'The Big C' Draws Big Audience

The Aug. 16 premiere of The Big C was a big hit for Showtime.

The
series, which stars Laura Linney as a do-gooder, suburban Minnesota
housewife whose world is turned upside down when she learns that she has
terminal cancer, averaged 1.1 million viewers during its 10:30
premiere last night, the largest audience for an original series debut
for the premium service since sci-fi series Odyssey 5 premiered with 1.1 million viewers in 2002, according to the network.

The performance is especially noteworthy considering the pilot
episode was available online two weeks prior to its Showtime premiere
and drew more than 1.6 million web views.

The Big C, which also stars Oliver Platt, delivered an
additional 429,000 viewers during an 11:30 repeat episode, bringing its
nightly total to 1.5 million viewers.

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R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.