"Two and a Half Men" Creator Chuck Lorre Praises Charlie Sheen's 'Courage' to Poke Fun at Past Struggles on "Bookie" (Exclusive)

12/11/2024 01:56 PM

"He's the real deal... It was really meaningful to work again, and have fun," Lorre tells PEOPLE of working with Sheen on 'Bookie' season 2, which premieres Dec. 12 on Max

Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre has nothing but respect for Charlie Sheen.

The two got the chance to reunite once again on season 2 of Bookie, which Lorre co-created with Nick Bakay. Sheen previously made a guest appearance in season 1 of the Max comedy series, which follows veteran Los Angeles bookie Danny (Sebastian Maniscalco) as the potential legalization of sports gambling in California threatens to upend his business for good.

As season 2 nears its premiere on Dec. 12, Sheen, 59, will be returning again to reprise his role as an exaggerated version of himself — and Lorre, 72, tells PEOPLE he's impressed with how the actor approached the gig.

"We had a wonderful relationship for over eight years on Two and a Half Men. And then things happened," he says, referencing their public fallout and 12-year feud. "And so to find our way back to having that friendship again, and I'm a big admirer of his work, I always have been. It's never been about the work. The work is impeccable."

"He's the real deal. It was meaningful," he adds. "It was really meaningful to work again, and have fun. And yes, he was more than happy to make fun of himself. He's able to step outside and look at his persona as it was and make fun of it. This shows a lot of courage."

Related: How Two and a Half Men Creator Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen Ended Their 12-Year Feud: 'It Was Healing'

Sheen and Lorre's falling out happened in 2011 after Sheen went on a series of insulting rants targeted at Lorre. At the time, the actor was struggling with his drug and alcohol addiction and was eventually fired from Two and a Half Men. He was later replaced by Ashton Kutcher, who played a billionaire businessman who bought Charlie's (Sheen) house after his death until the show concluded in 2015.

Following the public feud and firing, Sheen got sober. The actor has since expressed his regret multiple times, including once in February 2021 when Sheen told Yahoo! Entertainment, "There was 55 different ways for me to handle that situation, and I chose number 56 ... It was desperately juvenile."

Despite the broken bridges, when Lorre and his Bookie co-creator Bakay needed to cast "a real-life Hollywood star" to play a high roller, the writer previously said he immediately thought of Sheen. 

"It should be Charlie," he recalled to Variety in November 2023. "I remember Charlie was very much engaged in sports betting and he would tell me stories about it all the time. You know, when things were good."

Though he felt "nervous" about their reunion, Lorre shared that the duo quickly picked up right where they left off, recalling, "Almost as soon as we started talking, I remembered, we were friends once. And that friendship just suddenly seemed to be there again."

"It was healing," he added of the reunion.

Related: Charlie Sheen Reteaming with 'Two and a Half Men' Creator Chuck Lorre 12 Years After Fierce Public Feud

Bookie premiered on Max in November 2023. In addition to Maniscalco, the series also stars Omar J. Dorsey as Danny's friend and former NFL player Ray, Vanessa Ferlito as Danny's sister Lorraine and Jorge Garcia as reformer drug dealer Hector. This season, Rob Corddry joins as a series regular and also includes guest stars Sheen, Ray Romano, Brad Garrett and Zach Braff.

Bringing those actors into the fold was "great," according to Maniscalco, who predicts more "people are going to start asking to be on it [because] it's that fun of a show."

"To have those guys popping in on the episodes and then Brad Garrett, who I never worked with before, even doing stand-up just to hang out with him and the stories that he had off set," he recalls to PEOPLE. "When comedians get together, it's always nice on set because we tend to share war stories and what have you. So it brings a different fun element to the set as well."

"I know people who are whispering in my ear, 'Hey man, I want to come on as...' I'm like, 'Listen, you're lucky I'm on the show.' So it's fun," he adds. "It's been a fun experience."

Related: Charlie Sheen Leads Buzzy Group of Guest Stars in Hilariously Jam-Packed Bookie Season 2 Trailer: Watch! (Exclusive)

Season 2 was also a unique process for Lorre and Bakay, who, in addition to Bookie, previously teamed up to work on CBS sitcoms, Two and a Half Men and Mom.

"There was a moment when we were writing season 2, when I looked up at Nick and I went, do you realize we could do whatever the f--- we want?" Lorre recalls. "And after years and years of working within the boundaries of network television with broadcast standards and time restrictions and all kinds of censorships, we were able to do what we liked. Which is a little unnerving because if it fails, there's no one to blame. There's no one to hide behind."

"We had fun," he continues. "The process of writing these scripts was a joy. And I can't say that's true in general."

Bakay, 65, echoes his sentiments about the project.

"No, no, you can't count on that at all. We never had more fun," he says. "The other thing is ... we have this ridiculous cast. I mean, it starts with Sebastian who works his a-- off and is so professional, but he's so great. But we're so deep. And the great thing is we never have that moment of like, 'Ah, I'd love to do that, but I don't think we have the horses here.'"

"We can do anything and we know we've got the players, so it's a beautiful thing," Bakay adds.

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Bookie season 2 premieres Thursday, Dec. 12 on Max, with new episodes dropping weekly.