British actor Idris Elba will be returning to cable television as he's set to guest star in four episodes of the new Show­time dark com­edy series 'The Big C,' opposite Laurey Linney, Oliver Platt and 'Precious' star Gabourey Sidibe.

The show pre­mieres on August 16th. Elba will play Lenny, a painter who forms a rela­tion­ship with head­liner Laura Linney.

Set in the Connecticut suburbs, the half-hour series stars Linney as Cathy, a repressed suburban wife and mother who reclaims her life after a terminal cancer diagnosis. Platt will play her immature, but well-meaning husband, while Sidibe will play a smart-alecky student in Cathy's class.

Before making the leap to Hollywood, Elba was a regular on the HBO acclaimed series 'The Wire,' playing gangster Stringer Bell and appeared on NBC's comedy series 'The Office.'

Currently Elba has been receiving rave reviews for his work in a six part BBC detective miniseries called 'Luther.'

After appearing in the comic book film, 'The Losers,' this past Spring, Elba will star with Matt Dillon, Michael Ealy, Zoe Saldana, Chris Brown, and rapper T.I. in 'Takers,' which opens on August 20.