# The Big C (2010)

> A suburban teacher facing a cancer diagnosis tries to find humor and joy in the time she has left.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/29823

## Facts

- Seasons: 4
- Episodes: 40
- Episode runtime: 27 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Darlene Hunt
- Network: Showtime
- Cast: Laura Linney, John Benjamin Hickey, Oliver Platt, Phyllis Somerville, Gabourey Sidibe, Gabriel Basso, Phill Lewis, Emily Kinney
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1515193/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: darkly comic, irreverent, wry, tender, bittersweet

## What critics say

Audiences rate The Big C positively, praising its blend of dark humor and emotional honesty about illness and family.

## Synopsis

The Big C (2010-2013) is an American dark comedy drama series created by Darlene Hunt for Showtime. Laura Linney plays Cathy Jamison, a suburban high school teacher who receives a terminal cancer diagnosis and decides to live with reckless defiance instead of quiet resignation. Her husband Paul (Oliver Platt) struggles to keep the household together while their son Adam (Gabriel Basso) pulls away, and her outspoken, unexpected friendships with Andrea Jackson (Gabourey Sidibe) and the sardonic Sean Tolkey (John Benjamin Hickey) give her a new kind of company. The engine of the show is simple: Cathy wants to squeeze joy out of whatever time remains, while illness, medical bills, and family friction keep pushing back. Each episode is built from small schemes, awkward confrontations, and suburban routines disrupted by crisis. Across four seasons the series keeps a tone that is wry, warm, and frequently unsentimental, mixing sharp jokes with moments of real grief. Fans of Six Feet Under, Weeds, and Fleabag will find resonance in its blend of mortality, black humor, and flawed characters trying to live honestly. The tone stays irreverent and tender, with the comedy never fully hiding the ache underneath.

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