"Bookie" Is The Funniest Show On TV Right Now Plus A Few More Rear-commendations

In late November of '23, max quietly dropped the debut episode of "Bookie" onto their streaming platform. Starring superstar comedian/actor Sebastian Maniscalco as Danny Colavito, an old-school bookmaker (i.e. still takes action over the phone) who is trying to adjust to his New World Order thanks to the proliferation of legal gambling sites that will surely draw some business away from him. Rarely without his extremely fertile muscle, Ray (a terrific Omar J. Dorsey), Danny's life is a non-stop game of Whack-A-Mole, where he goes from collection headaches to domestic squabbles to running a shop the (fading) way it's been done for generations in scenes that will make Gen X and Boomer degens smile in nostalgic delight.

Written by veteran TV scribes Nick Bakay and Chuck Lorre and boasting a hilarious and distinct supporting cast of character actors, "Bookie" is the funniest show currently airing/streaming on TV that seemingly nobody is talking about. And that's a shame because it's one of the few comedies that's given me legit belly laughs recently, largely because of the exaggerated Chicago Eye-talian panache that Maniscalco has mastered both on stage and onscreen and his effortless chemistry with Ray, who is also banging his sister Lorraine (Vanessa Ferlito) that works for Danny as well. 

The recurring secondary characters are both hysterical and leave indelible impressions via their various peculiarities. Among them are Weymouth's Rob Corddry, Dale Dickey, D.J. Qualls, and the quirkily funny Bob Clendenin as the shady money man Gregory. "Bookie" breezes by and will have you pissing your pants so you can easily binge Season One's eight episodes that run between 18-22 minutes. Episode Six of Season Two dropped last night with two more to go. If you're looking for a new watch that's funny as fuck, throw on "Bookie". Available on Max.

Here's a few more buds for your streaming bowl...

I've been Murder Porn'd out for quite awhile now. If I'm gonna burn a few hours streaming, I'd prefer it to be something other than yet another dead chick or sick fuck who should be hung (often the same story). But streamers can't get enough. Titillating tales of the darkest side of human nature have always had and always will have an appeal because we can shit our pants a bit but then just shut the TV off. However, before I tapped out on death-centered content, I watched "The Red Riding Trilogy" a fictional 2009 English limited series based on the infamous Yorkshire Ripper consisting of three separate films with three separate casts set in 1974, 1980, and 1983. Featuring a bevy of future stars and familiar mugs from across the pond, this trio of offerings is absolutely terrific and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a great crime drama. Currently on Prime.

Anybody who went parochial school and dealt with the accompanying bullshit can relate to this 1985 comedy classic about 1960s Brooklyn high-schoolers that features a handful of future stars. Even if you didn't go to a religious school, "Heaven Help Us" is still familiar to anybody who went to high school. A mix of baby-faces and veteran actors, "Heaven Help Us" isn't all laughs and makes no bones about who the bad guys are. Though this one doesn't get the shine of other HS flicks from the '80s, it's every bit as deserving. On Max.

*And now for the not-so-funny Catholic-related recommendation: "Say Nothing". Based on Patrick Radden Keefe's exhaustively researched, award-winning best-seller "Say Nothing: A True Story Of Murder And Memory In Northern Ireland", this nine-part series inserts us smack dab into The Troubles from a mostly IRA perspective and that begins with the kidnapping of 38-year-old Jean McConville, a widowed mother of 10 who was later murdered, and her story serves as a backdrop the show. Lola Petticrew and Hazel Doupe do incredible work as, respectively, sisters Dolours and Marian Price, siblings who go all-in for a united Ireland as young women. In a long history of violence and bloodshed, "Say Nothing" takes a hard look at The Troubles and the long, lingering consequences of violent actions. On Hulu.