HBO Max has given a series order for the comedy How To Be a Bookie, from Chuck Lorre, Nick Bakay and Warner Bros. Television. Sebastian Maniscalco is set to star.
The order is for eight episodes.
Lorre and Bakay will co-write, and they will executive produce with Maniscalco and Judi Marmel. The single-camera comedy sees a veteran bookie struggling to survive the impending legalization of sports gambling, increasingly unstable clients, family, co-workers and a lifestyle that bounces him around every corner of Los Angeles.
“It's very exciting to have the next comedy series from Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros. Television,” said Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO, HBO and HBO Max Content. “We have been fans of Sebastian's for several years and look forward to what these brilliant comedic voices put together for HBO Max.”
Lorre’s shows include The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and The Kominsky Method.
“It’s an absolute dream to work with Sebastian Maniscalco—whom I’ve been a fan of for years,” said Lorre. “To have my first project at HBO Max with such an incredibly gifted comedian and alongside Nick Bakay is the trifecta. I can’t wait to get started.”
A comedian, Maniscalco’s TV work includes the Discovery Plus series Well Done With Sebastian Maniscalco and the films The Irishman and Green Book.
“I’m thrilled that How to Be a Bookie, from Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay, and starring Sebastian Maniscalco, one of the greatest stand-up comics working today, is moving forward at HBO Max,” said Channing Dungey, chairman, Warner Bros. Television Group. “This smart, subversive, and hilarious series will be the next great comedy on HBO Max, continuing the successful partnership between Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions.” ■
