Bookie – A New Comedy Series About Sports Betting on HBO
What happens when comedy and gambling combine? You guessed it. We have the Bookie Comedy Series.
Sebastian Maniscalco is a famous stand-up comedian with his share of luck in the comedy industry, and he has now branched into movies. After success in About My Father, he decided to star in his TV series, the Bookie. But he won’t be the only one.
The Bookie project also has other notable people on its production team. We have the revered Chuck, the producer behind the production of Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory. And if Bookie is anything like those shows, there will be many laughs and incredible jokes.
So what is the series about? What are the casting details, and whose bright mind is behind the creation? This article explores all the questions that might be bugging your mind. Get your popcorn ready for a road trip through the new Bookie TV show!
What The Series Is About
We don’t want our prejudice to take over our synopsis. Instead, we offer Walt Disney’s synopsis of Bookie, the new, and probably the first, sports betting series.
“From Emmy-nominated creator Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory) and Nick Bakay, this darkly funny comedy follows veteran Los Angeles bookie Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco) as the potential legalization of sports gambling in California threatens to upend his business for good.
Alongside best friend and former NFL player Ray (Omar J. Dorsey), side-hustling sister Lorraine (Vanessa Ferlito), and reluctantly reformed drug dealer Hector (Jorge Garcia), Danny must contend with his increasingly unstable clients as he tries to settle their debts — all while making plenty of risky bets of his own. Full of relatable mishaps, Bookie chronicles one man’s journey to adapt to an ever-changing world as he attempts to charm and con his way to the top.”
Casting Details
While Sebastian Maniscalco plays the leading role of “Danny” in Bookie, the TV series is far from a one-man show. But the show isn’t star-studded either. Aside from Sebastian Maniscalco, the other co-star is Omar J. Dorsey. He plays Maniscalco’s close buddy, Ray, in the series. Like Sebastian Maniscalco, he has starred in movies like Power Book III: Raising Kanan, When They See Us, and Eastbound & Down.
Bookie has other casts. Andrea Anders, who plays Sandra, is there. There is also Jorge Garcia, who plays Hector, and Vanessa Ferlito, who plays Loraine. Maxim Swinton also plays Antony in the show. Aside from this cast, there are others with unspecified roles. They are Charlie Sheen and Bob Clendenin.
Who Wrote Bookie?
The HBO sports betting series Bookie was produced and written by Chunk Lorre and Nick Bakay. It was executively produced by Sebastian Maniscalco, Judi Marmel, and Andy Tennant, who directed and organized the multiple episodes.
Prelaunch Buzz
Starring Sebastian Maniscalco, who acted in notable movies like The Irishman and Tag, people were pumped to see him. The Hollywood crowd was excited to see what the actor/stand-up comedian could bring to the display. More so, acting in something of Chuck Lorre’s making. Both parties carried the pre-launch buzz. Many spectators wonder what Chuck Lorre had in mind. And when the action-packed comedy trailer came out, it broke the thin ice. The buzz was intense, louder than we had expected.
Bookie Release Date
Bookie premiered on Thursday, November 30, 2023, with two fire episodes. The release date came one year and some weeks after the movie’s production started. Talk about a fast delivery!
After November 30, streaming platforms will continue to premiere two weekly episodes until December 21, ending with eight episodes. To book a slot of the Bookie episodes, you can follow it on Max.
Casinodjungel Reviews The First Episodes
For the episodes that have been released so far, here are short Casiodjungel reviews on each of them:
Bookie Episode 1: Always Smell The Money
The series starts fast-paced and with a load of action. Danny makes shady moves and gets some questionable cash to recoup his clients’ losses. He bumps into an old friend, Ray, and both continue hunting for the actor “Charlie Sheen.”
Bookie Episode 2: Making Lemonade
After an unexpectedly violent confrontation, Danny and his friend, Ray, try to cover their tracks. Meanwhile, Hector leverages a position within the team. Later in the episode, the pair try to persuade a desperate client off the ledge.
Bookie Episode 3: Trust Your Sphincter
When Loraine’s side business of selling shrooms backfires, she turns to Hector for aid. Meanwhile, Danny tries a risky bet that might break or make his business after visiting a porn set and pawn shop.
Bookie Episode 4: Some Whales Nix the Vig
After being coerced to take an enormous bet from the ruthless gambler, Danny and Ray must find a way to escape the deal. As that plays out, Hector helps Lorraine turn her illegal shroom side business into a quasi-respectable therapeutic psychedelic business.
Bookie Episode 5: Beware the Family Jewels
When a client chooses to settle his debts with a hoard of stolen jewelry, Danny and Ray try to appease the women in their lives. Meanwhile, Lorraine’s illegal shaman enterprise threatens to derail the book.
Bookie Episode 6: Nepo Bookies
After the death of Danny’s beloved Uncle Teddy, the man who taught him to run a book, Danny prepares to fight Teddy’s estranged son, Viggy. The young mind who was dedicated to a fault to get his “supposed” share of Danny’s book.
Trailer
You can watch the trailer of Bookie, the first sports betting series to light up in Hollywood.
How To Watch “Bookie”
Bookie is a MAX original series. Hence, a Max subscription is the only way to watch the intriguing show. Currently, Max has two options for a monthly subscription. You can pay either $9.99 or $15.99 per month. There is no difference between the contents of whichever option you choose, except the cheaper one is not ad-free. But for places that don’t have access to Max, like the UK, we need to know when Bookie might be coming on their screens.
