August 10, 1996 (1996-08-10) – September 8, 2002 (2002-09-08)
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 off the air, the entire catalog of Arliss episodes returned to Max in a streaming format in 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.
In "Strike One," an episode from the third season of The King of Queens, Carrie berates Doug for canceling their HBO subscription in an attempt to save money. Doug claims it was not an easy decision because he "lost Arliss."
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. A number of HBO subscribers cited Arliss 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 called it one of the worst shows on television;[7] sportswriter Bill Simmons (who later worked for HBO under his digital banner The Ringer) used Arliss as an example of what he saw as a lack of good fictional shows about sports.[8]
