The new series Bookie is set to premiere on Max on November 30th, and Italian-American comedian Sebastian Maniscalco will be front and center in his first lead role in a television series.
Originally titled How to Be a Bookie, the show follows the life of a veteran bookie named Danny who “must fight to survive the legalization of sports gambling, increasingly unstable clients, and fast-paced life in Los Angeles.” One of Danny’s unstable clients includes a character played by Charlie Sheen, representing the former star’s first role in television or film since 2017. It also marks his first collaboration with director Chuck Lorre since their award-winning sitcom Two and a Half Men, which was nominated for 46 Primetime Emmy Awards including four straight nominations for Sheen as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series from 2006-2009.
Maniscalco has already been putting on a masterclass in branching out from comedy to film with roles in The Irishman, Green Book, and The Super Mario Bros Movie. Still, Bookie is a big break in the comedian’s acting career as it will be his first television show with ongoing appearances since Well Done with Sebastian Maniscalco aired on Discovery+ in August of 2021.
He also starred as himself alongside Robert De Niro as his father, Salvo, in About My Father. The movie is loosely based on Sebastian’s life and depicts the culture clash that ensues over the Fourth of July weekend between his Italian immigrant father and in-laws as they all learn a thing or two about family along the way.
The film pays homage to his ancestral roots, as both of Maniscalco’s parents are Italian. His father Salvatore settled in Illinois after making the journey from Cefalù, Sicily, at the age of 15 and made a living as a hairstylist while his mother, Rose, has roots in Naples, Campania, and Sicily.
While most of the characters Maniscalco portrays have an Italian background, it will be interesting to see if this will also be the case for “Danny” in this new series available on Max.
I love it…very funny. Different from his stand up which is hilarious because I can relate to what my father said and did but funny just the same. Hope to see him live someday !