How We Roll

Exec producer Brian d'Arcy James explains how, and why, he got involved with CBS comedy.

“It’s a story of hope and a story of encouraging others to do and be their best,” he said. “He does a great job of being the Everyguy you want to root for,” he said. “You want him to win.” “But I love it.” The show is based on Tom Smallwood, who lost his assembly-line job and went on to become a professional bowler. I have roots in Saginaw.”

“Our show has an underlying positivity, like Ted Lasso,” Holmes says. “And in the way Ted Lasso takes no cheap shots at soccer, our show doesn't make fun of ...

Katie Lowes, Chi McBride and Julie White co-star in the new sitcom, based on the real story of pro bowler Tom Smallwood.

Most Pilot-y Line: Because Archie’s Lanes is “Home of the Curly Fry,” we wonder how many curly fry references we’re going to get. Despite the lack of laughs, we found both in How We Roll, produced by TV veterans Mark Gross and David Hollander, along with actor Brian d’Arcy James. There was a warmth to the show that was evident from the start; it doesn’t treat Tom’s bowling dreams as crazy, maybe because they actually came true in real life. How long that will take is anybody’s guess; CBS provided the pilot for preview, then episodes 4 and 5, indicating that, like most sitcoms, the first few episodes are as shaky as the pilot. It’s based on the true story of the real Tom Smallwood, so there’s some real-life inspiration to be mined as the fictional Tom tries to become a top pro bowler. And, while Tom thinks this is the perfect time to go for it, he’s learned from his mom Helen (Julie White) to always go for the safe choice. He is likeable, mainly because his comedy has an easygoing warmth to it that most of his colleagues don’t even try to muster.

Likable former Chicago comedian Pete Holmes stars as a dad with pro bowling dreams.

(“How We Roll” is based on the life of Saginaw, Michigan, laid-off-GM-worker-turned-bowler Tom Smallwood.) Holmes, a former Chicago comedian, is one of those actors we couldn’t possibly imagine playing a real jerkalito, and he’s squarely in his comfort zone as Tom, a loving husband and solid father. “How We Roll” follows the decades-old sitcom formula of staging scenes on three main sets: the Smallwoods’ cozy kitchen, the hair salon where Jen works, and the bowling alley. We’ve got all the classic, multi-cam situation comedy ingredients here, starting with the likable Pete Holmes (HBO’s “Crashing”), who looks like a 6-foot-6 stuffed animal come to life, playing the low-key and non-confrontational but good-hearted Tom, a working-class Midwesterner who is laid off from his assembly-line job and ponders pursuing his dream of becoming a professional bowler.

Stand-up comedian and actor Pete Holmes gave us a preview of the new CBS comedy he is starring in, How We Roll. The series premiere of How We Roll is ...

Stand-up comedian and actor Pete Holmes gave us a preview of the new CBS comedy he is starring in, How We Roll. The series premiere of How We Roll is Thursday, March 31 at 8:30pm on NewsChannel5. Visit Stand-up comedian and actor Pete Holmes gave us a preview of the new CBS comedy he is starring in, How We Roll. The series premiere of How We Roll is Thursday, March 31 at 8:30pm on NewsChannel5. Visit www.cbs.com for more information.

How We Roll's Tom Smallwood (Pete Holmes) was born to bowl. “When you came out of the womb, I bet 10 doctors fell down,” proclaims Archie (Chi McBride), ...

“You don’t want people saying, ‘Why is he bowling it between his legs?’” “The emphasis was almost 100 percent on just not embarrassing myself,” he says. Tom gets support from his hairstylist wife, Jen ( Katie Lowes, Inventing Anna); their tap-dancing son, Sam (Mason Wells); Tom’s overprotective mom, Helen ( Julie White); and sometimes coach Archie. “Our show has an underlying positivity, like Ted Lasso,” Holmes says.

Pete Holmes talks about his new sitcom 'How We Roll,' bowling shirts and rethinking comedy tours.

I was in the middle of a tour in 2020. Why do I want to tell a joke so many times that I literally hate it? Being in the same city, Wednesday through Monday, at a certain point I want to hate my own material. It should be just a nice way to check in with your fans and have fun. And again, it’s a privileged thing to be asked to put your bone marrow in that wood chipper — but there was a little bit of a hesitancy to do [something like that] again. It doesn’t have to be a cash grab. During the quarantine, for Disney, I did Home Sweet Home Alone, which was the first thing in many years that I was a part of that I didn’t write. And my son on the show wants to be a tap dancer, and Tom wasn’t trying to convince him to play football instead. But Conan O’Brien likened doing a show that revolves around your life, your personality, to putting your bone marrow in a wood chipper. This is not a slight, but I am curious. Crashing was certainly like a baby to me, to be involved in every decision, every cut, every song, everything like that. I think they cut it out every single time I said it, but I kept trying to work in that I looked like Guy Fieri’s caddy or Guy Fieri’s masseuse.