The Big C

From the pilot I just watched, this show has an embarrassment of riches. Laura Linney is excellent as Cathy Jameson. She Plays a woman that has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and expresses a plethora of emotions. Oliver Platt as her husband is less defined and is the biggest reason I gave the show an 8, but I'll give the writers the benefit of the doubt, because an actor of his status will add tons to this role if they just give him some latitude. John Benjamin Hickey who plays Cathie's eclectic brother is also under developed but I just have a gut feeling he is going to be great. Based on these three characters the show shows great promise. I could go on about all the sub characters, but give it a chance watch the premiere and get to know them.

THE BIG C started this week as a Showtime series for television opposite the controversial WEEDS in the late evening, subjects for mature audiences time slot. Most viewers will have mixed feelings about this first episode, so loaded with new characters with whom we have little time to understand, all edgy, and yet all surrounded by the unifying theme of how one woman deals with being told she has Stage 4 Malignant Melanoma but who decides to not inform anyone of her diagnosis, instead going after the outrageous way of living that has always been foreign to her obsessive/compulsive teacher personality.

There are few actresses who could pull this off: Laura Linney, one of our finest actresses on the screen today, is the perfect choice for making this unbelievable character credible AND charismatic. As Cathy Jamison, she is married to a bumbling irresponsible joker Paul (Oliver Platt, again an actor in the top echelon) who is currently out of the house over some disagreement with Cathy, and is mother to naughty boy Adam (Gabriel Basso), lives across the street from a elderly curmudgeon Marlene (Phyllis Somerville) with whom Cathy finally agrees to accept and to like, is a sister to a freaky psycho brother Sean (John Benjamin Hickey), is attended by her diagnosing just-fresh-out-of-residency naive physician Dr Todd (Reid Scott), and carries on teaching a classroom with bored students, including one sassy, arrogant and overweight Andrea (Gabourey Sidibe). Life is full of surprises and they pop by so quickly that we barely can tell where the series is going. As for this viewer, though not impressed with the structure of the show, staying around for the pleasure of watching Linney and Platt will be worth it - hopefully!

Grady Harp

When I heard of this show for the first time I was skeptical about the fact it's supposed to be a comedy and it's also about cancer. How could cancer and comedy be related? Well this is the perfect example for it. The whole series is a roller-coaster of emotions. One minute you laughing out loud and the next minute you feel like crying. You get very attached to the main character Cathy Jamison played beautifully by Laura Linney. This series makes you think about what is essential in life. Is it important to have a lot of money or other material things? No not really, the only thing that matters is your health and being a good person. I really enjoyed this whole show, all actors play their characters very well. The story is well written and keeps you bonded with the characters during the whole series. Certainly worth a watch.

I just finished watching the entire series and have to say I was pulled in from the start and found the show to be incredibly delightful in so many different ways. One minute you're laughing your ass off and the next moment you're fighting back the tears. The character development is phenomenal and the show is so well written as it portrays all sides of life: funny, sad, messy, awkward, raunchy and heart wrenching. Laura Linney's character and her brother were the anchors of the show, they both brilliantly acted their parts and had a strong unbreakable bond you don't fully recognize until the end of the series. It melts your heart. I loved the mix of characters over the course of the series, every character had relevance and depth. I honestly don't have a single bad thing to say about the show. Brilliant!

I have watched all 9 episodes so far and can't get enough. I became intrigued with the concept while watching a Laura Linney interview on The Daily Show. It's often funny, sometimes hilarious, often sad, and sometimes downright heartwrenching. The characters are quirky, conflicted, don't know how to express their feelings, and are frequently nasty, self-involved, and make mistakes, while also being caring, noble, and giving, just like real people. The show takes a sensitive and difficult subject that is usually not discussed, and deals with it using a large dose of humor and the occasional portion of pathos.

Laura Linney's character has spent her life doing what everyone else has expected her to do, and hasn't a clue who she wants to be. She decides to try and figure that out before it's too late. I understand her desire to keep her disease a secret so that she gets to live as much as possible before she dies. She could "buy" the attention and understanding of her husband, son, brother, and others she cares about if she tells them about the cancer. However, then she would not only be surrounded by sadness and despair for her remaining days, she'd be suffocated and everyone would assume the cancer is the cause of her behavior when in reality it is merely the catalyst.

I watch a lot of shows that I like, and many that make me laugh; but few touch me as this show has. Sometimes the image in the mirror isn't the prettiest person in all the land, but this is about learning to be comfortable with - even love - what we see. To do that, we first have to see the true image, not the one we think we should see or the one we wish we saw.