It’s been revealed that Showtime has renewed The Big C for a 3rd season. On the series, Laura Linney plays Cathy Jamison, a woman with Stage 4 melanoma. You might be wondering how you write a show about a woman that could die at any moment, and this show is a good example of that. The tagline on the season 2 poster says it’s, “A series about living…with cancer.” But more than just providing entertainment, the show is a study in managing grief and living with disease. For all the bagillions of doctor/hospital TV shows we’ve seen, none come nearly as close to artfully illuminating a picture of terminal illness for the masses as this masterful show does. Skip the reality TV and think about something….well, real.

As the powerful second season of THE BIG C draws to a shocking conclusion on Monday, September 26th, SHOWTIME has picked up a third season of the critically-acclaimed comedy series starring Laura Linney as a reserved, suburban wife/mother/teacher (triple threat!) whose terminal cancer diagnosis forces her to shake up her life and find the light side of a dark situation. Ten new episodes will go into production starting early next year for debut in the second quarter of 2012. THE BIG C is created and written by Darlene Hunt, who serves as executive producer, along with showrunner Jenny Bicks, Laura Linney, Neal H. Moritz and Vivian Cannon. It is produced by Sony Pictures Television.

THE BIG C stars Laura Linney in her Golden Globe Award-winning and Emmy-nominated role as Cathy Jamison. This season, Cathy progressed from Denial to Anger on the grief cycle and has become an all-out warrior (Rawwwr!) in the fight against her Stage 4 melanoma, while her husband, Paul (Oliver Platt), stepped up to become her greatest advocate and treatment “cancierge.” You might have thought he’d be out of the picture, but he’s in it more than ever.

Cathy is joined in her fight by her new oncologist, Dr. Atticus Sherman (special guest appearance by Alan Alda), and charming new buddy Lee (special guest appearance by Hugh Dancy – not to be missed!), a fellow patient in an experimental clinical trial.

Meanwhile, son Adam (Gabriel Basso) sparks an odd friendship with an eccentric older woman (special guest appearance by Parker Posey!), and Andrea (special guest star Gabourey Sidibe) finds love with Paul’s co-worker Myk (guest star Boyd Hollbrook). Sean (John Benjamin Hickey), now living in Marlene’s (special guest star Phyllis Somerville) old house, prepares for the life he almost had, now that his fiance has run away and their child miscarried.  – via modified press release

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