5 Best TV Shows Like East of Eden for Your Next Binge

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Zoe Kazan’s Netflix historical drama miniseries “East of Eden” is a rich, absorbing treat. Spanning seven episodes, the adaptation brings John Steinbeck’s celebrated novel to the screen with Florence Pugh at its center as Cathy Ames, a deeply complicated and almost relentlessly antagonistic character. The series gives Pugh ample room to reveal Cathy’s layers and contradictions without softening the impact of her many terrible actions.

Whether Cathy ultimately ranks among Florence Pugh’s finest performances remains to be seen, but “East of Eden” certainly leaves viewers eager for more. Fortunately, television offers no shortage of ambitious historical dramas built around family conflict, forbidden desire, social upheaval, and morally complex characters. For anyone looking for a similar fix, these five series make especially compelling follow-ups.

Be warned: This is the kind of story that can leave you emotionally wrecked. Based on Laura Esquivel’s “Like Water for Chocolate,” the two-season HBO series follows young Tita (Azul Guaita), whose extraordinary cooking becomes the emotional and magical center of her life. Forced to remain unmarried and devoted to her family, Tita is torn between duty and her growing love for her neighbor and friend Pedro (Andrés Baita). Her private anguish unfolds against the upheaval of the Mexican Revolution.

“Like Water for Chocolate” is not a cheerful viewing experience, but it is an exceptionally moving one. Moments of tenderness, humor, and joy sit alongside its tragedy, while the show’s dreamlike touches — particularly its powerful finale — give the story an almost fairy-tale quality. Tita’s cruel, domineering mother (Irene Azuela) may also remind “East of Eden” viewers of Cathy Ames. Symbolic, beautifully performed, and steeped in wistful emotion, “Like Water for Chocolate” is an ideal choice for anyone who enjoys their historical drama with a generous helping of heartbreak.

The world of “Bridgerton” does not follow traditional historical reality, but its alternate-history romance still delivers lavish spectacle, emotional turmoil, and plenty of villainous behavior. Adapted from Julia Quinn’s novels, the Netflix hit moves to a new central couple each season while exploring England’s 19th-century Regency society through the experiences of the Bridgerton family.

Chris Van Dusen’s series has earned seven Primetime Emmys and become a full-scale costume-drama event whenever a new season arrives. Plenty of shows have tried to replicate its blend of glamour, romance, and scandal, but few have matched its particular appeal.

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“Bridgerton” does not offer the same concentrated misery as “East of Eden,” yet both series are powered by recognizable human emotions and an irresistible period-drama atmosphere. If “Like Water for Chocolate” suits viewers seeking devastating melodrama, Netflix’s “Bridgerton” is the better choice when the goal is to relax and enjoy the more playful, soapier side of historical storytelling.

What better companion to a miniseries based on a landmark John Steinbeck novel — one that follows two families through decades of turmoil and stars one of Hollywood’s most exciting performers — than another sweeping literary adaptation? The 2016 BBC production of Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” chronicles Russian high society during the Napoleonic Wars.

Paul Dano stars as Pierre Bezukhov, an awkward, pleasure-seeking but fundamentally kind illegitimate son of a count. As war reshapes the world around him, Pierre drifts through life searching for purpose and a clearer understanding of himself.

The impressive ensemble includes Lily James, Callum Turner, Jessie Buckley, Gillian Anderson, Jack Lowden, Jim Broadbent, Tom Burke, Brian Cox, and Mathieu Kassowitz. Still, Pierre remains the story’s emotional anchor, and Dano makes the character the heart of the miniseries. His performance preserves Pierre’s comic awkwardness while giving him enough dignity and sincerity to avoid turning him into a joke. Pierre is worlds away from the manipulative Cathy Ames, but he is every bit as compelling — and Dano’s work is just as rewarding as Florence Pugh’s standout performance in “East of Eden.”

The 2017 miniseries “The Miniaturist” adapts Jessie Burton’s novel of the same title and places another major star at the center of its historical mystery. Anya Taylor-Joy plays Nella Brandt, née Oortman, a young woman entering an uneasy marriage in 17th-century Amsterdam. Her new family harbors secrets that polite society would find scandalous, and her situation becomes even stranger when the dollhouse miniatures she commissions appear to predict the future of those around her.

Ambitious and emotionally tender, “The Miniaturist” combines social drama with a subtle supernatural edge. Its story focuses on marginalized people struggling to survive and maintain appearances within a rigid, unforgiving society. Compact but substantial, the series is a strong choice for “East of Eden” viewers who want a similarly intense experience without committing to a much longer show.

If “The Miniaturist” is a quick but filling course, “Downton Abbey” is the entire feast. The ITV/PBS historical drama explores major events of the early 20th century through the residents and staff of the fictional Downton Abbey estate. Its aristocratic setting and occasional distance from strict historical realism give it some of the same escapist appeal as “Bridgerton.”

Downton Abbey may be fictional, but the historical forces confronting its characters are very real. Across its five-year run, the series examined several major world events from the perspective of Britain’s upper class and earned 15 Primetime Emmys along the way. The franchise’s movies and television projects offer plenty for devoted viewers to explore. Although its distinctly British worldview differs from the American setting of “East of Eden,” both dramas occupy comparable historical periods and make fascinating companion pieces, showing how separate fictional families respond to an era defined by sweeping change.