By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
Stirring adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel starring Florence Pugh
Year: 2026
Certificate: 15
This seven-part take on the John Steinbeck novel is written by Zoe Kazan, whose grandfather Elia directed the 1955 film starring James Dean. It’s a story of longing, family, manipulation and moral choices set in rural America between the aftermath of the Civil War up to the end of the First World War.
The story opens on brothers Charles (Mike Faist) and Adam (Christopher Abbott) Trask, one of whom works the family farm while the other goes away to war, and the father (Tracy Letts) who manipulates them. That relationship sets the tone, and a woman soon comes between them – Cathy, who shows up battered, bruised and barely alive on their doorstep, and is masterfully played by Florence Pugh.
Cathy is a fascinating and brutalised character, one who only gets more so as the story continues, and as the question of the series becomes clear: are we just the product of our ancestry, or do we make our own choices? And how useful is it to label people as good or evil?
The first four episodes are directed by Garth Davis who also helmed Top Of The Lake with Jane Campion. The standout performance of the show is undoubtedly Pugh, who is spectacular as Cathy – particularly in episode four, in which she plays opposite Martha Plimpton as eccentric brothel madam Faye. Don’t expect to finish this show feeling happy, but do expect to be left with thoughts and emotions aplenty. Such is the business of good drama.
Read our Inside Story on the show here. (Seven episodes)
