Created by veteran TV comedy writers Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two And A Half Men) and Nick Bakay (Sabrina The Teenage Witch), Bookie, the story of an old-school bookmaker struggling in the modern world of online sports betting was sure to attract audiences familiar with their industries facing imminent demise. Bakay spoke with Creative Screenwriting Magazine about his love of sports betting and getting his TV series made as an example of his most personal work.

Bakay used to do a segment on ESPN about football betting and is well-versed in the sports world. Chuck Lorre approached him about developing a television show with Sebastian Maniscalco (known for his Crazy Joe Gallo character in The Irishman), so they married the two ideas and discussed the role of Danny in Bookie with the actor.

At that point, Lorre and Bakay weren’t sure whether Bookie was going to be a multi-cam or single-camera show.

“When Maniscalco accepted the offer, it started to really gel and become something really fast. We had a lot to write and it got going from there,” says Bakay.

Ultimately, Bookie landed on Max. Bakay recalls that pitching the idea to them was an “easy” internal sell.

“It’s the kind of thing that’s the closest to what I think my personal voice is. A lot of your career as a TV writer is to be like tofu and assume the flavor of the dish you’re thrown into,” he muses.

Bakay cites Elmore Leonard (Justified) and Scott Ryan’s Mr. Inbetween as key influences to the show. “Mr. Inbetween is one of my favorite TV shows ever. I think that we are much more hard comedy than that. This is a guy in a very rough life, but with a personal life.”

Finding The Comedy In Bookie

“Comedy is one of the things that made this refreshing like a palate cleanser,” continues Bakay.

“Chuck and I are used to comedy coming from people overreacting in situations; or under-reacting. It starts with knowing your characters’ voices. Danny and Ray (Omar J. Dorsey) are the love story of our show. They are the essential couple.”

“The nature of their work keeps putting them in danger. Every time they knock on a door to collect an envelope, or hand one out, is a new adventure. So, we have this wild card element. You’ve got Danny, who at his heart, is sort of a conservative safe guy who’s in such a fringe line of work. And then you’ve got Ray who is more of the guy who’s flown his life into the side of a mountain and is just trying to make sense of it.”

Nick Bakay

Bookie tracks the ups and downs of their personal and professional lives – their partners, their finances, and when their business takes a hit.

The show also has an element of absurdism as Danny and Ray face the threat of extinction when their shadow business is impacted by legalized gambling.

“It was great for us because there’s this specter [of death], but the hammer hasn’t fallen yet. This is a great take on certain lines of work and hugely relatable to so many people watching.”

Bookie doesn’t judge its characters or comment on the morality of gambling for a living. Bakay likens illegal gambling to running a liquor store. A number of lives are negatively impacted like in any business. “I know guys who got divorced because they couldn’t stop golfing. You can turn anything into your ruination,” argues Bakay.

Chuck Lorre is undoubtedly a successful TV comedy writer many global hit shows under his belt. “He has had more success with more shows and actively wrote on those shows. He rolled up his sleeves in the writers’ room. We benefit from his track record on levels that are just remarkable.”

“When we start writing, we just cook. We write fast and furious and we feed off each other. We really have a blast and there are times when we’re done with a script and we look up and there’s smoke coming off of us,” jokes Bakay.

Lorre and Bakay wrote all the episodes and Colin Chichakly co-wrote one episode with the dynamic duo.

Writing The Season

According to Bakay, writing a season comprising eight episodes is easier than twenty-two, even with a bigger writing staff. “The first episode was a lot of housekeeping. We’ll come into the season with a couple of ideas for big moves. Oftentimes, they don’t actually hold their water.”

“Those things fall away, and in some way, your best move with an episode is letting it create its own path. Letting the season flow in its own way.”

Nick Bakay isn’t overly concerned with his shift from broadcast comedy to cable or streaming since many comedy tropes are common to both platforms.

“Obviously we’re not worried about hitting the commercial breaks and making sure people come back.” Then there’s the matter of dropping all episodes on the same day compared to weekly. Bookie dropped in pairs over a several weeks, which is a hybrid of the two. Each episode  was also twenty-two minutes long, following the broadcast TV model. “That’s very bingeable.”

“Bookie is buried in the streaming world where there is that sense of momentum. So, a lot of it is how can we take the momentum of where we left off and keep the ball rolling. We’re not starting from ground zero. It’s really just how the story is going to be served best,” indicates the creator.

“Some stories are better served by a cutaway. There’s just something relentless about certain storylines where you think we really need to bop out of here and release the pressure. If you deviate and hop over to another storyline, it’s the kind of falling action that is good at deflating the tire. You just have to trust your story instincts at a certain point.”

Nick Bakay also credits the cast for elevating the show. Sebastian Maniscalco added the moles storyline to Bookie. The actors often remedy a scene that’s not flying. “They bring their unique and really wonderful rhythms and voices to the show.”

“We’re not writing to that full stand-up delivery. We try to bring people in at the beginning and then you’re writing the character and the performer. Hopefully it’s a nice marriage. Then they can add their own jokes.”

Nick Bakay describes his writing career as “a lot of slugging.” He also loves that many shows left him “unchecked.”

Becoming a successful writer relies on many factors. Some writers have natural-born talent and others answer their calling. “You have to be willing to keep learning and keep listening to what you think your voice is until your voice actually comes out. That might take a while,” advises Bakay.