Fans of over-the-top crime comedies may recall binge-watching the Max original series Bookie back in November 2023. The series, which was co-created by The Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre and Paul Blart: Mall Cop writer Nick Bakay quickly picked up steam due to its hilarious performances, strong writing and inventive storytelling. Max subscribers enjoyed Bookie so much that the show quickly received a season two renewal, just a few short weeks after the season one finale premiered to the public. After nearly a full year of waiting, season two finally began this past week, sparking a wave of support from fans around the globe. Even if you’re a Bookie super-fan, you’d be forgiven if your memory of the first season is a little hazy, especially if you binge-watched all eight episodes back to back.

Luckily, we’ve got you covered, with a comprehensive breakdown and guide to the first season highlights, so your mind is refreshed, renewed, and ready to process more insanity from Danny Colavito and his circle of ne’er-do-wells. Be advised that the following write-up will contain heavy spoilers for all of Bookie season one. If you haven’t seen the first eight episodes of the show yet, feel free to bookmark this page and return later. Either way, let’s dive in, and see what we can learn from the hilarious and thrilling conclusion of Bookie‘s first season.

What Happens in ‘Bookie’?

As you likely already know, the narrative of Bookie centers on Sebastian Maniscalco’s Danny Colavito, a long-time bookie responsible for placing bets, collecting debts and occasionally cracking heads. As he makes his rounds, Danny is often joined by his best friend and cohort Ray, a former NFL player who provides some much-needed extra muscle. Season one opens on Danny and Ray questioning the future of their business model, as several political and environmental factors have rendered Bookies ineffectual and archaic. For starters, many states in the U.S. have already legalized sports betting, meaning there is no longer any need for the average person to put their faith and money in the hands of a degenerate leg breaker. Additionally, Danny remarks that the days of beating people up to collect on their debt are over, as the modern police state has made it nearly impossible to get away with it.

In fact, in a hilarious turn of events, Danny finds himself on the tail end of a beatdown after trying to collect on a $6,000 debt in the pilot episode of Bookie, only to sheepishly agree to wipe away the losses free of charge. Danny’s luck continues to go downhill as the pilot continues. He agrees to accept an expensive watch in place for a six-figure payout from one of his celebrity clients, only to be mugged for the watch hours later. Luckily, Danny shoots his would-be assailant in the head and manages to escape from the scene with the watch in hand. The next day, his associate Hector investigates the scene of the crime, only to find that no dead body was found or reported in the area, indicating that the mugger somehow survived the shooting.

Lorraine and Hector’s Side Hustle

As Danny and Ray continue to grow their business, they are assisted by Hector, a local Lyft driver, and Lorraine, Danny’s foul-mouthed sister. During the pilot episode of Bookie, Lorraine launches her own side gig growing and selling magic mushrooms, though doing so ultimately gets her into a territory dispute with a local biker gang. As Hector integrates into the crew, he pitches Lorraine on pivoting her business model and helps her to rebrand as a holistic shaman, selling people on the idea of enlightenment via magic mushrooms, rather than selling them as a low-level narcotic. Doing so turns out to be quite fruitful, and ultimately brings Lorraine and Hector together as unlikely business partners.

Fearful of police activity, Danny demands that his sister shut down her operation, though she blackmails her brother by threatening to expose his affairs to his wife. As Hector and Lorraine’s side hustle grows, Danny eventually agrees to let Hector run his own sports book, tapping into a market of Hispanic gamblers who would otherwise refuse to place bets through Danny’s enterprise. Together, Hector, Lorraine, Ray and Danny grow to form an effective rag-tag crew, which truly comes in handy once Danny’s mentor Teddy dies, leaving a power vacuum in L.A.’s criminal underworld.

