Entertaintment

Who Is Tom Smallwood, And Where Did He Come From?

Tom Smallwood

How We Roll, a new CBS sitcom, is about the ultimate second chance. The pilot episode of How We Roll, directed by Mark Cendrowski and executive produced by Mark Gross, David Hollander, and Brian d’Arcy James, follows Tom Smallwood as he pursues his ambition of being a professional bowler.

Who is Tom Smallwood, and where did he come from?

Tom Smallwood is a professional ten-pin bowler who competes on the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) circuit. He won his first PBA Tour in 2009, defeating Wes Malott, the 2008–09 PBA Player of the Year, in the final. After being laid off during the Great Recession, he decided to follow his ambition of being a professional bowler.

Tom used to practice bowling for free at his friend Steve’s bowling alley. Jen, his wife, was equally supportive of his decision, which turned out to be a fantastic one. He has won three PBA Tour titles, two of which are major championships, as well as finishing second in two more major championships.

Tom Smallwood
Tom Smallwood

How We Roll on CBS is a documentary that tells the story of how CBS works

How We Roll, based on Tom Smallwood’s success story, was just unveiled by CBS. It will premiere on CBS on March 31 and will be available to stream on Paramount+. Pete Holmes, Katie Lowes, Chi McBride, Julie White, and Mason Wells will feature as the main protagonists in the first season of the sitcom, which will consist of eleven episodes.

Tahj Mowry, Matthew J. McCarthy, and Judy Kain are among the series’ supporting characters, with cameo appearances from Amanda Perez, Rondi Reed, Amber Martinez, Laura Buckles, Brian Dare, and McKale. Jude Bingham, Dominic Pace, Nik Shriner, Sean Cook, and Greg Winter are the members of the team.

The series’ summary goes as follows:

“It is based on the story of professional bowler Tom Smallwood and stars Pete Holmes as Tom, a stoic Midwest husband, and father who is laid off from a car assembly line and decides to support for his family by pursuing his ambition of becoming a professional bowler. Tom understands that with bowling, you have two opportunities; no matter what you do with the first ball, you get a second chance to make it right—the ultimate second chance.”
It goes on to say:

“With that in mind, Tom embarks on his new profession with Jen’s blessing, Archie’s unwavering support as his mentor and proud owner of Archie’s Lanes: Home of the Curly Fry, Helen’s cautious support, and Sam’s encouragement. Tom’s chances of making the Pro Bowl are still up in the air, but the pins are placed, he’s taking his second shot, and it’s 300 or bust!”

The Sitcom’s Trailer

Last week, ET unveiled the teaser for How We Roll, which followed Tom’s journey from getting laid off to pursuing his passion for bowling. With laugh tracks and a multi-camera arrangement, the show is believed to have a CBS sitcom feel to it.