Sebastian Maniscalco Admits His Stand-Up Comedy Persona Creeps Into ‘Bookie’ — the Show’s Producers Don’t Mind

variety.com:

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Every once in a while, Sebastian Maniscalco’s stand-up persona creeps into his performance on Max’s “Bookie.” But rather than ask him to tone it down, executive producers Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay welcome the occasional slip. “He bailed us out,” Bakay says of an upcoming episode of “Bookie,” which returns to Max with ten more episodes for Season 2, rolling out weekly starting Thursday, Dec.

12. “Sometimes we’ll ask for it when we’re in trouble. We’ll be like, ‘hey buddy, we got nothing here!’” Fans of Maniscalco’s standup know what Bakay is talking about: Whenever he’s ready to make a point, the stand-up star will pause, throw on a thicker swagger and exaggerate the syllables in a certain word or phrase for comedic effect.

And he admits to it popping up on camera: “Sometimes the stage Sebastian comes out a little bit,” says Maniscalco, who plays family man and bookie Danny on “Bookie.” Viewers will particularly see a bit of “stage Sebastian” in episode 2, when Danny and Ray (Omar Dorsey) attempt to collect a gambling debt from a scary drug lord.

Back for that second episode also is Charlie Sheen, who first guest starred on Season 1 of “Bookie,” making headlines at the time for burying the hatchet with his ex-“Two and a Half Men” boss Lorre. “Charlie’s great and he’s back, and everything’s great,” Bakay says. “That was a fascinating rapprochement.