Bookie | agoodmovietowatch
Bookie 7.0 2024 Show

Bookie

Chuck Lorre & Nick Bakay · United States of America · English, Portuguese

A darkly funny sitcom about the volatile business of sports gambling in LA

Our take by Renee Cuisia

Bookie’s very premise is funny: it follows old-school bookmakers Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco) and Ray (Omar Dorsey) as they manage bets via phone calls and actual visits to their clients’ (swanky) whereabouts. They have to do all this the hard way because, in Los Angeles, gambling has yet to be legalized, so the sneaking around makes for an entertaining watch. In true sitcom fashion, their increasing bad luck equals more zany misadventures, but there’s a grimness and darkness to it too as Bookie explores the struggles of Danny and Ray’s paycheck-to-paycheck living. They feel like real people, people you can bet on to have a good time.

What happens

A veteran bookie struggles 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, high and low.

More about it

What happens

In fast-paced Los Angeles, two bookies manage sports gambles and chase people for debts.

What sets it apart

The humor is a tad too old-school for my tastes (though some might dub it “bravely traditional”) but every delivery by Omar Dorsey as Ray lands with aplomb.

TL;DR

This would fit perfectly in early 2000s TV—do with that info what you will.

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About the author

Renee Cuisia

Renee Cuisia

Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.