A unique premise

A new sports betting-focused sitcom is coming to television screens. Key cogs of the hit show “Two and a Half Men,” Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay, have come together to create this new project.

story revolving around an old-school bookie in Los Angeles

The show titled “Bookie” will be available to watch on Max starting November 30. Warner Bros. Television produced the dark comedy series, which revolves around an old-school bookie in Los Angeles who’s facing an uncertain future as California contemplates making sports betting legal.

Lorre outlined in a media junket regarding the upcoming release how Bakay’s experience in the world of sports betting helped bring this new series to reality. Bakay is a former analyst at ESPN and was able to walk Lorre through the nuances of the betting world. Sebastian Maniscalco, best known for his stand-up comedy and his role as Joe Gallo in The Irishman, plays the lead, flanked by a supporting cast of Omar Dorsey, Jorge Garcia, and Andrea Anders. As can be seen in the trailer, Charlie Sheen, the star of “Two and a Half Men,” makes a guest appearance in an episode.

Two episodes per week

Lorre believes the shift in the television industry toward a streaming model means that show creators have a lot more flexibility available to them when developing projects. Censorship laws or time restrictions are not concerns, which ultimately benefits the storylines. Talking about “Bookie,” Lorre said that the creators “had the chance to use some crayons in the box that were untouched before.”

The first season will have eight episodes, with two new episodes released every week up until December 21. The original name for the show when HBO commissioned the series in October 2022 was “How to Be a Bookie.”

Making up

Charlie Sheen and Chuck Lorre had a highly publicized spat in 2011 that culminated in the former’s departure from “Two and a Half Men,” after eight seasons. Substance abuse issues led to Sheen entering rehab in January 2011 and putting production on hold.

led to Warner Bros. and CBS terminating Sheen’s contract

He then took aim at Lorre in the media, labeling him as a “stupid, stupid man” and a “little maggot.” This resulted in Warner Bros. and CBS terminating Sheen’s contract, which triggered a prolonged public meltdown.

Lorre reached out to Sheen’s agent when developing “Bookie” and ultimately directly got in touch with the 58-year-old actor. They met each other for the first time after the spat during the first episode table read. Lorre described this as initially being “nerve wrecking” and revealed that it turned out to be “the most natural thing in the world.”