The Big C (2010)

Suburban wife, mother and teacher Cathy (Laura Linney) is diagnosed with melanoma.  Instead of letting the diagnosis destroy her, she embraces life and decides to make some changes.  Early in the Showtime series The Big C (2010) Cathy keeps the diagnosis from her family and friends who find her behavior a little bizarre, but as the series moves forward she shares the news with them and lets them support her. The subject matter sounds depressing, but Cathy finds humor in her predicament and relationships.

Dealing with cancer usually isn’t a hot bed for nudity and sex, let alone comedy. That’s the case here as well with one exception. John Benjamin Hickey plays Cathy’s brother Sean. He’s a dirty, homeless environmentalist who begins an affair with Cathy’s friend. We get a few quick shots of his tree hugging behind over the course of the series, but not enough to save a rainforest of desire for mandangered meat.