I'd intended to watch this series during it's first run, but somehow missed it. That's the problem right now - so much good television - so little time. So here I am now.First, it's kind of surprising that there hasn't been a "cancer" show yet. That's not to say that there haven't been shows in which characters deal with having cancer, but to have it as it's primary thrust is something else. In a time where it's hard to find someone in North America who hasn't been touched in some way by at least one of the variation iterations of the disease (my own mother passed away when I was a teenager from ovarian cancer), it's surprising that this is the first kick at the can of a very universal topic. I suppose the problem is tone. And that's where this show really excels. It's not preachy at all, it's not sappy or sugary. Its not mean spirited, despite some characters doing some fairly emotionally horrible things to one another. What this show is about is what cancer does to you - and not physically, but otherwise. And cancer as a metaphor as well for things that eat away at us.
The cast for this show is stellar. Laura Linney has always been amazing and she's tour-de-force here. Oliver Platt is one of my favorites and he does not disappoint. John Benjamin Hickey is a breath of fresh air as Cathy's off-the-grid brother, and Gabriel Basso does a great turn as her son that needs a kick in the pants. Gabourey Sidibe's performance here makes me actually wants to watch Precious now.
This show connects with me because it's a comedy with heart, and that's what I dig. In particular the season finale just kicked my ass. I'm sure it has a lot to do with my personal connection to the topic, but damn did they ever do a good job - right up to the point where I wonder where the show can go next? They did a really good job of completely all of their characters first stages of their arcs that it almost felt like they could have wrapped it up there.
Only time will tell... Looking forward to season two...
The Big C
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