the c-word

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.

Following in the tradition of ... The L Word, I guess? Let's call it the naming tradition, but this on is a lot more provocatively entitled. Showtime has ordered a Laura Linney pilot called The C-Word. But it's not about Linney being a-- It's about cancer, people! It's a dark comedy about cancer.

That itself is enough to probably stir up some controversy. Not that the focus will be on cancer, but that the show is supposed to be a comedy. Sure, Breaking Bad tackles cancer as one of its main subjects, and they call it a dark comedy, but it's more dark than comedy in almost every way. I doubt this series would go that dark.

Playing a housewife and mother, Linney's character will explore the ups and downs of this very real situation she finds herself in. The show itself is, according to Showtime's press release, "A metaphor for the way we all should live, yet rarely do, this is a journey about how to seize the day." Which I doubt has anything to do with going out and cooking meth.