Jorge Garcia to Star Opposite Sebastian Maniscalco in HBO Max’s Comedy Series “How To Be A Bookie”

Jorge Garcia is bookie-ing it…

The 49-year-old Chilean and Cuban American actor and comedian will star opposite Sebastian Maniscalco in HBO Max’s original comedy series How To Be A Bookie, from Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros. Television.

Jorge GarciaGarcia, who rose to acclaim on ABC’s Lost, is among a list of new cast additions that includes Omar J. DorseyAndrea Anders and Vanessa Ferlito.

Co-written by Lorre and Nick Bakay, in How To Be A Bookie, veteran bookie Danny (Maniscalco) 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.

Garcia will portray Hector. A weed dealer whose business cratered when pot became legal, Hector is a cautionary tale for Danny and Ray as they watch sports betting go legit, state by state.  Now reduced to driving for Lyft and none too pleased about it, Hector makes himself an invaluable, if occasionally volatile asset to the operation.

Lorre and Bakay will serve as executive producers along with Maniscalco and Judi Marmel. Warner Bros. Television, where Lorre and his Chuck Lorre Productions are under an overall deal, is the studio.

Garcia is known for his roles as Jerry Ortega on Hawaii Five-O and as Hugo ‘Hurley’ Reyes on Lost. On the big screen he can currently be seen in The Munsters directed by Rob Zombie.

Beatriz and Her “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Team to Serve as Celebrity Judges on Bravo’s “Top Chef Duels”

Stephanie Beatriz is about to get served

The Argentinean actress and her Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-stars are slated to appear on Top Chef Duels, another Top Chefseries from Bravo. 

Stephanie Beatriz

Top Chef Duels pits 18 of the best and most talked-about personalities frompast seasons of Top Chef and Top Chef Masters for a “battle royale” in the kitchen.

The 10-episode Top Chef Duels, hosted by celebrity chef Curtis Stone, will premiere on Wednesday, August 6, at 10:00 pm ET, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Stone will serve on the judges’ table withGail Simmons, with chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Hugh Acheson rounding out the panel on a rotating basis.

Beatriz and her Brooklyn Nine-Nine team (Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Chelsea Peretti and co-creator Dan Goor) will serve as celebrity guests for one episode.

Other celebrity guests this season include Shailene Woodley, Pink, Scott Ian Rosenfeld, Gary Holt, Rob Zombie and the Grey’s Anatomy gang (James Pickens Jr., Sarah Drew, Camilla Luddington, Jerrika Hinton and Kevin McKidd).

As the title suggests, Top Chef Duels will have two chefs facing off in three rounds of head-to-head battles, with the competitors picking “mini duels,” targeting the other’s perceived weaknesses. The third challenge then decides who moves on to compete in the season finale, which will crown the sole winner of the $100,000 grand prize and a Food and Winefeature.

Bravo is also borrowing from its Top Chef online companion series Last Chance Kitchen, which pits eliminated contestants against each other for a chance to compete in the finale, with the Top Chef Duel equivalent: The Knockout, hosted by Puck.The same essential rules apply, though there is one twist. Unlike Last Chance Kitchen, a chef only needs one battle win to quality for a place in The Knockout online finals, though the more wins a chef has, the better their chances are in earning the sole return spot on the show.