Glendale, California, 1931: Mildred Pierce, a young mother with a talent for baking, is left a “grass widow” after throwing her husband, Bert, out of the house. Forced to hunt for work to support herself and her two young daughters, 11-year-old Veda and seven-year-old Ray, Mildred visits an employment agency, only to encounter job opportunities she feels are beneath her. Amidst her job search, she receives dating advice from her friend and neighbor, Lucy Gessler, and begins an unexpected affair with an ex-business partner of her husband’s, Wally Burgan. When Mildred receives a call from the agency regarding an opening as a housekeeper to a wealthy socialite, she reluctantly agrees to meet with her. After cutting the acerbic interview short, Mildred seeks refuge at a local diner, Cristofor’s Café, where fate, and a waitress named Ida, will play a role in shaping her future.
The TV mini-series has five episodes.
Starring Kate Winslet, Brían F. O’Byrne, Melissa Leo, James Le Gros, Mare Winningham, Marin Ireland, Murphy Guyer, Guy Pearce.
Rated TV-MA
Note: There is also [Mildred Pierce (1945)](http://amzn.to/2pJcuh3), but unlike the 1941 novel which spans nine years (from 1931 to 1940), the film is set in the 1940s and spans only four years, so is a classic film, and not a period drama. Worth watching, it stars Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth.