TV: Stricken By Cancer And Animated by Death By Dave Shiflett August 00 (Bloomberg) – Laura Linney is slender, blond and terminal in “The Big C,” a surprisingly positive and often amusing new Showtime series debuting Aug. 16 at 10:30 p.m. New York time. She’s got melanoma, a year to live, a shaky marriage to a beefy drunk plus a bratty son. On the bright side, her young doctor is developing the hots for her and the feeling seems to be mutual. Linney, who as Abigail Adams had to put up with a cantankerous John Adams in the hit HBO series, is as plucky as Abigail but far more modern. Who would have guessed that under that colonial garb there lurked such a terrific physique, parts of which occasionally protrude from her bathrobe. She can also wag a fairly salty tongue, though for the most part this is a series about living with cancer with as much a smile as possible. I sense it’ll be around longer than a single season. Linney stars as Cathy Jamison, a teacher who has decided against chemo, figuring it will extend her life only a little and create a hindrance to friends and family. She’s also refused to tell anyone about her condition. Yet while death has entered the room it hasn’t sucked the wind from her sails. To the contrary, it has animated her. She resolves to live fully till lights out. That’s not necessarily good news for husband Paul (Oliver Platt), an advanced-age adolescent who pours drinks on the sofa, uses the front yard for a urinal and has sensibly been exiled to a friend’s sofa. He wants back in her good graces, as well as her bathrobe. Their obnoxious son Adam (Gabriel Basso) could also benefit from a serious strapping. He is such a slacker that he refuses to plunge the toilet, leaving the vile job to mom. But it’s a new day at Cathy’s place. Before the opener is over she pays him back with interest, and starts making other changes as well. The show is a reminder that cancer, like war and other hardships, can bring people together. Cathy decides it’s finally time to meet neighbor Marlene (Phyllis Somerville), a reclusive widow who may be dancing with death herself. She confides “I think about it all the time but I just keep waking up.” Other regulars include brother Sean (John Benjamin Hickey), an activist fixated on the dangers of plastic grocery bags and also devoutly opposed to regular bathing. He’s a bit of a flake – maybe someone should scan his brain for tumors -- though he likes sis’s new attitude, telling her approvingly that “You’re starting to get your old weird back.” She may also get her old mojo working. Her young doctor, Todd (Reid Scott), seems to have her in his crosshairs and she’s hardly running for cover. Meantime, she also offers to pay seriously plump student Andrea (Gabourney Sidibe) $100 for every pound she loses. If Andrea rises to the challenge Cathy’s going broke before she goes toes-up. Sometimes the show gets a little too peppy, as when Cathy does cartwheels down a school hallway, apparently for the sheer joy of it. Yet for the most part the series will resonate with viewers whose lives have been touched by cancer – which is to say just about all of us. In the most moving scene Cathy finally confides her condition to a neighbor – one incapable of passing on the info – in a monologue that mixes bravery and sadness. She points out that all parents want to outlive their children, so “I’m living the dream.” Her eyes reflect the knowledge she’s also heading into a protracted nightmare. The series promises to be a bittersweet look at how a cancer patient progresses as a person even as she is ravaged by the disease. Looks like Linney may have another hit on her hands.
