Show of the week: The Big C

Cathy Jamison (Laura Linney) has terminal cancer and doesn’t know anybody she thinks can handle the news—not her childish husband, not her homeless-by-choice brother, not her spoiled teenage son, not the sullen student she’s urging to lose weight. That’s the starting point of this new suburban satire, whose premise succeeds thanks to Linney’s fierce, poignant, and funny performance as a woman defying death by finally taking control of her life. Her supporting cast includes Oliver Platt and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious). Monday, Aug. 16, at 10:30 p.m., Showtime

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