Oscar nominee Laura Linney will star as a cancer-stricken woman in a new television series on cable network Showtime, playing a suburban mom whose life changes when she learns she has The C Word, the network said on Thursday.

Linney, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in 2007 movie The Savages, will also executive produce the program, titled The C Word, which is being billed as a half-hour comedy. An air date has not yet been set.

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

Linney has been nominated for an Oscar three times, including for the 2004 movie Kinsey and 2000 film You Can Count on Me. The New York-born actress starred last year in the HBO mini-series John Adams.

Showtime has for years battled rival HBO to be the channel of choice among premium cable TV networks for cutting-edge TV, and in recent years has enjoyed a string of hits including serial killer drama Dexter, pot-themed Weeds and more recently hospital program Nurse Jackie.

Showtime is a unit of CBS Corp and HBO is part of Time Warner Inc.

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