novel series. From the 1870s to the 1920s, the saga centers on several generations of the wealthy Forsyte family. Soames Forsyte (Damian Lewis), a solicitor, marries Irene Heron (Gina McKee), but their marriage becomes unhappy because Irene does not love him and feels trapped by his controlling nature. Her life changes when she falls for Soames’ cousin, Philip Bosinney (Alistair Petrie), and their affair causes chaos within the family. Irene later finds an emotional connection with Young Jolyon Forsyte (Rupert Graves), Soames’ cousin, and the two eventually marry and have a son. Soames, meanwhile, marries Annette (Beatriz Batarda) and has a daughter.
Their lives continue to cross as family relationships, love, jealousy, and old conflicts shape the next generation. ‘The Forsyte Saga’ and ‘East of Eden’ show how the actions of one generation create consequences for the next. Soames’ troubled relationship with Irene and Young Jolyon’s choices continue to affect their children, while Cathy’s impact on Adam and Charles eventually shapes the lives of Aron and Cal. The shows also combine intimate family drama with broader social change across extended periods of history.
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