Danny and Ray Land a Pair of Whales

While Hector and Lorraine build their magic mushroom business, Danny and Ray are out securing high-profile betters for their sportsbook. Eventually, they come into contact with a pair of wealthy gamblers, in the form of the clueless Walt and his foreign associate Jack Han. Walt and Jack begin to commit to massive weekly bets, eventually offering $500,000 on a single Monday night football game. While this offers an excellent cash injection for the gang, Danny and Ray become fearful that they will not be able to pay out if Jack wins. At first, this doesn’t pose much of a problem, as he continually places horrible bets with ridiculously low odds. Eventually, however, Ray comes to learn that Jack Han has insider information, suggesting that he is hustling the bookies.

Danny and Ray attempt to renege on the bet, though Jack reveals that he has diplomatic immunity, which prevents him from facing legal consequences of any kind on American soil. After Jack makes a not-so-thinly-veiled threat at the duo, they bite their tongues and agree to follow through on the bet, not knowing how they’ll make ends meet after the game. In a shocking twist, Jack’s team loses the big game, leaving the bookies with a massive financial windfall for the first time in the series. Danny’s luck continues to rise when the man who mugged him in episode one shows back up, only to apologize for his behavior. Apparently, Danny’s bullet just grazed the man’s head and inspired him to leave his life of drug addiction and petty theft behind for good. For a brief moment, it seems as though everything is finally looking up for the gang.

Viggy’s Hostile Takeover

Just when it seems like things are finally on the straight and narrow, Danny’s uncle Teddy dies. Teddy, who was more like a father to Danny than he was to his own son, served as the boss of the criminal underworld, and gave Danny the sports book many years ago. As part of their arrangement, Danny has been kicking up a percentage of his income to his uncle each week, though Teddy’s death opens a power vacuum within the city. Much to the main gang’s surprise, Teddy’s son Viggy appears at the funeral and demands that Danny continue to pay his 20 percent weekly cut to him directly. When Danny refuses, he finds himself embroiled in a feud with his estranged cousin, who sees the book as his birthright.

The feud quickly gets out of hand, as Viggy and his husband show up at the workplace of Danny’s wife, and begin smashing up the place like old-school mobsters. In retaliation, Danny and Ray hatch a scheme to make Viggy’s husband think that he’s being cheated on, ruining the couple’s anniversary party. The prank works a little too well, however, as the couple’s argument descends into physical violence, landing Viggy in the ICU, and his husband in prison for assault and battery. In the end, Danny and Ray visit Viggy in the hospital and inform him definitively that they are the full-time owners of the sportsbook, refusing to kick up a percentage to anyone.

How Does ‘Bookie’ Season 1 End?

'Bookie' Recap pictured: 'Bookie' — John Johnson/Max

The penultimate episode of Bookie sees the gang in good spirits following a massive Super Bowl win, leaving everybody with extra cash to celebrate. Unfortunately, Hector speaks a little too freely about his newfound wealth and gets himself kidnapped by Russian mobsters. To save Hector, Danny and Ray tip off their cop buddy with the gang’s location, resulting in a massive shootout. Hector is returned safely, though Danny is furious at him for bringing such unnecessary heat to their organization. To make matters worse, the whole ordeal terrifies Danny’s wife, as she becomes convinced that she or her children could become targets for the next gang dispute.

After arguing for some time, Danny’s wife Sandra eventually decides to pack up her things and leave. She closes down her business and gives Danny her keys and her ring, after snagging half a million dollars in cash as a parting fee. Later, Danny attends a garden party where Ray’s elderly grandmother plans to get married. When her groom collapses in a heap, Danny is reminded of the fragility of life, love and the true purpose of his work, causing him to run out of the ceremony as Ray performs CPR. We can only assume that he’s on his way to Tarzana to plead with Sandra to take him back.

The ending of Bookie leaves many questions for fans. Can Sandra get past her fears and live with Danny’s career? Is Danny really prepared to leave his lifestyle behind to save his family? Will California’s referendum on sports betting render the entire occupation of local sports books null and void? For now, there’s no way to know for sure, save for tuning in to Bookie season two, which is currently airing new episodes Thursday nights on Max.

Max original series

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