Sebastian Maniscalco cringe a little when asked about the Chicago Bears.

A team that was once 4-2 was going through one of the most embarrassing stretches in franchise history. The only thing worse than the end of the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions was the way management manipulated the firing of Matt Eberflus.

Maniscalco, the star and executive producer of the Max series Bookmakercomes from the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. Understandably, he is not taking the recent events well.

“As a Bears fan, I’m always hopeful at the start of the year,” he said in a Zoom interview with Awful Anniving. “A new quarterback is coming. Everyone in Chicago believes they will at least make the playoffs this year. Now we are in the middle of the season. The head coach is gone, the team is in disarray and we are trying to regroup. I don’t know. I don’t waste time looking at them anymore. It’s just another heartbreaking season.”

Being a sports fan is hard. However, that’s nothing compared to the pressures of show business. Maniscalco was available this week for Season 2 of Bookmaker Premieres December 12th. The comedy follows the lives of bookmaker Danny (Maniscalco) and his partner Ray (Omar J. Dorsey) as they deal with the legalization of sports betting while dealing with unstable customers in Los Angeles. Bookmaker was created by Nick Bakay and Chuck Lorre (Two and a half men, The Big Bang Theory).

Maniscalco is best known for his stand-up work. It takes courage and extreme confidence to go on stage in front of a live audience and have the expectation of being funny. He has also appeared in films (The Irishman, Somewhere in Queens, About my father), which pose unique challenges. However, playing the lead role in a series while juggling the responsibilities associated with production was new and stressful for Maniscalco.

“I’ve done a few films, but never really on TV,” he said. “So, I really enjoyed the whole experience and the way it works. I’ve never hosted a TV show with an ensemble cast. Not that I wear it, but I’m the main character. I’ve never been the main character in a TV show. So there’s a lot of pressure to make sure you’re on the right track and doing all of that. But the second season was a lot easier because I knew what to expect. I knew the relationships I had with all of these characters. It was also nice to spend time with the actors outside of the TV show.”

The critical reaction to season 1 of Bookmakerwhich debuted last November, was mostly positive. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times called it a “solid and funny comedy” and added, “It’s a 7-point favorite to sit through.” Of course, in an evolving media landscape, you never know which shows will survive become.

When asked how confident he was that there would be a second season BookmakerManiscalco said: “I’m in the entertainment industry, so you don’t get your hopes up. The only thing you can control is doing your best work, and if they like it, they like it. I don’t expect much. I don’t get my hopes up because then I feel like I’ll be disappointed if I do. Hopefully we’ll get a third season. I think there’s a lot going on in this second season and I think it will definitely warrant a sequel with a third season, so we’ll see.”

The great supporting actors do it Bookmaker a fun watch. The second season will feature guest stars such as Charlie Sheen, Ray Romano, Zach Braff and Brad Garrett. Viewers will also enjoy the continuation of Danny and Sandra’s (Andrea Anders) relationship and Ray dealing with his baby-mama drama.

If you haven’t seen an episode yet, Maniscalco says you don’t necessarily have to be a gamer to enjoy the show.

“It covers the world of sports and sports betting in a way that I don’t think we’ve seen on television before. It’s also a buddy comedy between two guys who are friends and colleagues. There’s a certain sarcasm and argument between the two that I think a lot of people can relate to…

“As sports betting becomes more mainstream, I think this show is something that a lot of people can relate to. Not necessarily that they have used a bookmaker, but many people now bet online and know the world and the terminology. It’s a good watch and a fast watch.”

The eight-part season 2 of Bookmaker begins Thursday, December 12th. The first episodes will be shown weekly on Max until the season finale on Thursday, January 30th.