Chuck Lorre’s ‘Bookie’ Revisits Poker Scene In ‘Two And A Half Men’ Pilot, Reuniting Charlie Sheen & Angus T. Jones

Denise Petski
·2 min read
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It’s quite a reunion in today’s premiere of Chuck Lorre’s new Max comedy series Bookie.

The episode revisits the poker scene in Lorre’s Two and a Half Men pilot, which reunites Lorre’s Two and a Half Men alums Charlie Sheen and Angus T. Jones.

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In the Bookie premiere, Danny, played by Sebastian Maniscalco, heads to Malibu to collect a debt from Sheen, whom he finds at a rehab facility. But Sheen isn’t a patient at the facility; he’s actually hosting a weekly poker game, and one of the players is “Half Man” Angus T. Jones, who played 8-year-old Jake Harper opposite Sheen on Two and a Half Men. The scene also includes the same poker buddies who attended Charlie Harper’s poker game in 2003.

Lorre spoke about the scene in an interview with Extra. “Charlie and I were discussing recreating that poker scene. I said, ‘Let me call Angus and see if he’s game,’ and the other guys in the pilot were also in ‘Two and a Half Men’ in that poker scene and that was 21 years ago… It was just great being together with the two of them. It was a great day and I got to direct the episode. I had a blast,” Lorre said.

Created by Lorre and Nick Bakay, the dark comedy revolves around longtime Los Angeles bookie Danny (Maniscalco) and his roster of clients, one of whom is played by former Two and a Half Men star Sheen as he returns to TV and reunites with Lorre twelve years after the actor’s dramatic Men exit.

Bookie follows veteran Los Angeles bookie Danny (Maniscalco) as the potential legalization of sports gambling in California threatens to upend his business for good. Alongside best friend and former NFL player Ray (Omar J. Dorsey), side-hustling sister Lorraine (Vanessa Ferlito), and reluctantly reformed drug dealer Hector (Jorge Garcia), 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.

The series’ main cast also includes Andrea Anders and Maxim Swinton. Sheen is a recurring guest star.

Produced by Warner Bros. Television, Bookie is created, written and produced by Lorre and Bakay; executive produced by Maniscalco, Judi Marmel and Andy Tennant, who directed multiple episodes.

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