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It turns out the kids can't get enough of John Steinbeck. The Florence Pugh-led, Zoe Kazan-created adaptation of his novel East of Eden has been a massive hit for Netflix, its epic story covering decades in the lives of two California families in the run-up to World War I. And why not? It's got grand family drama and plenty of sex, set against a massive historical backdrop and stuffed with biblical allusions that make it all feel like less of a guilty pleasure. If this is your bag, here are more similar shows to stream after you've finished your binge-watch.
The House of the Spirits (2026)
One generation will inevitably influence those that follow, for better and worse—sins and strengths in equal measure, dramatized most succinctly, perhaps, by Steinbeck's East of Eden and in Isabel Allende's seminal novel, adapted here (indicentally, both books are among the most frequently challenged in the United States). Told from the perspective of Alba (Rochi Hernández), House of the Spirits starts in the 1970s and works backward as Alba explores four generations of family history through he journals of her grandmother, Clara (Dolores Fonzi). Though their country is never named, Allende based it all on the real history of Chile through those decades of political violence and upheaval, and on her own family's triumphs and tragedies in its wake. Stream The House of the Spirits on Prime Video.
War and Peace (2016)
The most recent adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic, and a pretty good one. We begin in 1805, during the height of the Napoleonic Wars, meeting Pierre (Paul Dano), the idealistic illegitimate son of an oligarch; romantic and impulsive dancer Natasha (Lily James); and thoughtful, high-minded Andrei (James Norton), destined to become a soldier. Throughout the years of war that follow, the three of them and their families move in and out of each other's lives, as tragedy alternately unites and divides them. Stream War and Peace on Peacock and Prime Video.
Pachinko (2022 – )
Starting in 1915, this multigenerational saga follows one woman (played in different time periods by Youn Yuh-jung and Kim Min-ha) and her family, taking us from the Japanese occupation of Korea through the decades of the Korean diaspora. With her opportunities limited, Sunja leaves her home and family in Busan to pursue a life in Japan, even as racism and anti-immigrant sentiment are rampant amid the war. In a parallel narrative that begins in 1989, we see what has and hasn't changed for Sunja and her family. It’s a journey as personal as it is epic, with better location cinematography than most movies. Stream Pachinko on Apple TV.
The Forsyte Saga (2002 – 2003)
I haven't been the biggest fan of the newer adaptation of the John Galsworthy novels—though The Forsytes has already been renewed for a further two seasons, so I'm apparently in the minority. Nevertheless, I'll direct you back to 2002 and this extended miniseries led by Damian Lewis. It starts off in 1884 when the slightly scandalous engagement of one of the wealthy new-money Forsytes is marred by the revelation of an affair between cousin Joylon (Rupert Graves) and the governess, kicking off an impossibly complicated series of events that plagues the family for decades. Author Galsworthy was inspired to write by his own extramarital affair, so the drama is in the show's DNA. Stream The Forsyte Saga on Netflix.
When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025)
An epic love story that cleaned house at the 2025 Baeksang Arts Awards (that's South Korea's most prestigious entertainment award ceremony), Tangerines stars IU as Oh Ae-sun (and as Ae-sun's daughter and the series' narrator, Geum-myeong), a young woman born in the 1960s on rural Jeju Island. The series spans decades in her life with friend and later romantic interest Yang Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum), as South Korea changes around them. The focus is more on Ae-sun's own love story than some of these broader narratives, but the scope is epic all the same. Stream When Life Gives You Tangerines on Netflix.
North & South (2004)
Not to be confused with the American Civil War miniseries North and South from the 1980s, this series adapts Elizabeth Gaskell's 1851 novel that follows Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) and her family, forced to leave their Hampshire home and travel to the industrial north of England to avoid religious scandal involving the clergyman father. Poor but well-educated, Margaret runs up against the wealthy owner of the local mill, John Thornton (Richard Armitage), whose family sees her as haughty despite her circumstances; meanwhile, hers sees John and his peers as gruff and inhumane where workers are concerned. Despite their very opposing views, you won't be surprised to learn that Margaret and John find themselves growing closer over the subsequent years, even as their families remain divided. Stream North & South on Prime Video and Tubi.
House of Guinness (2025 – )
There's plenty of upper-crust family drama in this loosely-based-on-real-events series, but it comes from Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders), so expect bloody fisticuffs, too. The first episode begins shortly after the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness, who became the wealthiest man in Ireland by expanding the trade in Guinness beer throughout the British Empire. The cracks begin to show on the way to the funeral: Religious leaders deplore all of the beer-drinking, while Irish Republicans want the company brought down for colluding with the Empire. Sir Benjamin's four heirs have wildly different goals and/or hate each other, so, you know—lots of drama, and lots of beer. The show has been renewed for a second season, so a second round is on the way. Stream House of Guinness on Netflix.
Roots (2016)
Subtitled The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley in his novel, Roots, in any of its incarnations, is hard to top as an epic family drama grounded in history. Absolutely nothing can match the cultural importance of the 1977 miniseries, also an easy recommendation, which centered the generations-long story of a Black family at a time when such narratives were rare on television. The 2016 version couldn’t possibly have that kind of impact, but it works just the same: it's impressively acted and adds a modern polish that doesn’t detract from the story’s power. Covering much of the same ground, the newer version goes further in focusing on the American family at its center, spending less time leading white viewers into the story that begins with Kunta Kinte (Malachi Kirby) captured in Gambia and sold as chattel. There’s a very reasonable debate about the preponderance of slave narratives in film and television and the purpose they serve for white audiences; while both versions of Roots are unflinching in that area, they also go beyond it by engaging with what came before and after. Stream Roots on Prime Video and Tubi.
The Plot Against America (2020)
A dark turn down an alternate path in American history, The Plot Against America asks: what if Charles Lindbergh had succeeded in his bid for political power in the 1930s, bringing to bear his vision of an America that followed in the footsteps of Nazi Germany by halting the “infiltration of inferior blood” (by which he meant, mostly, Jewish people). Adapted from the book by Philip Roth, the series bends imagination with real history, depicting Lindbergh's successful campaign for the American presidency against Franklin D. Roosevelt, which ultimately keeps the U.S. out of World War II—and which results in things at home growing increasingly dangerous for the Jewish family at the show's center, which splinters between members who advocate for resistance, quiet acquiescence, or active participation. Morgan Spector, Zoe Kazan, Winona Ryder, and John Turturro star. Stream The Plot Against America on HBO Max.
The Thorn Birds (1983)
Rarely has so much drama been sparked by a herd of sheep, but here we are with this blockbuster miniseries adapting Colleen McCullough's novel in suitably grand style. It's set on a sheep station in the Australian outback over several decades in the 20th century. Rachel Ward plays Meggie Cleary, a tough but damaged young woman who becomes the de facto leader of her family after her father uproots the family from New Zealand to New South Wales to live and work on a ranch owned by her wealthy, widowed Aunt Mary (the legendary Barbara Stanwyck, whose performance lives on in "Kiss me on the mouth!" gif reactions). Both Mary and Meggie have eyes for the same man, Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain), who just happens to be a priest. It's expensive, star-studded melodrama par excellence. Buy The Thorn Birds from Prime Video.
