Enter The Big C on Showtime

The new Showtime half-hour comedy The Big C will debut on the cable network on August 16 at 10:30 PM. The series stars Emmy-winner and Oscar-nominee Laura Linney as Cathy Jamison, a reserved, stifled, Minneapolis schoolteacher who receives life changing news (she has cancer) and decides, from that moment on, to make drastic, long-overdue adjustments to the way she is living her life. She’s always been conservative and structured – the perfect suburban wife and mother – but Cathy is tired of being ‘the sensible one.’ For the first time in her life, she is going to make choices that suit her needs.

Laura Linney plays a woman whose cancer diagnosis changes her life.

Her loveable but immature husband Paul is played by Oliver Platt. As the series opens, Paul is no longer living in the house, as Cathy has kicked him out because she is tired of taking care of him and she hopes he will grow up. Paul has no idea that Cathy has cancer and is determined to get back into her life.

Their bratty son, Adam, is played by relative newcomer Gabriel Basso. Adam plays pranks on his mother and keeps her on her toes. But Cathy wishes she had been a better parent to him so she is starting to take the reins.

John Benjamin Hickey (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) plays Sean, Cathy’s eccentric brother; he is “selectively homeless” and wildly outspoken. He appreciates life while he is living it, on his own terms at all times.

Oscar-nominee Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) plays Andrea, one of Cathy’s students, who is mean and snotty, but something about her attracts Cathy; she carries a confidence and a spiritedness that makes her stand out from the other students. Cathy takes on Andrea’s smart-aleck ways as a challenge to nurture and help.

Phyllis Somerville plays Cathy’s grouchy neighbor, Marlene, who becomes an unexpected ally, as both women feel left out and frustrated. Despite their large age difference, they begin to work together to get through life.

Rounding out the cast is Reid Scott (My Boys and The Secret Life of the American Teenager), who plays young and studly oncologist Dr. Todd for whom Cathy develops an attraction. She finds herself talking bluntly in his presence about her personal life, and Todd’s sturdy compassion and kind humanity keep her comfortable.

The series is created and written by actress Darlene Hunt, who will serve as executive producer, with Neal H. Moritz and Vivian Cannon. There will be 13 episodes in the first season.

Again, The Big C has its series premiere on Showtime on August 16 at 10:30 PM.