Max Renews “Bookie,” Featuring Jorge Garcia, For a Second Season

Posted on January 6, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Jorge Garcia’s bookie life continues…

Max has renewed its sports book series Bookie, featuring the 50-year-old Cuban & Chilean American actor and former Lost star, for a second season.

The renewal comes two weeks after the season one finale of the show, which stars Sebastian Maniscalco.

From Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay, the series follows bookie Danny (Maniscalco) as he and his partner, former NFL star Ray (Omar Dorsey), romp around Los Angeles trying to keep their illegal sports betting operation in play.

The series premiered on November 30.

Season 2 presumably will show whether Danny can win back the affections of his wife Sandra, played by Andrea Anders, after his Super Bowl win seems to have torn them apart, as well as Ray dealing with the fallout of his mother’s wedding, which saw the groom seemingly die at the alter.

Produced by Warner Bros. Television, Bookie also stars Vanessa Ferlito as Danny’s side-hustling sister Lorraine, Garcia as reluctantly reformed drug dealer turned soccer expert Hector and Maxim Swinton as Sandra’s ten year old son.

Charlie Sheen also reunited with Lorre for a few appearances.

“The collaboration between Chuck and Sebastian has proven to be a winning hand and we’re looking forward to continuing the story with this incredibly talented cast and crew,” says Amy Gravitt, executive vice president, HBO Programming, Head of HBO & Max Comedy Series.

Channing Dungey, chairman, Warner Bros. Television Group added, “There’s no doubt that Chuck and Nick’s Bookie won big this season as they took us on a hilarious ride into the underbelly of illegal sports gambling, featuring a cast led by another dynamic duo: Sebastian Maniscalco and Omar J. Dorsey. I’m looking forward to watching more of their antics in Season 2. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew, and thanks to our partners at Max.”

Charlie Sheen to Reunite with Chuck Lorre on Max’s Comedy Series “How To Be a Bookie”

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Charlie Sheen has bookie-ed his next project…

The 57-year-old part-Spanish actor and former Two and a Half Men star will reunite with Chuck Lorre on the Max comedy series How To Be a Bookie, according to Deadline.com.

Sheen is set for a recurring role in the single-camera comedy headlined by Sebastian Maniscalco, which hails from Two and a Half Men studio Warner Bros. Television where Lorre is based.

Reps for Max and WBTV declined comment.

The project is part of a television comeback for Sheen, who is also attached to star in the dramedy project Ramble On from Doug Ellin.

Sheen and Lorre’s eight-year collaboration on one of the most successful comedy series of the past two decades, CBS’ Two and a Half Men, starring Sheen and co-created and executive produced by Lorre, came to an abrupt end in the spring of 2011 when Sheen’s public meltdown and verbal attacks on Lorre led to his firing, triggering a $100 million lawsuit against Lorre and WBTV, which was eventually settled.

Since then, Sheen had taken responsibility for his actions and had expressed regret over his Two and a Half Men exit and an intent to make amends with the top comedy showrunner. That has now happened, resulting in the duo’s collaboration on How To Be a Bookie.

In How To Be a Bookie, co-written by Lorre and Nick Bakay, a veteran bookie (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.

Omar J. Dorsey, Jorge Garcia, Andrea Anders, Vanessa Ferlito and Maxim Swinton also star.

Lorre, who is directing the first episode, executive produces through his Chuck Lorre Productions and its overall deal with WBTV alongside Bakay, Maniscalco, Judi Marmel and Andy Tennant, who is directing multiple episodes.

The series is currently in production.

Sheen earned four Emmy nominations for his starring role on Two and a Half Men. Following the end of the multi-camera series, he headlined another sitcom, Anger Management, which aired 100 episodes on FX, and guest starred on ABC’s The Goldbergs.

Madeleine Stowe to Star in “It” Prequel Series “Welcome to Derry”

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Madeleine Stowe is extending a welcome…

The 64-year-old half-Costa Rican actress will star in the Max Original series Welcome to Derry (working title).

The former Revenge star will appear opposite Stephen Rider, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs in the series, which is a prequel to New Line’s hit Stephen King film franchise, It.

Stowe will have a recurring guest role while Rider is a series regular. Their parts are being kept under wraps in the series which expands on King’s It universe, particularly that laid out in Andy Muschietti’s It movies. He’ll direct several episodes in the series including the first.

Stowe also joins previously announced cast members Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk and James Remar.

Stowe’s long-running career includes such movies as The Two Jakes, Stakeout, The Last of the Mohicans, 12 Monkeys, Blink, Unlawful Entry, The General’s Daughter and We Were Soliders.

For 89 episodes, she played the wicked Victoria Grayson on ABC’s hit TV series Revenge, and stars on the Netflix series Soundtrack.

Welcome to Derry is produced by HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television.

Fox Renews Adan Canto’s “The Cleaning Lady” for Third Season

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Adan Canto is preparing for another round of cleaning…

Fox has renewed its popular series The Cleaning Lady, starring the 41-year-old Mexican actor, for a third season, the network’s first live-action scripted renewal for the 2023-24 season.

