Chuck Lorre is a revered personality when it comes to television sitcoms. Since the 1980s, he has come up with one brilliant idea after another, making audiences laugh with his stories and characters. From Two & a Half Men to The Big Bang Theory to Young Sheldon, his creations are beloved by many, which is why he has been named the “King of Sitcoms.”
Lorre’s most recent creation is the comedy series Bookie, which premiered on the streaming platform Max last year. The show has a pretty interesting premise, which the audience liked, with Bookie having an RT score of 90%. Starring Sebastian Maniscalco, Omar Dorsey, Andrea Anders, and Charlie Sheen among others, the show has been renewed for its second season.
Chuck Lorre Shares His Thoughts on the ‘Diminishing’ Nature of Sitcoms
It has been said for a while that sitcoms are edging towards an end. How much of that is true, we are yet to see. Every time a new sitcom is released, there is a little precaution and a little prejudice – if it can really hold out to the sitcoms of the yesteryears. But then something really good comes up, and all that goes out the window, as audiences start to enjoy something new.
That is also what sitcom extraordinaire Chuck Lorre thinks. He has heard it so many times that the age of a sitcom is gone, that he has stopped paying heed to it. He creates his shows, writes his stories, and goes on with his life. Talking to The Wrap, he said that while the quantity of sitcoms has definitely gone down over the years, the quality of the shows that do come up is a different matter altogether.
When I started a long time ago, there were probably maybe 40 or more situation comedies on network television. What are there now, like maybe five or six? I think that’s it’s a pretty good parallel to a dinosaur watching an asteroid coming hurtling towards the Earth. It’s diminishing. It’s getting smaller, or it’s morphing into something else.
But the important thing is, even if it is evolving, that does not necessarily mean a bad thing. Change can bring out the good as much as the bad, so we cannot focus only on the bad and forget the good parts of it.
Chuck Lorre’s Bookie and the Shifting Landscape of the Industry
Bookie is a lot different from most of the shows created by Chuck Lorre. It deals with more mature themes and plot points and does not just depend on comic situations to program the story. The whole story revolves around gambling, bookies and betting, something that is far more mature than Lorre’s previous creations like The Big Bang Theory and Mom. Speaking of Bookie, he said:
I could never have done that on a network television world.
Lorre says the industry and it’s landscape is changing, and with the introduction of streaming platforms, it is easier to get a show made in some ways. He further added:
The NFL was not happy with our series… I think the devastating effects of addiction to gambling are going to multiply and be seen over the next few years beyond anybody’s wildest dreams. It can only get worse.
From the very first episode, it was apparent that Bookie would be different from most of his other shows. And with every new episode, Lorre has proved the same.
Bookie is available for streaming on Max.
