A planned comedy series centered on sports betting will appear later this year on Max, titled How to Be a Bookie.
Among the stars will be Charlie Sheen, who will team with producer Chuck Lorre, with whom he collaborated for Two and a Half Men more than a decade ago.
The series follows Los Angeles bookie struggling with the legalization of sports betting. It will be set in and filmed in Los Angeles, California. The show comes as more than 35 states have legalized sports betting, while California sports betting has yet to be legalized.
A “bookie” is an individual who accepts and places bets for customers. In states where sports betting is legal, bettors go through licensed and regulated sportsbooks.
Lorre and Sheen have been a winning combo before
Sheen will co-star with comedian Sebastian Maniscalco in the series that will be available on Max streaming service, formerly known as HBO Max. According to reporting from Deadline, it will be a single-camera show on which Sheen will have a recurring role.
Lorre and Sheen working together on a series about sports betting in a state famous for not legalizing it yet could make for a new round of must-see TV.
For eight seasons, Sheen portrayed Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men, earning four Emmy nominations. The show was developed by Lorre, and was nominated for 46 Emmy Awards, winning nine times.
But Sheen and Lorre’s relationship eventually imploded, resulting in the former being fired from the show prior to season nine.
Sheen has often made headlines for his playboy and vagabond lifestyle. He was in rehab when he was let go from Two and a Half Men, and subsequently expressed regret for the way he attacked Lorre in the media over his exit from the show.
Four years after his dismissal from that hit show, Sheen reappeared on-air in Anger Management, a spin-off from the movie of the same name.
At this time, there is no planned date for How to Be a Bookie to debut its eight-episode first season.
The sports gambling situation in California
Last November, two props that would have legalized California sportsbooks failed at the ballot box. The colossal defeat of Prop 26 and Prop 27 suggest sports betting may not even be approved by voters in the 2024 election.
With legal sports betting markets popping up all over the country, the topic is bound to be an inspiration for screenwriters. Sportsbook ads are prevalent in many states as the market grows at a tremendous rate since the US Supreme Court struck down a law that prevented it from spreading only five years ago.