Katie Lowes

OF ‘HOW WE ROLL’ ON CBS

Following your run on the highly dramatic “Scandal,” was it important to you to do a comedy like “How We Roll”?

I’ve wanted to do a comedy my entire life. When I grew up, what was always on at my house was “Three’s Company,” “Cheers,” “Seinfeld,” “Everybody Loves Raymond.” I mean, comedy – and multicam comedy, particularly – was what was always on in my household, and what I have the most memory and joy when I think about when I was little and wanted to be an actor. Very fortunately, when I moved out to L.A., I wound up in the drama camp. And my previous employer Shonda Rhimes kept giving me gigs, which was the greatest thing ever ... lots of crying and tears and drama and all of that, but the minute that was over,

I really made an effort to do a comedy.

With this one, it was just it really such a great fit because it isn’t just about nailing these jokes – and I thankfully am surrounded by (fellow series stars) Pete (Holmes) and Chi (Mcbride) and Julie (White), who are teaching me a thing or two – but there’s a lot of heart and deeper things that we’re going for, so I get to practice the comedy and learn, but also

rely on the things about drama where I come from, which is just fighting for what you want in a scene, telling an honest story, and trying to do (the

character) Jen Smallwood some justice with Mark Gross’ writing

Speaking of Jen Smallwood, who is a real-life person, what do you think of her?

She’s strong and smart and supportive and loves her family and has her own thing going on, and she’s grounded. I’m a huge fan of the Jen Smallwood we’ve created, and the real person that it’s

inspired by. I hope, one day, we can have a beer at a bowling alley.