Laura Linney to star in new cable series

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. actress Laura Linney has signed on to headline the new television series "The C Word," Showtime announced.

Linney will star in and executive-produce the half-hour series about a suburban wife and mother diagnosed with cancer.

A pilot has been ordered and will be shot in the fall, the network said.

"Laura Linney is in that rare echelon of truly gifted actresses who fully embody the characters they play and we are honored to welcome her to Showtime,"

Showtime Networks President of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt said in a statement. "Cancer is not usually the subject of half-hour comedy, but Laura saw what we did in this complex show -- a woman who gets a wake-up call that causes her to shake up her life and family. She will no doubt make this character both heartbreaking and disarmingly funny, and we're thrilled that she has chosen this show for her foray into series television."

"How one lives fully while being tested by the unpredictability of life, and what one learns in the process, is always filled with endless possibilities for an actor," Linney said. "I am very excited to tackle such potentially rich, funny and complicated material."

Linney won numerous awards last year for her work in the HBO miniseries "John Adams." Her film credits include "Kinsey," "You Can Count on Me," "Love Actually" and "Mystic River."

She will be seen early next year in a limited engagement of the play "Time Stands Still" at Broadway's Manhattan Theatre Club.