Sebastian Maniscalco winces a little when you ask him about the Chicago Bears.
A team once 4-2 just suffered one of the most embarrassing stretches in franchise history. The only thing worse than the end of the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions was how management fumbled Matt Eberflus’s firing.
Maniscalco, the star and executive producer of the Max series Bookie, is a native of the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. Understandably, he’s not taking the recent events well.
“As a Bears fan, I’m always hopeful at the beginning of the year,” he said in a Zoom interview with Awful Announcing. “New quarterback coming in. Everybody in Chicago thinks this is the year they’re going to at least make the playoffs. Now we’re in the middle of the season. Head coach is gone, team’s in disarray, and we’re trying to regroup. I don’t know. I’m not wasting any more time watching them. It’s just another heart-wrenching season.”
Being a sports fan is hard. However, it’s nothing compared to the pressures of show business. Maniscalco was available this week because Season 2 of Bookie premieres on Dec. 12. The comedy follows the life of bookie Danny (Maniscalco) and his partner Ray (Omar J. Dorsey) as they navigate the legalization of sports gambling while dealing with unstable clients in Los Angeles. Bookie was created by Nick Bakay and Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory).
Maniscalco is best known for his standup work. It takes bravery and extreme confidence to get on stage before a live audience with the expectation of being funny. He has also appeared in movies (The Irishman, Somewhere in Queens, About My Father), which have unique challenges. However, being the lead in a series while juggling the responsibilities associated with producing was new and stressful for Maniscalco.
“I’ve done some films, but never really TV,” he said. “So, I was getting my feet wet with that whole experience and how that works. I’ve never really carried a TV show with an ensemble cast. Not that I’m carrying it, but I’m the main character. I was never the main character in a TV show. So, a lot of pressure coming in and making sure you’re on point and doing all this. But the second season was a lot easier because I knew what to expect. I knew the relationships I’ve had with all these characters. It was nice to hang out with the actors outside of the TV show, too.”
The critical response to Season 1 of Bookie, which debuted last November, was mostly positive. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times called it a” solid and funny comedy” and added, “it’s a 7-point favorite to endure.” Of course, in an evolving media landscape, you never know what shows will survive.
When asked how confident he was that there would be a second season of Bookie, Maniscalco said: “I’m in the entertainment business, so you don’t get your hopes up for anything. The only thing you can control is doing your best work, and if they like it, they like it. I don’t expect much. I don’t get my hopes up because then I feel like if I do, I get disappointed. Hopefully, we’ll get a Season 3. I think this second season, there’s a lot going on, and I think it’s going to warrant definitely continuing on to a Season 3, so, we’ll see.”
The terrific supporting cast makes Bookie a fun watch. Season 2 will include guest stars such as Charlie Sheen, Ray Romano, Zach Braff, and Brad Garrett. Viewers will also enjoy the continuing saga of the relationship between Danny and Sandra (Andrea Anders) and Ray dealing with his baby mama drama.
If you haven’t seen an episode, Maniscalco said you don’t necessarily have to be a gambler to enjoy the show.
“It covers the world of sports and sports betting in a way that I don’t think we’ve seen on television. It’s also a buddy comedy between two guys who are friends and coworkers. There’s a sarcasm and a busting of balls between the two that I think a lot of people could relate to…
“As sports betting becomes more mainstream, I think this show is something that a lot of people could relate to. Not necessarily that they’ve used a bookie, but a lot of people are betting online now and know the world, know the terminology. It’s a good watch and it’s a quick watch.”
The eight-episode Season 2 of Bookie begins on Thursday, Dec 12. It will debut episodes weekly on Max leading up to the season finale on Thursday, Jan. 30.