Additionally, Jeannine Renshaw has joined the show as an executive producer and will serve as showrunner with Miranda Kwok.

“After two heart-pounding seasons, we’re thrilled with how audiences have latched on to this incredible story,” said Michael Thorn, President of Scripted Programming, Fox Entertainment. “The cast, led by the incomparable Élodie Yung, along with our brilliant creative team and our partners at Warner Bros. Television have expertly crafted a highly compelling, emotionally-driven show that gives a perspective you don’t often see on television.”

Season 2 of The Cleaning Lady averaged 5.4 million total multiplatform viewers, more than doubling its Live + Same Day delivery by +152%.

Based on the original Argentine series, The Cleaning Lady stars Élodie Yung as Thony, a doctor who comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her ailing son. But when the system fails, she becomes a cleaning lady for the mob and starts playing the game by her own rules.

The series was developed by executive producer Kwok and executive-produced by showrunner Melissa Carter, and executive producers Shay Mitchell, David Dean Portelli, Rose Marie Vega and Paola Suarez. It was produced in partnership between Fox Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.

Channing Dungey, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. Television Group, said: “The Cleaning Lady is a gripping and masterful tale of a mother who will do anything for her child. I am thrilled that we get to continue to explore Thony’s world in a third season. A big thank you to our partners at Fox for providing a platform for this show to thrive, to Miranda Kwok for developing such a powerful story, and to Melissa Carter for her leadership during the first two seasons. We are excited about Jeannine Renshaw joining the creative team, and I can’t wait for audiences to see what Miranda and Jeannine have in store for season three.”

In the Season 2 finale, Thony (Yung) was confronted by FBI Agent Garrett Miller (Oliver Hudson) about Arman’s (Canto) part in Maya’s (Chelsea Frei) death, while Nadia (Eva De Dominici) tries to stay on Robert Kamdar’s (Naveen Andrews) good side. Despite being warned to stay clear of Kamdar, Thony decides to take matters into her own hands to protect Fiona (Martha Millan) and ensure the safety of her family.

The series also stars Sean Lew as Chris, Faith Bryant as Jaz and Sebastien & Valentino LeSalle as Luca.

Ana Ortiz In Final Talks to Star in the HBO Max Drama Pilot “More”

Posted on November 23, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Ana Ortiz is thisclose to one more project…

The 51-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress is finalizing a deal to lead the cast of the HBO Max drama pilot More, from Amy Chozick, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

Ortiz, who will star alongside Christian Serratos, replaces Veronica Falcón, who originally was tapped for the role.

The recasting decision was made after the table read, according to Deadline.com

Written by journalist Chozick and inspired by her reporting, More follows the Lorenz family, a tight-knit clan of seemingly flawless Latinas led by mom/mastermind Leona (Ortiz). The Lorenzes are the Vanderbilts or the Astors of the Instagram era. Drawing some parallels to the Kardashians and their “momager” Kris Jenner, the Lorenzes pulled their way up from debt and obscurity to reality TV stardom and forged a billion-dollar mega-conglomerate not from oil or steel but from something more elusive and modern: influence.

Ortiz’s Leona Lorenz is the matriarch of the Lorenz family media dynasty. A former single mom, Leona used her formidable, self-taught business skills to scrap her way to the 1 percent, parlaying her four glistening daughters (Serratos, Ceci Fernandez, Yvette Monreal, Georgie Flores) into a billion-dollar media empire, with a top-rated reality TV show and lucrative brand partnerships. But can this stage mom for the Instagram era acquire more fame and power than even she could imagine, without losing her grip on her daughters?

Chozick and Natalie Chaidez serve as executive producers and co-showrunners.

Best known for her role as Hilda Suarez on Ugly Betty, Ortiz recently starred as Isabel, Victor’s mother, on Hulu/Disney+’s Love, Victor. She also co-starred on Whiskey Cavalier, which aired for one season on ABC, and recurred on the second season of Netflix’s Special.

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

Posted on November 8, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

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.

Garcia, who rose to acclaim on ABC’s Lost, is among a list of new cast additions that includes Omar J. Dorsey, Andrea 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.

Antonio Campos to Serve as Showrunner/Executive Producer & Director of HBO Max’s “The Batman” Prequel Series

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Antonio Campos is the (bat)man for the job…

The 50-year-old Spanish filmmaker will serve as the showrunner-executive producer of HBO Max’s The Batman prequel series.

Campos will also direct the series, which is about Arkham Asylum.

Initially, the series, executive produced by The Batman director Matt Reeves, was to center on the inner workings of the Gotham Police Department. Barton exited when the focus shifted to the Arkham Asylum storyline.

Terence Winter was initially involved in the first The Batman series, when it was initially announced in July 2020 with a series commitment. Then came Giri/Haji creator Joe Barton, who replaced Winter.

Campos will now run the series with a new direction.

