Series synopsis
Mildred Pierce is an American drama television series that premiered on HBO on March 27, 2011. It ended on April 10, 2011. It stars Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce, Evan Rachel Wood and Brían F. O'Byrne.
Mildred Pierce depicts an overprotective, self-sacrificing mother during the Great Depression who finds herself separated from her husband, opening a restaurant of her own and falling in love with a man, all the while trying to earn her spoiled, narcissistic daughter's love and respect.
Premise
Mildred Pierce depicts an overprotective, self-sacrificing mother during the Great Depression who finds herself separated from her husband, opening a restaurant of her own and falling in love with a man, all the while trying to earn her spoiled, narcissistic daughter's love and respect.
Premise: Having it all would cost her everything.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Kate Winslet as Mildred Pierce
- Guy Pearce as Monte Beragon
- Evan Rachel Wood as Veda Pierce
- Brían F. O'Byrne as Bert Pierce
- Melissa Leo as Lucy Gessler
- James Le Gros as Wally Burgan
- Mare Winningham as Ida Corwin
- Marin Ireland as Letty
Supporting cast
- Morgan Turner as Veda Pierce
- Murphy Guyer as Mr. Pierce
- Halley Feiffer as Arline
Guest cast
- Elvy as Sigrid
- Rebecca Street as Mrs. Crough
- James Biberi as Priest
- Rocco Sisto as Mr. Rossi
- Lillian Lifflander as Mildred's Mother
- Lena Dunham as Nurse 1
- Miriam Shor as Anna
- Daniel London as Mo Levinson
- Quinn McColgan as Ray Pierce
- Ronald Guttman as Carlo Treviso
- Tom Lipinski as Caterer
- Tommy Nelson as Newsboy
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 5 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 5 | March 27, 2011 | April 10, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Part 1 After a fight with her husband, Mildred Pierce finds herself alone and caring for her two young daughters. She hasn't worked outside of the home for several years but is excellent at making pastries and sells cakes and pies to friends and neighbors. She would like to work as a sales clerk or a receptionist but those jobs are hard to come by. She has an interview with a Mrs. Forrester about becoming her housekeeper but it's clear that her pride will not let her take such a low position. She finally realizes - urged on by her friend and neighbor Lucy Gessler - that she'll never get the type of job that she wants and settles for a job as a waitress in a hash house. She begs Lucy never to tell her daughters, especially the elder Veda, of the type of work she does. |
March 27, 2011 |
| 2 |
Part 2 Mildred brings a sample of her pies into the diner and they're a big hit with the customers. Soon she gets an order for 35 pies a week and the orders start to pile up from other restaurants as well. Veda discovers her waitress uniforms and Mildred is forced to admit what she does for a living. The selfish Veda thinks it's all so degrading. Mildred tells her she plans on opening a restaurant of her own and eventually asks Wally to develop an estimate of what it would cost to set herself up, but he has another idea for her. With a divorce from husband Bert she's able to buy and convert a house into a restaurant. On her last day at the diner, she leaves early to spend time at the beach with one of the customers, Monty Beragon. She returns home the next day to learn that her youngest daughter is seriously ill in hospital. |
March 27, 2011 |
| 3 |
Part 3 After her youngest daughter's funeral, Mildred concentrates on opening her new restaurant. Opening night is a smashing success and even Veda seems to approve. It's all a little too busy for a first night but friends come to the rescue. When Monty Beragon shows up, she learns that he is quite a well-known personality. Veda is quite taken with him. Monty recommends a new music teacher for Veda and Mildred decides to start saving to buy her a proper piano. With the repeal of prohibition, neighbor Lucy suggests that Mildred opens a bar in the restaurant. Vera, not happy with the wristwatch her mother gave her for Christmas, rebels. She blames Monty for turning Veda against her. |
April 3, 2011 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | HBO |
|---|---|
| First aired | March 27, 2011 |
| Last aired | April 10, 2011 |
| Status | Ended |
| Schedule | Sunday at 21:00:00 |