‘Take risks,’ comedian Pete Holmes says. ‘It pays off’ — even with a TV series

For the new comedy, “How We Roll,” he studied the nuances of the game with pro Robert Smith.

Smith told him to put a hand under the ball and it would shoot back on its own. When Holmes put the advice into play, “I started throwing strikes.”

In the series, he’s playing a version of Tom Smallwood, a pro bowler from Michigan who decided to follow his dream after losing his job. By making the cut – and going on tour – he was able to support his family and win a PBA championship. “Miracles happen,” Executive Producer Mark Gross says. “The show is about hope, it’s about taking chances and it’s about evolving.”

While there are distinct differences between Holmes’ character and Smallwood, their determination is in the same lane.

Holmes says he based his characterization on his own father. “My father has a no-collar job, but is still whip smart, super funny, super interesting and super interested,” he explains. “I sort of took my cue from that.”

After talking with Smallwood, Gross felt confident he could incorporate elements from his own life as well. “We started sharing stories about our wives,” he says. Gross mentioned his wife was the one who said, “What if it does?” when he said, “What if it doesn’t work out?” And that became a template for the role Katie Lowes plays. In real life, Smallwood has a daughter and a son. In the show, Holmes’ version just has a son – who tap dances.

“I liked the idea of everyone taking a risk,” Gross says. “I took tap as a kid and was mocked for it. I still am to this day.”

Chi McBride, who plays Holmes’ mentor, says he also could relate to the risk-taking. Thirty years ago, he had a successful career at the telephone company, but decided to move from Atlanta to Los Angeles to try his hand at acting.

“I always told myself, ‘I’m not coming out here to wait tables or to pick up anybody’s dry cleaning,’” he says during a Zoom conference. “Fortunately, that full-level confidence is what got me into this business. I can identify (with the series’ premise) because everybody thinks you’re crazy when you take a chance like this.”

Unlike Holmes, McBride used to bowl a lot and, occasionally, will still take his 14-year-old son for a game. “I think what I gravitate more to is the idea of helping someone find the confidence that you have in them – that they don’t necessarily have in themselves. You only get one life, so you have to make the most of that.”

Holmes says his parents didn’t put up barriers to the idea of him becoming a comedian. “I don’t know if that’s because they believed in me or they just weren’t paying attention,” he says. “They were very supportive.”

Those who pooh-pooh ideas are ones “you have to clear yourself of.”

“I always called it, ‘comedy cancer,’” Holmes says. “The comedians who were always comparing themselves to other people, complaining what they were owed and how they hadn’t gotten it yet” never ended up taking the necessary risks.

In the HBO series, “Crashing,” Holmes drew on his own struggles in the business. In the book, “Comedy Sex God,” he opens another vein and tells more about his journey.

When “How We Roll” came his way, Holmes was thrilled to slip into someone else’s shoes.

“I laughed every page,” he says. “There was heart and I related to that story.”

“How We Roll” airs on CBS.