Showtime has renewed The Big C for a fourth and final season, the network announced today at its Television Critics Association's summer tour panel. The season will consist of four one-hour episodes, with the series concluding Sunday, September 16. It isn't known when the first of these final episodes will debut, although, if they run all four in a row, it will likely premiere Sunday, August 26.

The speculation now is whether or not the show will end with Laura Linney's Cathy Jamison dying from cancer. Here's what Showtime network president David Nevins had to say about the ending.

"I wouldn't assume anything about how its going to end. They have a very interesting, novel and form-breaking way to handle where the show is going."

Laura Linney won a Golden Globe in 2011 for her portrayal of the cancer-stricken Cathy in The Big C. She was also nominated for an Emmy Award in the same year.