Charlie Sheen, who was at one point the highest-paid actor on television, is heading back to the small screen.
Previously, it had been reported that Sheen had patched up his tumultuous relationship with Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre. Now, 12 years after Sheen’s controversial exit from Two and a Half Men, he’s set to star in Lorre’s upcoming Max comedy series Bookie. The new show is set to start streaming on Max on Nov. 30, and ahead of the premiere, the first official trailer has been released. The trailer, which also features stars Sebastian Maniscalco and Omar J. Dorsey, can be viewed below.
Bookie follows Maniscalco (The Super Mario Bros. Movie) as a Los Angeles bookie whose business becomes threatened by the potential legalization of sports gambling in California. Joined by his best friend, former NFL star Ray (Dorsey, Halloween Ends), along with side-hustling sister Lorraine (Vanessa Ferlito, 24) and reformed drug dealer Hector (Jorge Garcia, Lost), 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,” per Max’s logline.
Charlie Sheen Lampoons Himself in Bookie
Playing himself, Sheen will serve as a recurring guest star for Bookie. While the actor had a very public feud with Lorre in years past, they were both ready to move on and make amends by this point in their lives. Lorre recently told Variety how the idea to bring in Sheen came naturally when working on a new show that involved sports gambling, given how that was something he spoke with the former Two and a Half Men star a lot when they were close. Despite their falling out, Lorre also found that the two were able to hit it off again just fine upon getting back in touch when Sheen was contacted about his possible role in Bookie.
“I was nervous, but almost as soon as we started talking, I remembered, we were friends once,” Lorre explained. “And that friendship just suddenly seemed to be there again. I don’t want to be too mawkish about it, but it was healing. And he was also totally game to make fun of himself. When he came to the table read of that episode, I walked up, and we hugged. It was just great.”
Other cast members include Andrea Anders and Maxim Swinton. The series was created by Lorre alongside Nick Bakay, and the two also serve as writers and producers. Maniscalco executive produced with Judi Marmel and Andy Tennant.
Bookie will premiere its first two episodes of its eight-episode season on Nov. 30, 2023, on Max. Two episodes will be released simultaneously every Thursday until the season finale on Dec. 21, 2023.
Source: Max
