Arliss (rendered in its logo as Arli$$) is an American dark comedy series, created by and starring Robert Wuhl (who was also the series' showrunner), about the glitzy, big-money world of professional sports, with Wuhl playing the eternally optimistic and endlessly resourceful L.A. sports agent Arliss Michaels, whose Achilles' heel is his inability to say "no" to clients and employees. Arliss ran for seven seasons and 80 episodes on HBO, from August 10, 1996, to September 8, 2002. After almost two decades of being off-air, the entire catalog of Arliss episodes returned to HBO Max in a streaming format as of September 2022.
The idea behind Arliss was to show the hype, greed, and hypocrisy of powerful sports agents like Arliss Michaels, and what really happens "behind the scenes" in professional sports. In a 2018 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Wuhl said the idea for Arliss was based on the book The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump and journalist Tony Schwartz:
I had read The Art of the Deal and I thought, "This is total, 100 percent bullshit. He's saying stuff that I don't believe a fuckin' word of it. He's telling you what happened, but I want to see what really happened." We can use this, as Arliss the sports agent, telling you what happens and then prove he's full of shit and show what really happened.[2]
In July 1999, Robert Wuhl appeared, in character as Arliss, on WCWMonday Nitro as a guest announcer, alongside Scott Hudson and Bobby Heenan.[3] He said that his HBO series has featured WCW wrestlers as guest stars, but the Big Three networks were "scared" of doing the same. Arliss said he was scouting Dennis Rodman, who was doing his third stint with the company. Wuhl's appearance was a cross-promotion for HBO, as both it and WCW were owned by Time Warner. In the Arliss episode "To Thy Own Self Be True", WCW creative head Eric Bischoff guest-starred along with wrestlers Lex Luger, Randy Savage, and Gorgeous George.
You know the feeling. Someone's about to tell a joke, and you panic. What if you start laughing? Lots of us experience slight loss of bladder control. An embarrassing accident can happen any time. Sometimes, just when laughing. That's why I watch Arliss on HBO Comedy. It's nice to know that, every weekday at midnight, I can sit down with Robert Wuhl and the gang at Arliss Michaels Sports Management, and, a half-hour later, my drawers will be as dry as a bone. And now I know I'll be able to get 100% bladder control whenever I'm feeling insecure. Because all seven seasons of Arliss are now available on DVD. That's over forty hours of keep-your-pants-dry entertainment! So, don't let slight loss of bladder control cramp your style. Watch Arliss, and take back your life. Ask your doctor if Arliss is right for you. Side effects may include nausea, depression, and slight sexual dysfunction.[4]
Former UCB New York stage show The George Lucas Talk Show organized a 7-week-long charity marathon of Arliss episodes during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The hosts watched all seven seasons of the show and interviewed many of the show's writers, producers, and cast, including Wuhl.[5] The livestreams raised over $20,000 for the New York City FoodBank.
Critical reception
Arliss has a 72/100 rating on Metacritic,[citation needed] and 62% on Rotten Tomatoes.[citation needed] The popular show, which ran for seven seasons, has been cited as a "blueprint" for future HBO shows such as Ballers and Entourage, and as an example of how premium cable networks manage their programming. Arliss was cited by a number of HBO subscribers as the sole reason that they paid for the network, and as a result, its fan base was able to keep the show on the air for a lengthy run.[6] The show frequently used obscure sports references, and Entertainment Weekly repeatedly referred to it as one of the worst shows on television;[7] sportswriter Bill Simmons (who would eventually work for HBO itself under his digital banner The Ringer) used Arliss as an example of what he saw as a lack of quality fictional shows about sports.[8]
References
^"Of Athletes and Agents... Oh, and Money, Too", The New York Times, August 10, 1996
^"Arli$$: Robert Wuhl and Mike Tollin on Why It's Time for a Revival", The Hollywood Reporter, September 27, 2018
^"Arli$$ on Nitro: Maybe If He Had Played Alexander Knox..." wrestlecrap.com. December 26, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Saturday Night Live. Season 28. Episode 2. October 12, 2002. NBC. Saturday Night Live Transcripts.
