's performance garnered widespread critical acclaim.
Mildred Pierce received generally favorable reviews. On
Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 81% based on reviews from 58 critics, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Loyal to its source material to a fault,
Mildred Pierce compensates for its familiarity with elaborate production values and a knockout lead performance." At
Metacritic, the miniseries has a
weighted average score of 69, based on 28 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". In a
WBEZ podcast on the best theatrical films of 2011, critic
Jonathan Rosenbaum used the series as an example of television work that was on par with the year's best movies, calling it Haynes' best work to date.
Salon.com called it a "quiet, heartbreaking masterpiece", while
The New York Times reviewer, Alessandra Stanley, commented that while the miniseries was "loyally, unwaveringly true to James M. Cain's 1941 novel", it did not "make the most of the mythic clash of mother, lover and ungrateful child", and was "not nearly as satisfying as the 1945 film noir". Novelist
Stephen King, reviewing
Mildred Pierce for
The Daily Beast and
Newsweek, praised the acting of Winslet, Pearce and Wood, and admired the show's attention to detail and structure, but complained that the five-hour adaptation was "too damn long".
Ratings == Awards and nominations ==