The Big C (2010)
TV show · 2010 · Comedy, Drama · English
Curator score: 4.8/10 (20K ratings)
A suburban mother faces her cancer diagnosis while trying to find humor and happiness as well.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 4.8/10
- IMDb: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 55%
- Metacritic: 68
- TMDB: 7.3/10
Production: Perkins Street Productions, Farm Kid, Original Film, Sony Pictures Television
Cast: Laura Linney, John Benjamin Hickey, Oliver Platt, Gabourey Sidibe, Gabriel Basso
Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict: A sharp, bittersweet cancer dramedy anchored by Laura Linney’s fearless performance. It’s often funny, emotionally direct, and more humane than cynical, though the tone can feel uneven as it stretches beyond its strongest early premise.
Best for: Viewers who like dramedies that mix grief, gallows humor, and domestic realism; Fans of character-driven Showtime series with strong lead performances; People looking for a short, complete series with emotional payoff
Skip if: You want a consistently light comedy; You prefer tightly plotted shows with a very clean ending; You’re sensitive to illness-centered stories or tonal whiplash
Overview: The Big C works best as a showcase for Laura Linney, who makes Cathy’s mix of fear, wit, selfishness, and tenderness feel completely lived-in. The series has a knack for finding humor inside dread without trivializing the diagnosis, and its suburban setting gives the story a grounded, everyday texture that keeps it from becoming overly sentimental.
Worth noting: Its first season is the strongest and most distinctive, balancing brisk comedy with genuine emotional sting. As the series goes on, it broadens its focus and can feel less precise, but it remains watchable because the ensemble is strong and the show keeps returning to Cathy’s complicated search for meaning.
Bottom line: This is a good pick if you want a compact prestige dramedy that’s more humane than glossy and more emotionally honest than neat. It doesn’t always fully sustain its premise, but when it lands, it lands with real warmth and bite.
Recommended similar titles:
- Six Feet Under (2001 · Curator 9.4/10 (168.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
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- Nurse Jackie (2009 · Curator 6.6/10 (33.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- Transparent (2014 · Curator 8.6/10 (24.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads)
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- Fleabag (2016 · Curator 10.0/10 (246.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads)
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- The Affair (2014 · Curator 8.3/10 (52.2K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium)
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- Big Love (2006 · Curator 7.1/10 (24.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
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- Shameless (2011 · Curator 6.5/10 (335.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- Dead to Me (2019 · Curator 0.6/10 (622 ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- In Treatment (2008 · Curator 8.7/10 (19.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
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- The Kominsky Method (2018 · Curator 7.9/10 (47.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- Enlightened (2011 · Curator 5.3/10 (11.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
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Topics: dramedy, dark comedy, prestige TV, illness narrative, family drama, suburban setting, bittersweet, character-driven, Showtime, 2010s
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/tv-show/the-big-c/32406
The Big C (2010)
TV show · 2010 · Comedy, Drama · English
Curator score: 4.8/10 (20K ratings)
Overview A suburban mother faces her cancer diagnosis while trying to find humor and happiness as well.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.8/10
IMDb: 8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 55%
Metacritic: 68
TMDB: 7.3/10
Production Perkins Street Productions, Farm Kid, Original Film, Sony Pictures Television
Cast Laura Linney, John Benjamin Hickey, Oliver Platt, Gabourey Sidibe, Gabriel Basso
Where to watch Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, bittersweet cancer dramedy anchored by Laura Linney’s fearless performance. It’s often funny, emotionally direct, and more humane than cynical, though the tone can feel uneven as it stretches beyond its strongest early premise.
Best for
Viewers who like dramedies that mix grief, gallows humor, and domestic realism
Fans of character-driven Showtime series with strong lead performances
People looking for a short, complete series with emotional payoff
Skip if
You want a consistently light comedy
You prefer tightly plotted shows with a very clean ending
You’re sensitive to illness-centered stories or tonal whiplash
Overview
The Big C works best as a showcase for Laura Linney, who makes Cathy’s mix of fear, wit, selfishness, and tenderness feel completely lived-in. The series has a knack for finding humor inside dread without trivializing the diagnosis, and its suburban setting gives the story a grounded, everyday texture that keeps it from becoming overly sentimental.
Worth noting
Its first season is the strongest and most distinctive, balancing brisk comedy with genuine emotional sting. As the series goes on, it broadens its focus and can feel less precise, but it remains watchable because the ensemble is strong and the show keeps returning to Cathy’s complicated search for meaning.
Bottom line
This is a good pick if you want a compact prestige dramedy that’s more humane than glossy and more emotionally honest than neat. It doesn’t always fully sustain its premise, but when it lands, it lands with real warmth and bite.
Recommended similar titles
2001 · Curator 9.4/10 (168.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A benchmark for darkly funny, emotionally honest family drama about mortality, grief, and the mess of everyday life.
2009 · Curator 6.6/10 (33.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Showtime’s other great flawed-woman dramedy, mixing wit, addiction, and emotional damage with a fast, sardonic rhythm.
2014 · Curator 8.6/10 (24.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads
A character-first dramedy about reinvention, family secrets, and emotional upheaval with a similarly intimate tone.
2016 · Curator 10.0/10 (246.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
For viewers who like sharp wit under emotional damage, with a lead performance that carries both comedy and pain.
2019 · Curator 0.5/10 (1.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A grief-centered series that uses dark humor to explore loss, loneliness, and the effort to keep going.
2014 · Curator 8.3/10 (52.2K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium
A prestige relationship drama with emotional complexity, adult messiness, and a strong sense of interior life.
2006 · Curator 7.1/10 (24.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A family drama about private crises and domestic strain, with a similarly offbeat, serious-but-wry tone.
2011 · Curator 6.5/10 (335.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
If you want messy family dynamics, dark humor, and emotional volatility, this has the same appetite for chaos.
2019 · Curator 0.6/10 (622 ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A dark comedy about grief and friendship that keeps emotional stakes high while staying brisk and bingeable.
2008 · Curator 8.7/10 (19.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
For a more intimate, dialogue-driven emotional study of pain, coping, and self-examination.
2018 · Curator 7.9/10 (47.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A witty, melancholy series about aging, mortality, and friendship with a similar balance of laughs and sadness.
2011 · Curator 5.3/10 (11.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A tender, awkward, and psychologically observant dramedy about a woman trying to remake her life.
Topics
dramedy, dark comedy, prestige TV, illness narrative, family drama, suburban setting, bittersweet, character-driven, Showtime, 2010s
Open The Big C (2010) on Curator TV