^The George Lucas Talk Show - May the AR Be LI$$ You Marathon (Talk-Show), Patrick Cotnoir, Griffin Newman, Connor Ratliff, Robert Wuhl, May 17, 2020, retrieved January 26, 2021{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)[better source needed]
^Poniewozik, James. "TV 101: They're Not TV Numbers. They're HBO Numbers". Tuned In. Time. from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
arliss, series, given, name, arliss, given, name, surname, arliss, surname, arliss, rendered, logo, arli, american, dark, comedy, series, created, starring, robert, wuhl, also, series, showrunner, about, glitzy, money, world, professional, sports, with, wuhl, . For the given name see Arliss given name For the surname see Arliss surname Arliss rendered in its logo as Arli is an American dark comedy series created by and starring Robert Wuhl who was also the series showrunner about the glitzy big money world of professional sports with Wuhl playing the eternally optimistic and endlessly resourceful L A sports agent Arliss Michaels whose Achilles heel is his inability to say no to clients and employees Arliss ran for seven seasons and 80 episodes on HBO from August 10 1996 to September 8 2002 After almost two decades of being off air the entire catalog of Arliss episodes returned to HBO Max in a streaming format as of September 2022 ArlissSeries DVD coverGenreComedy SportsCreated byRobert WuhlStarringRobert Wuhl Sandra Oh Jim Turner Michael BoatmanOpening theme I Can t Help Myself by The Four Tops season 1 I Only Want To Be With You by Dusty Springfield seasons 2 7 ComposerEd SmartCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons7No of episodes80 list of episodes ProductionCamera setupSingle cameraRunning time30 minutesProduction companiesTollin Robbins Productions 1996 1998 Marquee Tollin Robbins 1998 2002 ReleaseOriginal networkHBOOriginal releaseAugust 10 1996 1996 08 10 September 8 2002 2002 09 08 The New York Times called the show One of the freshest shows to come along in a while 1 It was well known for taking on very controversial at the time topics including point shaving political corruption personal seat license fees relocation of professional sports teams sports in the Las Vegas metropolitan area right to work states domestic abuse steroid use Alzheimer s disease gay and transgender athletes alcoholism and unwanted athlete pregnancies The idea behind Arliss was to show the hype greed and hypocrisy of powerful sports agents like Arliss Michaels and what really happens behind the scenes in professional sports In a 2018 interview with the Hollywood Reporter Wuhl said the idea for Arliss was based on the book The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump and journalist Tony Schwartz I had read The Art of the Deal and I thought This is total 100 percent bullshit He s saying stuff that I don t believe a fuckin word of it He s telling you what happened but I want to see what really happened We can use this as Arliss the sports agent telling you what happens and then prove he s full of shit and show what really happened 2 Over 400 celebrities had cameo appearances on Arliss including Les Moonves George Wallace Bobcat Goldthwait Shannon Elizabeth Fred Williamson Al Michaels John Elway Derek Jeter Dan Marino Kobe Bryant Shaquille O Neal Warren Moon Alonzo Mourning Bob Costas Jimmy Johnson Jerry Jones Picabo Street Katarina Witt and Barry Bonds citation needed Contents 1 Cast 2 Series overview 3 Arliss on other programs 4 Critical reception 5 References 6 External linksCast EditRobert Wuhl as Arliss Michaels the president of a sports agency who tries to cater to his clients every need as best he can Sandra Oh as Rita Wu Arliss s personal assistant Jim Turner as Kirby Carlisle a middle aged ex football star Michael Boatman as Stanley Babson a conservative financial advisorSeries overview EditMain article List of Arliss episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast aired111August 10 1996 1996 08 10 October 16 1996 1996 10 16 210June 17 1997 1997 06 17 August 19 1997 1997 08 19 313June 7 1998 1998 06 07 August 30 1998 1998 08 30 412June 6 1999 1999 06 06 August 22 1999 1999 08 22 513June 4 2000 2000 06 04 September 3 2000 2000 09 03 610June 10 2001 2001 06 10 August 12 2001 2001 08 12 711June 16 2002 2002 06 16 September 8 2002 2002 09 08 Arliss on other programs EditIn July 1999 Robert Wuhl appeared in character as Arliss on WCW Monday Nitro as a guest announcer