Writing for '' The New York Times '' , John J. O'Connor described the production as " a richly textured tapestry crammed with the social details that were the speciality of Mr. Delderfield " , with " a steady flow of insightful and touching moments " . He praised the performances of the cast and that of Duttine in particular . '' People '' magazine called the series a " colorful chronicle of post-World War I England that never crosses over to the gooey side of sentiment . " In a review for the DVD release in 2011 , '' PopMatters '' was less enthusiastic , calling Delderfield 's material " inconsequential " and writing : " The action veers sluggishly from the mildly diverting to the excruciatingly dull . " The review summarised the series as " basically a dated , dull , tiresome , tedious old drama by an author whose reputation is far from robust . " The adaptation was nominated in the Best Drama Series category at the 1981 British Academy Television Awards and in the Outstanding Limited Series category at the 1983 Primetime Emmy Awards
1983 Primetime Emmy Awards
35th Primetime Emmy Awards
To Serve Them All My Days (TV series)