Max Cancels Hit Chuck Lorre Comedy Series After Just Two Seasons

Max isn’t willing to take a gamble on Bookie Season 3. The hit series, co-created by Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre, has been canceled at the Warner Bros. Discovery streamer after just two seasons, Variety confirmed Tuesday. The series, starring Sebastian Maniscalco and guest starring Charlie Sheen, premiered in November 2023, with the most recent season dropping in December 2024.

“For two seasons creators Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay and their hilarious cast, led by Sebastian Maniscalco, made us laugh while pulling back the curtain on the world of sports betting,” a Max spokesperson said in a statement shared with Variety. “We won’t be moving forward with a third season, but we are grateful to have worked with such a brilliant team on this laugh out loud comedy.”

Bookie starred Maniscalco as Danny Colavito, a veteran Los Angeles bookie who struggles to survive the impending legalization of sports gambling in California. The series also starred Omar Dorsey as Ray Ballard, Andrea Anders as Sandra, Vanessa Ferlito as Lorraine Colavito, Jorge Garcia as Hector, Maxim Swinton as Anthony, Rob Corddry as Walt Dinty and Selina Kaye as Janelle. Arentia Walker, Toby Huss, and Dake Dickey recurred as Grandma Marion, Carl Lurtsem, and Wendy, respectively.

During its short 16-episode, two season run, Bookie also staged a Two and a Half Men reunion of sorts, with guest appearances from Charlie Sheen and Angus T. Jones, who both starred on Lorre’s popular sitcom.

Max did not provide a reason for the show’s cancellation, and there had been hope for a Season 3 renewal as recently as January when Maniscalco told Collider, “This world of gambling brings you to so many different scenarios that I think you could really milk this for multiple seasons. I would love to do a Season 3.”

Bookie had widely well-received by fans and critics alike. The show holds an 86% audience score and a 90% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it certified fresh. However, viewership data for the series isn’t available.

While Bookie is done, Lorre won’t be straying very far. The famed TV creator is currently developing a Big Bang Theory spinoff at Max. Details of the upcoming series are unclear, but Kevin Sussman, Brian Posehn, Lauren Lapkus, and John Ross Bowie are set to reprise their roles from the CBS sitcom as Stuart Bloom, Professor Bertram Kibbler, Denise, and Barry Kripke, respectively. The series is still in development and has not been officially greenlighted.