Production notes

The Big C's pilot episode was received positively by critics, while subsequent episodes received mixed reviews from critics. Season One received an overall score of 66 on Metacritic based on 27 reviews. Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times wrote: "The Big C works because most of the writing is strong and believable, and so is Ms. Linney, who rarely sounds a false note and here has perfect pitch... the series is at its best when sardonic and subdued." Washington Post critic Hank Stuever said: "Buoyed by scalpel-sharp writing and even keener performances, The Big C ...walks a fine line of having it both ways. It's for people who are repelled by the warm-fuzzy, disease-o'-the-week dramas of cable television." EW.com's Ken Tucker quibbled with its major plot point: "My big problem with The Big C concerns a crucial decision the show made for the early episodes: Cathy declines to tell those closest to her that she has cancer. While this is one of the many different reactions people have to such a diagnosis in real life, in a comedy drama like this, it makes everyone around her seem a bit dim." The second season received similar reviews to the first, receiving a score of 64 on Metacritic based on reviews from 6 critics. Maureen Ryan of AOL TV stated that "Having a character and her family deal with a potentially fatal illness is such a rich arena for both drama and black comedy, but so far, The Big C hasn't been able to mine that topic with consistent freshness and depth." Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly was critical towards the show, but commended the acting, stating that "Much of The Big C's unoriginal dramatization of cancer concerns is mitigated by the fresh, dynamic performances of Laura Linney and Oliver Platt." The third season received a score of 65 on Metacritic based on reviews from 4 critics. The fourth and final season—consisting of four hour-long episodes received a score of 73 on Metacritic based on reviews from 10 critics.