Arliss
| Arliss | |
|---|---|
 Series DVD cover | |
| Created by | Robert Wuhl |
| Starring |
Robert Wuhl Sandra Oh Jim Turner Michael Boatman |
| Opening theme |
I Can't Help Myself by Four Tops (season 1) I Only Want To Be With You by Dusty Springfield (seasons 2-7) |
| Composer(s) | Ed Smart |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 80 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Tollin/Robbins Productions Marquee/Tollin/Robbins (1998-2002) |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution (2008-present, non-USA) |
| Release | |
| Original network | Home Box Office |
| Original release | August 10, 1996 – September 8, 2002 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Arliss (rendered in its logo as Arli$$) is an American sitcom about a sports agent. The series premiered on HBO in 1996 and ended in 2002. All episodes were available for streaming on HBO Now, HBO Go and HBO On Demand as of September 14, 2018.[1]
Cast
- Robert Wuhl plays 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) [2]
- Bob Costas (1996–2001)
- Van Earl Wright (1997–2002)
- Jerry Jones (1996–2000)
- Jim Lampley (1996–1999)
- Tommy Lasorda (1996–2000)
- Jeremy Roenick (2000–2002)
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)
- Glenn Frey (2002)
- Tony Gonzalez (2000)
- Dominik Hašek (1998)
- Michael Irvin (1998)
- Kevin James (2001)
- Lincoln Kennedy (2000)
- Nick Kypreos (1996)
- 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)
- Lamar Odom (1996)
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 11 | August 10, 1996 | October 16, 1996 | ||
| 2 | 10 | June 17, 1997 | August 19, 1997 | ||
| 3 | 13 | June 7, 1998 | August 30, 1998 | ||
| 4 | 12 | June 6, 1999 | August 22, 1999 | ||
| 5 | 13 | June 4, 2000 | September 3, 2000 | ||
| 6 | 10 | June 10, 2001 | August 12, 2001 | ||
| 7 | 11 | June 16, 2002 | September 8, 2002 | ||
Arliss on other programs
In 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 announced that "the WCW" (sic) would appear on Arliss because none of the Big Three networks would have WCW. 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 entitled "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 episode "Half-Decent Proposal", Marge, Patty and Selma are watching TV when an announcer states, "Coming up next on HBO, it's Arliss!" All three then scream and 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 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, has been referred to as an example of how premium cable networks take a different approach to managing their programming, because viewers specifically pay for the network. Arliss was cited by a number of HBO subscribers as the sole reason that they paid for the network, and so its relatively small fan base was able to keep the show on the air for a lengthy run.[5] The show frequently used obscure sports references, further limiting its appeal to a niche audience of sports fans. Entertainment Weekly repeatedly referred to it as one of the worst shows on television,[6] and 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.[7]
References
- ↑ "HBO News - Arli$$ Comes to Streaming". HBO. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ↑ "Mike Armstrong (Character) - Filmography by TV series". imdb.com. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ↑ "Arli$$ on Nitro: Maybe If He Had Played Alexander Knox…". wrestlecrap.com. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ↑ Saturday Night Live. Season 28. Episode 2. Saturday Night Live Transcripts. 12 October 2002. NBC.
- ↑ "TV 101: They're Not TV Numbers. They're HBO Numbers. - Tuned In - TV Blog - Television Reviews - James Poniewozik - TIME". TIME. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
- ↑ "EW's Ken Tucker names 2002's 5 worst TV shows – Arli$ – Television Commentary – TV – Entertainment Weekly". Archived from the original on October 12, 2006.
- ↑ "ESPN.com: Page 2: Dear Sports Guy..." ESPN. Retrieved 12 October 2016.