Cancer...the word was once so toxic and terrifying that it had to be whispered in conversation, as in “she has cancer.” Now, it is so pervasive that it’s simply known to many as “the big C.”

For some, the “C” stands for crummy and crying. For others, it stands for composure and calm. When reserved, stifled Minneapolis schoolteacher Cathy Jamison (series star and Executive Producer LAURA LINNEY) discovers that she has terminal, Stage Four melanoma in the new, SHOWTIME dark comedy series THE BIG C (shot on location in Stamford, Connecticut), she decides her “C” will stand for carpe diem. She vows at that moment that it’s high time to make some drastic, dramatic adjustments to the way she is living her life.

Cathy has always been conservative and structured – the perfect suburban wife and mother. So for Cathy, cancer becomes not only a challenge, but a catalyst for change. For the first time in her life, she is going to make choices that suit her needs. 

For starters, it is now her turn to act out or up, forcing both her immature husband (OLIVER PLATT) and spoiled son (GABRIEL BASSO) to grow the heck up. She’s tired of being ‘the sensible one,’ and wants to let her ‘freak flag fly.’ As Platt explains, “THE BIG C is about how somebody starts to live when they find out they’re going to die.”

And although Cathy has her own version of ‘McDreamy’ – a hot dermatologist named Dr. Todd (REID SCOTT), who makes the bad news a bit more bearable – she’s determined to combat the disease on her own terms. As Executive Producer Jenny Bicks reveals, “Cathy will grow and tug and break through versions of who she could be – but in the end, she’s still Cathy – and all you can hope is that she will become a slightly better, more self-actualized version of herself. And that’s where a lot of the comedy comes from. Cathy’s still the girl who likes to make a good casserole, but at the same time, she’s the one who’s going to be shoplifting and yelling at the bank tellers and doing what she needs to do to feel alive.”

While she decides when…if…how to reveal the news to her family, Cathy begins to form unusual bonds with unexpected people, including her grouchy neighbor Marlene (PHYLLIS SOMERVILLE) and her saucy student Andrea (Guest Star GABOUREY SIDIBE). Somerville describes Marlene’s relationship with Cathy: “…they are in and out of an interesting relationship because they fight sometimes but, in a way, they get each other.” Her oddly nurturing relationship with smart aleck Andrea is just one more uncharacteristic example of her seeking new confidantes in surprising places. Sidibe explains, “Andrea certainly is a mean girl, and she kind of knocks Cathy off her heels sometimes, but I think Cathy might see somewhat of a spirit that she wished she had in Andrea.”

Another person that Cathy turns to frequently and, in some ways, envies, is her brother Sean (JOHN BENJAMIN HICKEY). He has always been the portrait of unbridled freedom – no inner conflicts, just comfortable and content – her polar opposite. Selectively homeless and wildly outspoken, he appreciates life while he is living it, on his own terms at all times – critics (and deodorant!) be damned. As Hickey contends, “Time and life are very precious, and sometimes it takes very tough things to teach you that. And that’s one of the beautiful things and one of the truly humanly comical things about this show.”

So who says you can’t eat dessert as an appetizer? Why do we save the best for last? Time is precious, and Cathy will now live every moment to the fullest. If she is going out, she’s doing it on her own terms. She’s grabbing life by the balls…and the first order of business is to get the swimming pool – a tangible symbol of her unrequited youth – that she's always wanted!

Look out, world – the new and improved Cathy Jamison is finally awake and taking life by storm!