BeforeOzark, Laura Linney (Wendy Byrde) had already proven she could carry a series in Showtime’sThe Big C. She took on the role of Cathy Jamison, a suburban teacher whose life changes after a terminal cancer diagnosis. Instead of turning it into a straight drama, the show mixed dark humor with emotional honesty.
That level of control didn’t happen by accident.Laura Linney’s best rolesoften play the long game, letting small moments build until they completely shift the audience’s perception.
But if you only know Linney fromNetflix’s 82% RT rated crime dramaOzark,The Big Cis worth seeking out. It’s a completely different role but just as layered, showing another side of what makes her one of TV’s most reliable and versatile leads.
Laura Linney Plays A Teacher Diagnosed With Cancer In The Big C
Cathy Jamison’s story starts with devastating news: she doesn’t have long to live. ButThe Big Cisn’t interested in milking that for tears alone. It’s about what happens when someone stops holding back and starts making choices without worrying about what other people think.
Linney plays Cathy as someone who refuses to be defined by her illness. She’s still a wife, a mother, and a teacher, but now she’s also someone who wants to reclaim her time. Sometimes that means being blunt, sometimes it means being selfish, and sometimes it means finding joy in places she used to overlook.
Thisunderrated TV showfinds its strength in those shifts. One episode might explore the hard realities of her diagnosis, while the next leans into absurd situations that show how unpredictable life can be. Linney keeps the tone consistent, grounding both the comedy and the drama in something believable.
How Laura Linney’s Big C Protagonist Compares To Wendy Byrde
At first glance, Cathy Jamison and Wendy Byrde have almost nothing in common. Cathy is a schoolteacher navigating a life-changing diagnosis, while Wendy is a political strategist turned criminal power player. But both women are constantly adapting, reading the room, and finding ways to control their circumstances.
For Cathy, that adaptability comes from knowing her time is limited. She pursues experiences and speaks her mind because there’s no point in waiting. For Wendy, it comes from ambition and survival; she’s building something dangerous and can’t afford to lose control of it.
Linney plays both characters with restraint, letting subtle choices speak louder than big, dramatic gestures. Cathy might defuse a tense conversation with humor, while Wendy might win one with silence. Either way, the effect is the same: you’re able to’t look away because you’re waiting to see the next move.
Watching these two performances back to back is like seeing the same set of skills applied to completely different situations. One is about letting go; the other is about holding on at all costs. Both prove why Linney has been at the top of her field for decades.
The Big C Is A Very Different Show From Ozark — But You’ll Still Love It
WhileOzarkruns on criminal deals and high-stakes power plays,The Big Cfocuses on personal choices and relationships. InThe Big C, Cathy’s situation is about making the most of the time she has left rather than playing a chess game of outsmarting opponents. That urgency shapes every decision she makes.
For fans ofOzark, the main draw is obvious. You get another layered Laura Linney performance, but this time in one ofShowtime’s best series, in a setting that trades money laundering for messy, everyday human relationships. Cathy and Wendy are nothing alike, but both refuse to be passive in the face of their circumstances.
And likeOzark,The Big Cstays with you after it ends. It’s just that instead of leaving you with tension and dread, it leaves you thinking about how you’d spend your own time if you knew it was running out.
