OliverPlatt

The restaurant business is tough enough without someone coming in with the sole purpose of taking you out. But that's the situation George found himself in when his daughter's fiance, Bernard, took him to Richard's (Oliver Platt) new restaurant on 'Bored to Death' (Mon., 9PM ET on HBO).

As usual, Richard was a complete tool, particularly targeting George's boast that all of his vegetables come from within 100 miles. So Richard insisted that his are from within 50 miles, which has to be like, twice as good, right?

Now that Cathy has accepted that she has cancer and opened up to others about it, she needs to find what will become her new normal on 'The Big C' (Mon., 10:30PM ET on Showtime). That means finding a healthy relationship with husband Paul again ... including marital relations.

Paul, trying to be supportive, may have told her that he was fine with not having sex, but that wasn't true. Poor Andrea found that out first-hand when she accidentally walked in on Paul taking care of his "frustrations" himself.

When Cathy confronted him about it, he admitted that he was frustrated. She had, after all, just had an affair with another man and they'd had all kinds of crazy sex in all kinds of crazy places. And now, with him, she wanted nothing.

On 'The Big C,' co-stars Oliver Platt and Laura Linney take on a serious subject with an air of humor. That subject is, of course, aggressive farting. Or at least for those watching Platt appearing on 'Today' (weekdays, 7AM on NBC) with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb Friday, it might have seemed that was the subject.

Laura Linney plays a woman living with a diagnosis of cancer, with Platt as her husband. The show does actually broach the subject of farting, and that's the clip 'Today' chose to introduce Platt. Platt has enjoyed being on 'The Big C,' but said the farting scene was not particularly pleasant.

Gifford said aggressive farting was just "another day at my house." "I've heard about Frank," said Platt. Gifford declined to blame Frank, but refused to reveal the culprit. Do tannins cause flatulence?

Laura Linney is about to face 'The Big C.' No, her new Showtime series isn't being canceled before it airs, it's called 'The Big C' and its premiere date has officially been set for Mon., Aug. 16 at 10:30PM ET.

Showtime is known for its programs with strong leading ladies -- just look at 'United States of Tara' and 'Nurse Jackie' -- so Emmy-winner Linney should feel right at home with this new comedy about a suburban housewife whose life is turned upside by a cancer diagnosis.

The series was created by Darlene Hunt. Hunt will also serve as executive producer, along with Linney, Neal H. Moritz and Vivian Cannon. Joining Linney in the half-hour comedy are Oliver Platt and Gabourey Sidibe.

When I first heard the title of Laura Linney's new show for Showtime, I thought it was going to be something salacious. Well, I was wrong. It's about cancer. And now Showtime has greenlit The Big C, placing an order for 13 episodes.

The title, actually, is altered from the original announcement. Instead of The C-Word, it's now The Big C. Linney's character is a wife and mother who is diagnosed with cancer and her life is dramatically altered.

That sounds like a simple -- perhaps obvious -- situation. However, cancer is something that has touched nearly everybody's life in some way and The Big C should have instant universal appeal.

New characters on new shows, new characters on existing shows, and even returning favorites on long-running series; this casting round-up has a little bit of everything for a little bit of everyone.

• On the heels of word coming out that Gabourey Sidibe is in negotiations for a possible recurring role on 'The C Word,' as we reported, the show has secured another major actor. Multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Oliver Platt has been cast as the husband of lead Laura Linney. His narcissistic man-child will join Linney, John Benjamin Hickey and Phyllis Somerville as regulars on the Showtime series. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Read more casting news, after the jump ...

Oliver Platt, last seen in the Showtime series Huff, will star in the ABC comedy pilot The Thick of It, about workers for a low-level congressman. The show is executive produced by Arrested Development creator Mitchell Hurwitz and based on the British comedy of the same name.

Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars) will join previously cast Tim Daly and Taye Diggs in the two-hour Grey's Anatomy episode meant to serve as a springboard to a possible Grey's Anatomy spinoff.

Steve Howey of Reba has been cast in The Beast, about a womanizing veterinarian who hates animals. Tucker Cawley, a writer and executive producer for Everybody Loves Raymond, will also write and executive produce the comedy pilot for FOX. The series is based on the British comedy Beast.