Pilot Review: The Big C

The Big C (Showtime)
Premiered August 16 at 10:30pm

There seems to be a theme running through much of Showtime’s recent programming: half-hour dramedies starring strong-willed, powerful women with much familial baggage and considerable extra-curricular activities of a questionable nature on the side. In this case, Cathy isn’t a drug dealer, doesn’t have multiple-personality disorder, and isn’t a nurse with an intense pill addiction. Instead, she’s a teacher who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and finds herself unable to open up to anyone other than her doctor and her neighbor’s dog. While it’s hardly as intense as “Breaking Bad,” the show still has a dark mean streak. Cathy’s son Adam has a nasty habit of tricking his mother into thinking he’s been gravely injured or killed, and once Cathy begins to accept her fate, she pranks him right back by posing in a bathtub filled with blood. Cathy’s new lease on life is interestingly optimistic, and her insistence on having a full pool put into her front yard is particularly intriguing. Oliver Platt essentially reprises his role from “Please Give” this past year as a childish husband who can’t really understand anything of what his wife his going through, and John Benjamin Hickey plays Cathy’s brother, who prefers to live his life homeless on the streets protesting for social justice. Gabourey Sidibe, who broke out in last year’s “Precious,” also appears as Andrea, a summer student of Cathy’s with a bad attitude, and the sardonic Cathy makes it her personal mission to encourage Andrea to lose weight since, as she puts it, “you can’t be fat and mean.” The real star of the show, of course, is lead actress Laura Linney. The series is a vehicle for Linney to channel a heartfelt and compelling portrayal of a woman with a new outlook on life, and in the pilot, she responds well to the challenge. I’m not quite as impressed as most people seem to be, partially because I think I’ve seen her do stronger work in films like “The Squid and the Whale” and “The City of Your Final Destination.” It’s still a powerhouse performance, however, and she’ll have plenty of time to hone out, even if her character only has one year left. This is a decent start to a show that will likely get better, and I definitely prefer it to the pilots of both “Nurse Jackie” and “The United States of Tara.” It’s not nearly as addictive as “Weeds,” but it has its own distinct appeal. It’s a somewhat uneven but otherwise compelling start, and it should only get better from here.

How will it work as a series? Word on the street is that the year Cathy is supposed to have left is going to play out over four seasons, both television-wise and calendar-wise (starting with summer in season one). I think that’s an effective strategy, and since this is only a kickoff installment, it’s hard to tell where the show’s headed, and a viewing of episode two (and likely further ones) is surely necessary. I’m fairly certain that the show should do pretty well.
How long will it last? Well, the day after the pilot aired, Showtime announced it as the highest-rated original series premiere the network has had in eight years. If that doesn’t mean instant renewal, I don’t know what does. Given the success of the three aforementioned female-led dramedies on Showtime, I’m sure this show can do perfectly well filling out its four prescribed years.

Pilot grade: B