alongside Scott Hudson and Bobby Heenan 3 He said that his HBO series has featured WCW wrestlers as guest stars but the Big Three networks were scared of doing the same Arliss said he was scouting Dennis Rodman who was doing his third stint with the company Wuhl s appearance was a cross promotion for HBO as both it and WCW were owned by Time Warner In the Arliss episode To Thy Own Self Be True WCW creative head Eric Bischoff guest starred along with wrestlers Lex Luger Randy Savage and Gorgeous George In The Simpsons season 13 episode Half Decent Proposal Marge is watching Nookie in New York with Patty and Selma when an announcer states Coming up next on BHO sic it s Arliss Patty and Selma scream and quickly reach for the remote control During the October 12 2002 episode of Saturday Night Live guest host Sarah Michelle Gellar delivered the following monologue in a fake television commercial sketch You know the feeling Someone s about to tell a joke and you panic What if you start laughing Lots of us experience slight loss of bladder control An embarrassing accident can happen any time Sometimes just when laughing That s why I watch Arliss on HBO Comedy It s nice to know that every weekday at midnight I can sit down with Robert Wuhl and the gang at Arliss Michaels Sports Management and a half hour later my drawers will be as dry as a bone And now I know I ll be able to get 100 bladder control whenever I m feeling insecure Because all seven seasons of Arliss are now available on DVD That s over forty hours of keep your pants dry entertainment So don t let slight loss of bladder control cramp your style Watch Arliss and take back your life Ask your doctor if Arliss is right for you Side effects may include nausea depression and slight sexual dysfunction 4 In the 30 Rock seventh season premiere The Beginning of the End Kenneth says in response to Tracy Jordan s marriage having lasted for over 20 years That s half as long as it felt Arliss was on TV Former UCB New York stage show The George Lucas Talk Show organized a 7 week long charity marathon of Arliss episodes during the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 The hosts watched all seven seasons of the show and interviewed many of the show s writers producers and cast including Wuhl 5 The livestreams raised over 20 000 for the New York City FoodBank Critical reception EditArliss has a 72 100 rating on Metacritic citation needed and 62 on Rotten Tomatoes citation needed The popular show which ran for seven seasons has been cited as a blueprint for future HBO shows such as Ballers and Entourage and as an example of how premium cable networks manage their programming Arliss was cited by a number of HBO subscribers as the sole reason that they paid for the network and as a result its fan base was able to keep the show on the air for a lengthy run 6 The show frequently used obscure sports references and Entertainment Weekly repeatedly referred to it as one of the worst shows on television 7 sportswriter Bill Simmons who would eventually work for HBO itself under his digital banner The Ringer used Arliss as an example of what he saw as a lack of quality fictional shows about sports 8 References Edit Of Athletes and Agents Oh and Money Too The New York Times August 10 1996 Arli Robert Wuhl and Mike Tollin on Why It s Time for a Revival The Hollywood Reporter September 27 2018 Arli on Nitro Maybe If He Had Played Alexander Knox wrestlecrap com December 26 2012 Retrieved May 30 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Saturday Night Live Season 28 Episode 2 October 12 2002 NBC Saturday Night Live Transcripts The George Lucas Talk Show May the AR Be LI You Marathon Talk Show Patrick Cotnoir Griffin Newman Connor Ratliff Robert Wuhl May 17 2020 retrieved January 26 2021 a href Template Citation html title Template Citation citation a CS1 maint others link better source needed Poniewozik James TV 101 They re Not TV Numbers They re HBO Numbers Tuned In Time Archived from the original on October 14 2007 Retrieved February 25 2008 EW s Ken Tucker names 2002 s 5 worst TV shows Arli Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on October 12 2006 ESPN com Page 2 Dear Sports Guy ESPN Archived from the original on November 15 2020 Retrieved October 12 2016 External links EditArliss at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Arliss TV series amp oldid 1161076053, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
