Arliss (TV series)

"Arli" redirects here. For the location in Burkina Faso, see Arli National Park.

Arliss
Series DVD Cover
Created by	Robert Wuhl
Starring	Robert Wuhl Sandra Oh Jim Turner Michael Boatman
Composer	Ed Smart
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	80 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Tollin/Robbins Productions HBO Original Programming CBS Television Distribution (2008-present, non-USA)
Original release
Network	Home Box Office
Release	August 10, 1996 (1996-08-10) – September 8, 2002 (2002-09-08)

Arliss (rendered in its logo as Arli$$) is an American situation comedy about a sports agent and his group of associates. The series premiered on HBO in 1996 and ended in 2002.

Cast

• Arliss starred Robert Wuhl, who also produced the show, as Arliss Michaels, the president of a sports agency who tries to cater to his clients' every need as best he can
• Sandra Oh plays Rita Wu, Arliss's personal assistant
• Jim Turner plays Kirby Carlisle, a middle-aged, ex-football star
• Michael Boatman plays Stanley Babson, a conservative financial advisor

Notable guest stars

Nearly every episode includes one or more notable personalities, primarily from the sports industry (such as athletes, coaches, and broadcasters), appearing as themselves. Oscar-winning actor James Coburn's 2002 appearance in the episode "The Immortal" was his last television performance before his fatal heart attack in 2002.

Three-plus appearances

• John Reilly (1996–2002) (6 episodes)
• Bob Costas (1996–2001) (5 episodes)
• Van Earl Wright (1997–2002) (4 episodes)
• Jerry Jones (1996–2000) (3 episodes)
• Jim Lampley (1996–1999) (3 episodes)
• Tommy Lasorda (1996–2000) (3 episodes)
• Jeremy Roenick (2000–2002) (3 episodes)

Two appearances

• Jamal Anderson (1999, 2000)
• Bob Arum (1997, 1999)
• Chris Berman (1997, 1999)
• Al Bernstein (1996, 1999)
• Barry Bonds (1996, 1997)
• Gary Carter (2001)
• Roger Clemens (1997, 1999)
• Norm Crosby (1997, 2001)
• Oscar de la Hoya (1998, 1999)
• Marshall Faulk (2000, 2001)
• Ken Griffey, Jr. (1999)
• Jim Hill (1996, 1999)
• Roy Jones Jr. (2000, 2002)
• Eric Karros (1997, 1999)
• Larry King (1997, 2002)
• Jeanette Lee (1997, 2000)
• Al Michaels (1996, 1998)
• Gary Miller (2000, 2001)
• Jon Miller (1997, 2000)
• Chris Myers (1996, 1999)
• Pat O'Brien (2000, 2001)
• Shaquille O'Neal (1996, 2001)
• Andre Rison (1998)
• Curt Schilling (1998, 2002)
• Stuart Scott (1999, 2000)
• Robert Shapiro (1996, 2000)
• Bruce Smith (1997, 2000)
• Ozzie Smith (1997, 1998)
• George M. Steinbrenner III (1999)
• Katarina Witt (1997, 1998)
• Dave Winfield (1998, 2000)

One appearance

• Ed Asner (2000)
• Billy Bean (2002)

• Eric Bischoff (1999)
• Jack Buck
• Jay Buhner (2001)
• Kobe Bryant (1996)
• Amanda Bynes (1999)
• James Coburn (2002)
• Tim Duncan
• Jim Edmonds
• Rich Eisen (2001)

• Scott Erickson
• David Falk (1997)
• Tony Gonzalez (2000)
• Dominik Hasek (1998)
• Michael Irvin (1998)
• Kevin James (2001)
• Lincoln Kennedy (2000)
• Bobby Labonte
• Barry Larkin
• Dan Marino

• Juan Pablo Montoya
• Dan Patrick (1998)
• Kyle Petty
• Regis Philbin
• Emmitt Smith
• Joe Theisman
• Alex Trebek
• Keith Van Horn
• Kristy Wu (1999)

Series overview

Main article: List of Arliss episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	11		August 10, 1996 (1996-08-10)	October 16, 1996 (1996-10-16)
2	10		June 17, 1997 (1997-06-17)	August 19, 1997 (1997-08-19)
3	13		June 7, 1998 (1998-06-07)	August 30, 1998 (1998-08-30)
4	12		June 6, 1999 (1999-06-06)	August 22, 1999 (1999-08-22)
5	13		June 4, 2000 (2000-06-04)	September 3, 2000 (2000-09-03)
6	10		June 10, 2001 (2001-06-10)	August 12, 2001 (2001-08-12)
7	11		June 16, 2002 (2002-06-16)	September 8, 2002 (2002-09-08)

Arliss on other programs

In July 1999, Wuhl also appeared on World Championship Wrestling's Monday Nitro as a guest announcer. Joining Scott Hudson and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Robert did not appear as himself but was named as Arliss and acted in character. He announced that "the WCW" (sic) would appear on Arliss because none of the Big Three networks would have WCW. Arliss stayed in character on color commentary as Randy Savage, Gorgeous George, and Miss Madness walked to the ring. Arliss said he was scouting Dennis Rodman, who was doing his third stint with the company. Wuhl appeared for cross-promotion as WCW was owned by Time Warner (and Nitro aired on TNT), as was HBO. In the Arliss episode entitled "To Thy Own Self Be True", WCW creative head Eric Bischoff guest stars along with wrestlers Lex Luger, Randy Savage and Gorgeous George.

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.

In the October 4, 2012 episode of 30 Rock, "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!"

Criticism

The show, which ran for seven seasons, is a prime example of how HBO differs from traditional networks due to its nature as a network its viewers specifically pay to be able to watch. Arliss was cited by so many viewers as the sole reason that they paid for the network that its relatively small fan base was able to keep the show on the air for a lengthy run. Entertainment Weekly consistently referred to it as one of the worst shows on television. The show frequently used obscure sports references, making the humor something only die-hard sports fans could appreciate. ESPN.com's Bill Simmons repeatedly wrote about how awful he felt the show was, often holding it up as an "Exhibit A" in what he saw as the terrible state of sports-based fictional television shows. Simmons also noted that HBO was forced to reschedule the show because it wasn't able to hold enough viewers before Six Feet Under. Simmons' viewpoint notwithstanding, his employer later acquired the rights to air content-edited reruns of Arli$$ for several years on ESPN Classic.

External links

• Arliss at IMDb