Naman Shrestha
Co-created by Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay, HBO Max’s ‘Bookie’ is a comedy series that sees Sebastian Maniscalco in the portrayal of Dannya veteran bookie whose entire business is under threat due to the possibility of sports gambling becoming legal in the state. With assistance from his best friend and former NFL player Ray, sister Lorraine, and a drug dealer named Hector, Danny attempts to keep his unstable clients satisfied by clearing off their debts one by one. However, the only way he is able to do so is by placing a number of risky bets of his own.
As the world changes around him, Danny does his best to change with it and tries to con his way to the top. Featuring Omar J. Dorsey, Vanessa Ferlito, Jorge Garcia, and Andrea Anders, besides Sebastian, the funny show is set in California as the story unfolds in the streets of Los Angeles, making the audience wonder if ‘Bookie’ is filmed on location or not.
Where is Bookie Shot?
‘Bookie’ is filmed in California AKA the Golden State, especially in Los Angeles County. As per reports, principal photography for the debut season of the comedy series got underway in February 2023 under the working title ‘How to Be a Bookie’ and continued through the following couple of months, before getting wrapped up around May of the same year. So, let’s navigate all the specific sites that make an appearance in the HBO Max production!
Los Angeles County, California
Almost all the pivotal sequences for ‘Bookie’ are lensed in Los Angeles County, a county with the eponymous city at the center located in Southern California. The city of Los Angeles serves as one of the primary production locations where several important scenes are taped. The filming unit travels across LA and turns a number of neighborhoods and streets into film sets for shooting purposes. For instance, during the production process of season 1, the cast and crew members were spotted by many onlookers and passersby in the neighborhood of Toluca Lake taping some key night portions.
Furthermore, the production team of ‘Bookie’ utilizes the facilities of Warner Bros. Studios Burbank at 4000 Warner Boulevard in the city of Burbank, which is situated in the southeastern end of Los Angeles County’s San Fernando Valley. Ranging in size from 6,000 to 32,000 square feet, the film studio complex is home to 29 different sound stages as well as the production office space of 4.2 million square feet across 142 acres of the property. Besides that, a wide variety of exterior sites is also present in the Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, such as New York Street, French Street, Warner Village, Commissary Park, Bridge Building, and many more.
In an interview with the New York Post in November 2023, Charlie Sheen, who appears in a guest role as himself in ‘Bookie,’ talked about his experience on the set, including talking and reuniting with Chuck Lorre after more than a decade of feuding. He explained, “When we were on the set together it was exciting and it was fulfilling. It was nourishing. We were back in the trenches together, two guys who are pretty good at what they do, in a high-stakes creative environment with a shared goal — to leave the best stuff you can behind.”
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