Big screen stars just keep migrating to pay cable networks. Maybe they’re bored with filmmaking. Maybe they like the steady paycheck HBO, Showtime, Starz, and other networks can offer without sacrificing any quality. Or maybe they’re just attracted to good stories no matter the format.

Laura Linney is the latest to jump to TV, with her own starring vehicle for Showtime called The Big C. It’s about a proper, conservative mother and schoolteacher who’s given devastating news: terminal cancer. Despite such a heavy subject matter, The Big C is billed as a comedy. Because now, with her days now officially numbered, Linney’s character Cathy decides to drastically alter everything about her life, becoming sassy and outspoken and suffering no fools. She starts by confronting her immature husband and spoiled son, and finds herself oddly drawn to social malcontents like her grouchy next-door neighbor and a sarcastic but confident student. The buzz-worthy show also stars Oliver Platt and Gabourey Sidibe.

Showtime is offering a preview of the half-hour pilot episode that’s free to watch online.