THE BIG C

COMEDY / DRAMA

USA

2010-2013

THE BIG C is an American television drama that premiered on Showtime on August 16, 2010. It drew the largest audience for a Showtime original series premiere. Season 2 premiered on June 27, 2011. Season 3 premiered on April 8, 2012. On July 31, 2012, The Big C was renewed for a fourth and final season, called "After this," which premiered on Monday, April 29, 2013 . THE BIG C consists 44 episodes of 30 minutes.

STORY: The show follows Westhill High School teacher Cathy Jamison (Laura Linney), a reserved wife and mother in suburban Minneapolis, who has been diagnosed with melanoma. Realizing this forces her to really live life for the first time in her adult life. As the show progresses, Cathy allows her family and some new friends to support her as she copes with her terminal prognosis and finds both humour and pathos in the many quirky relationships in her life.

GAY COUPLE STORYLINE: Lee Fallon (Hugh Dancy) is in season 2, a fellow patient in a clinical trial of Dr. Sherman. Cathy thinks Lee is inappropriately interested in her until he comes out to her as gay. She and Lee find comfort in each other over their cancer and become "clinical trial" friends. Lee's acupuncturist believes they are soul mates as Cathy's extremely high blood pressure drops immediately as soon as Lee enters the room. However, their relationship becomes strained when the treatment begins to work for Cathy and not Lee. While she encourages him to fight, he refuses. Lee has a romantic encounter at a bar with a handsome guy (Mark Fisher). Ultimately, Lee dies of his cancer, leaving Cathy devastated.