Ben Stiller's New 5-Part HBO Max Series Debuts To Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score

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Ben Stiller at the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards

Published Mar 26, 2026, 10:45 AM EDT

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Born to Bowl, the new five-part documentary executive-produced by Ben Stiller, is starting with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.

Stiller is best known to most for his movie characters on screen, including comedy favorites like There's Something About Mary and Meet the Fockers. But he's been just as prolific as a producer recently, with as many as 13 upcoming projects, by some counts, listing his name as an EP. His latest endeavor is already earning rave reviews.

Born to Bowl, a new sports documentary, has debuted to a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. At the time of this writing, the score is based on only five reviews, and the score may fluctuate as more reviews are added in the coming weeks and months. As of now, there is no audience score.

What Is Born To Bowl About?

Born to Bowl centers on the world of professional bowling, specifically placing its focus on five of the sport’s top players. It zeroes in on Kyle Troup, Anthony Simonsen, EJ Tackett, Cameron Crowe, and Jason Belmonte as they pursue success, recognition, and prize money on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour.

Consisting of five episodes, with the finale set for Monday, March 30, Born to Bowl is narrated by Ray Donovan and Scream franchise actor Liev Schreiber. It examines the particular American family pastime, which evokes many pop culture references. In the process, it helps to illuminate a quirky sport that actually has some ancient roots.

Co-produced by A24, Born to Bowl is also executive produced by filmmakers James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, in addition to Stiller, John Lesher, Michael Tollin, Jonathan Vogler, Lev Ekster, Carissa Del Bene, Jonathan Hausfater, Chris Bowyer, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Bentley Weiner, Jared Polin, Isaac Solotaroff, and Alexander Stevens.

The docuseries continues an HBO Sports documentary tradition, looking at how members of the Professional Bowlers Association Tour go about their lives of travel as they move from one tournament to the next and compete for victories. It isn't always glamorous, however, with shared hotel rooms on a budget. But each player carries a deep love for the sport.

What Are Critics Saying About Ben Stiller's New Docuseries?

Ben Stiller wearing a suit from The Meyerowitz Stories

Born to Bowl is directed by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, with Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times noting that the filmmakers do a good job of explaining the emotional stakes at play. This is echoed in Scott Hines' review for Decider, who notes that the docuseries has a charming quality.

General audiences seem to agree, with some comments noting that viewers don't have to enjoy bowling to appreciate Born to Bowl. Considering that the subject matter is a little bit niche, that may be the biggest compliment of all.

Born to Bowl airs Mondays on HBO and streams on HBO Max.