Critic Reviews
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72
Metascore
Generally Favorable
positive
13(76%)
mixed
4(24%)
negative
0(0%)
Showing 17 Critic Reviews
Jun 17, 2013
100
Proof that the profane can be very, very funny, Arli$$ is not only a tour de force for star/writer/coproducer Robert Wuhl, but a reality-bending kindred spirit to HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show," whose star, Garry Shandling, lurks in the opening-credits cameo. [9 Aug 1996, p.C1]
Jun 17, 2013
100
With its viciously sarcastic view of shameless business deals in sports, Arli$$ is ready for instant victories as a champion of television satire. [7 Aug 1996, p.53]
Jun 16, 2013
90
Though the show happens to be about sports, it works even better as a shrewd sendup of the culture of money, hype and celebrity.
Jun 17, 2013
90
Wuhl, who wrote the scripts for the first two episodes, is shrewd and witty in both the creation and delivery of dialogue, and outstanding in physical comedy. If sitcoms were judged like gymnastics, Sanders star Garry Shandling would grab the gold medal with a perfect score of 10 and Wuhl would be a cinch for the silver at 9.9. [7 Aug 1996, p.D01]
Jun 16, 2013
80
It's hilarious...The series doesn't break new ground artistically, but it's got a main character who's already a classic. He seems as fully formed as Frasier or Seinfeld's Kramer. He could become television's new king of self-delusion. [10 Aug 1996, p.1G]
Jun 16, 2013
80
Above all, Arli$$ succeeds because it has a sharp point of view and a subject worth lampooning. It might not be in the same league as The Larry Sanders Show but give it time. It definitely has the look of a winner. [10 Aug 1996, p.E1]
Jun 17, 2013
80
Will delight those who know a bit about the star-making machinery. It will tickle sports fans and entertain anyone in search of a decent adult comedy. [7 Aug 1996, p.G01]
Jun 17, 2013
80
Arli$$ is character comedy. The humor comes out of the characters, the relationships and their work. It rings true all the time. [7 Aug 1996, p.B65]
Jun 17, 2013
80
Mostly succeeds with cynically outlandish gusto, blurring the reality lines while rendering a fresh new antihero for the '90s in superagent Arliss Michaels. [5 Aug 1996, p.34]
Jun 17, 2013
75
Wuhl's madcap shyster has a sublimely bent supporting crew: Jim Turner as the agent's second-in-command Kirby Carlisle, a former quarterback with a bad habit of betting on games; Sandra Oh as crackerjack office assistant Rita Woo; and Michael Boatman ("China Beach") as Stanley, the agency's dour buppie numbers cruncher. [9 Aug 1996, p.1D]