The Batman series comes from Reeves’ 6th & Idaho in association with Warner Bros. Television. Reeves, Barton and The Batman producer Dylan Clark are executive producers, alongside 6th & Idaho’s Daniel Pipski and Adam Kassan. 6th & Idaho’s Rafi Crohn is a co-executive producer. It is based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger.

Campos most recently created, wrote, executive produced and directed HBO Max’s true-crime series The Staircase. He also directed several episodes and executive produced The Sinner, and served as director on The Punisher.

HBO Max to Release Season 4 of Diane Guerrero’s DC Series “Doom Patrol” in December

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Diane Guerrero is going on patrol in December…

HBO Max will premiere Season 4 of Doom Patrol, starring the 36-year-old Colombian American actress, on December 8 with two brand-new episodes.

Each week after that a new episode will drop through January 5.

In addition, it was announced that six more episodes from Season 4 would be released in 2023.

Doom Patrol reimagines some of DC’s most recognized superheroes: “Robotman” aka Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser), “Negative Man” aka Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer), “Elasti-Woman” aka Rita Farr (April Bowlby), “Crazy Jane” (Guerrero), “Cyborg” aka Victor Stone (Joivan Wade), joined by former super-villain “Madame Rouge” aka Laura de Mille (Michelle Gomez).

Each member of the Doom Patrol suffered a horrible accident that gave them superhuman abilities but also left them scarred and disfigured. Part support group, part Super Hero team, the Doom Patrol is a band of super-powered freaks who fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them.

Doom Patrol Season 4 starts when the team unexpectedly travels to the future and finds an unwelcome surprise. Faced with their imminent demise, the Doom Patrol must decide once and for all which is more important: their own happiness or the fate of the world?

The series also stars Skye Roberts, Riley Shanahan and Matthew Zuk.

Doom Patrol is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television with showrunner Jeremy Carver, Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Chris Dingess and Tamara Becher-Wilkinson serving as executive producers.

The series is based on characters created for DC by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani.

Netflix to Release First Half of Season 4 of J.R. Ramirez’s “Manifest” in November

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

J.R. Ramirez will be taking flight this fall…

On 828 Day at 8:28 AM, exactly one year after announcing that Manifest has been resurrected following its cancellation by NBC, Netflix has unveiled a premiere date for Part 1 of the series’ fourth and final season, starring the 41-year-old Cuban-American actor.

Season 4 of Manifest will be released in two parts consisting of 10 episodes each. Part I will debut on November 4, 2022.

When Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. Yet in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years — and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible in this emotionally rich, unexpected journey into a world grounded in hope, heart, and destiny.

In the weeks leading to 828 Day, Manifest fans have been rewatching the existing seasons, propelling them to Netflix’s weekly Top 10 for English-language series.

The 20-episode Season 4 will indeed be the series’ last.

“That is the plan currently, at least in terms of whether there will be a satisfying resolution going into the season. By the end of the season, we’ll deliver some answers that’s really, all the questions will be answered,” Netflix’s head of drama Jinny Howe told Deadline earlier this week.

Here are details about the plot of Season 4: Two years after the brutal murder of Grace turned their lives upside down, the Stone family is in shambles as a devastated Ben continues to mourn his wife and search for his kidnapped daughter, Eden. Consumed by his grief, Ben has stepped down from his role as co-captain of the lifeboat, leaving Michaela to captain it alone, a near impossible feat with the passengers’ every move now being monitored by a government registry. As the Death Date draws closer and the passengers grow desperate for a path to survival, a mysterious passenger arrives with a package for Cal that changes everything they know about Flight 828 and will prove to be the key to unlocking the secret of the Callings in this compelling, mind-bending, and deeply emotional journey.

The series, produced by Warner Bros. TV, stars Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Ty Doran, Parveen Kaur, Matt Long, Holly Taylor and Daryl Edwards.

Jeff Rake created the show and executive produces with Jack Rapke, Jackie Levine, Len Goldstein.

Natalie Chaidez Signs Exclusive, Multi-Year Deal with Warner Bros. Television

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Natalie Chaidez has been warn(er)ed.

The Latina television writer and producer has signed an exclusive, multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Television.

As part of the deal, she’ll develop and create original programming via WBTV for all platforms.

The news comes ahead of HBO Max’s Season 2 premiere of The Flight Attendant on April 21, marking Chaidez’s debut as series executive producer and co-showrunner alongside Steve Yockey.

Chaidez is a veteran creator, executive producer and showrunner who works in both television and features. Prior to joining The Flight Attendant, she served as executive producer and writer on USA Network’s crime drama Queen of the South.

She previously created and executive produced the Syfy drama series Hunters. Her additional TV writing and producing credits include 12 Monkeys, In Plain Sight, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, Judging Amy and New York Undercover among many others.

She was nominated for an Emmy and WGA Award for her work on Heroes.

Most recently, Chaidez received a pilot order from Freeform for the coming-of-age story AZNBBGRL, a collaboration with Dinh Thai.

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