Thursday, June 24, 2010

Showtime tackles cancer in new Laura Linney show, "The Big C;" season starts Aug. 16

In an announcement June 23, "The Big C" will also star "Sex and the City" alum Cynthia Nixon. You can see the trailer for the Showtime series here.


Cynthia Nixon has signed on for a four-episode arc on Showtime's "The Big C," starring Laura Linney.

Currently shooting in Stamford, Connecticut, "The Big C" features Linney as a woman who decides to change her life after she's diagnosed with cancer. According to Showtime, Nixon will play Rebecca, the flaky former college roommate to Linney's character.

"The Big C" is set to premiere on Showtime on August 16. In addition to Linney and Oliver Platt, the dark comedy's cast includes Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe in a recurring role.

From The Hollywood Reporter, when Showtime picked up the series in January:

Showtime has given a series order to three-time Emmy winner Laura Linney's project "The Big C."

The premium cable network has ordered 13 episodes of the series (formerly titled "The C-Word"), in which Linney plays a suburban wife and mother whose cancer diagnosis forces her to shake up her life.

"Laura Linney is the consummate actor and producer, and we're thrilled she has chosen to come to Showtime in this extraordinary series," Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt said. "The character and her journey are complex, requiring layered nuances of comedy and drama which I believe no one else could do better than Laura. And she's surrounded by a gifted ensemble of actors who will bring this show vividly to life."

The series co-stars Oliver Platt, who previously appeared on the network's "Huff."