| Arliss | |
|---|---|
 Series DVD cover | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Robert Wuhl |
| Starring |
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| Opening theme |
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| Composer | Ed Smart |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 80(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | August 10, 1996 (1996-08-10) – September 8, 2002 (2002-09-08) |
Arliss (rendered in its logo asArli$$) is an Americandark comedy series, created by and starringRobert 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, whoseAchilles' heel is his inability to say "no" to clients and employees.Arliss ran for seven seasons and 80 episodes onHBO, from August 10, 1996, to September 8, 2002. After almost two decades off the air, the entire catalog ofArliss episodes returned toMax in a streaming format in 2022.[1]
The New York Times called the show "One of the freshest shows to come along in a while."[2] It was well known for taking on very controversial (at the time) topics, includingpoint shaving,political corruption,personal seat license fees,relocation of professional sports teams,sports in the Las Vegas metropolitan area,right to work law states,domestic abuse,steroid use,Alzheimer's disease,gay andtransgender athletes,alcoholism, andunwanted athlete pregnancies.
The idea behindArliss 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 withThe Hollywood Reporter, Wuhl said the idea forArliss was based on the bookThe Art of the Deal byDonald Trump and journalistTony Schwartz:
I had readThe 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.[3]
Over 400 celebrities had cameo appearances onArliss, includingLes 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, andBarry Bonds.[4]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 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 has a 74/100 rating onMetacritic,[5] and 69% onRotten Tomatoes.[6] The popular show, which ran for seven seasons, has been cited as a "blueprint" for future HBO shows such asBallers andEntourage, and as an example of how premium cable networks manage their programming. A number of HBO subscribers citedArliss 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.[7] The show frequently used obscure sports references, andEntertainment Weekly repeatedly called it one of the worst shows on television;[8] sportswriterBill Simmons (who later worked for HBO under his digital bannerThe Ringer) usedArliss as an example of what he saw as a lack of good fictional shows about sports.[9]