The good news is, Showtime is bringing The Big C back for a fourth season. The not-so-good news is that Season 4 will be the last season for the Laura Linney-starring series, and from what's being reported, it will be a limited season at that. And by limited, I mean really limited.
TV Line reported the news from the TCA summer press tour today, stating that Showtime president David Nevins confirmed that The Big C is ending with Season 4, which will consist of a meager four episodes, and from the sound of it, they'll air this year. Quoting TV Line, "The show’s two-part series finale will air on Sept. 16." That seems especially fast, considering Season 3 only just wrapped up in June.
Created by Darlene Hunt, The Big C stars Laura Linney as a mother, wife and teacher who learns she has terminal cancer and uses the diagnosis as an opportunity to change her life. Think Breaking Bad except instead of becoming a meth cook, she explores different methods of treatment, re-assesses her marriage and discovers a new outlook on life. It's sad and uplifting, funny and moving all at once. Unfortunately, the series' ratings have never been stellar, though it's unclear whether or not that had anything to do with Showtime's reported decision to end the series after Season 4.
With the ending approaching, we're left to wonder if this is a show with a happy ending or a sad one. Something tells me we'll see a little of both. In addition to excellent performances on the part of its cast, which - in addition to Linney - includes Oliver Platt, John Benjamin Hickey, Gabriel Basso and Gabriel Sidibe, The Big C has also mastered the art of balancing happy with sad. If Linney's character Cathy loses her battle to cancer, it will be very sad, but hopefully no matter what, the story offers some proper closure.
