How We Roll (TV series)

How We Roll is an American biographical sitcom created by Mark Gross, that aired on CBS from March 31 to May 19, 2022. The series was inspired by the life of professional bowler Tom Smallwood. In May 2022, the series was canceled after one season.

WWW cbs.com/shows/how-we-roll

Premise

A 35-year old Midwestern husband and father gets laid off from his auto plant job, and makes the bold decision to provide for his family by following his dream of becoming a professional bowler.

Cast and characters

Main

Pete Holmes as a fictionalized version of Tom Smallwood, a laid-off auto worker turned professional bowler
Chi McBride as Archie Betts, proprietor of Archie's Lanes and Tom's long-time friend/mentor
Katie Lowes as Jen Smallwood, Tom's wife who works as a hair stylist
Julie White as Helen Smallwood, Tom's mother, and Jen's mother-in-law
Mason Wells as Sam Smallwood, Tom and Jen's son

Recurring

Tahj Mowry as Lew, an employee at Archie's Lanes
Rondi Reed as Ruth, a hair salon owner and Jen's boss
Judy Kain as Mimi
Amanda Perez as Tia, Jen's co-worker
Matt McCarthy as Carl, a regular customer at Archie's Lanes

Notable guests

French Stewart as Jacob Powell
Sheryl Lee Ralph as Loretta

Production

Development

On March 1, 2021, a sitcom titled The Tom Smallwood Project was given a pilot order with Mark Gross writing the pilot. In May 2021, the sitcom titled Smallwood was given a series order with Mark Cendrowski directing the pilot, and was scheduled for a mid-season premiere in the 2021–22 television season. On November 24, 2021, it was announced that the series title had been changed to How We Roll with an 11-episode count. On May 12, 2022, CBS canceled the series after one season.

Casting

On March 29, 2021, Pete Holmes was cast as the lead role for the pilot. In April 2021, Chi McBride and Katie Lowes were cast in main roles for the pilot. On November 1, 2021, Julie White was cast in a main role for the pilot. On December 10, 2021, Mason Wells was cast in a main role. On December 17, 2021, Tahj Mowry, Rondi Reed, Judy Kain, Amanda Perez and Matt McCarthy were cast in recurring roles.

Filming

How We Roll was filmed at Radford Studio Center in Studio City, California, but it is set in Saginaw, Michigan.

Release

The series premiered on March 31, 2022 and ended on May 19, 2022.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 67% approval rating based on six critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. On Metacritic, the series has a score of 57 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".