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]

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]

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]

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]

A pallid imitation of The Larry Sanders Show, the series works best when its real-life guests are funny.

The biggest yet most easily adjusted problem is that of tone. In many scenes, Arli$$ hits everything just right; a scene in next week's episode, with Arliss conducting a high-pressure negotiation with the owner of a pro basketball team, is Wuhl and Arli$$ at their best...In other scenes, though, the laughs are hit too broadly, and even the soundtrack and editing punch the punch lines much too aggressively. "The Larry Sanders Show" knows to let the laughter find its own level; in time, I hope, Arli$$ will also. [9 Aug 1996, p.115]

It tops out at mildly funny and is infrequently even that, suffering from clashing tones and from too much Wuhl. [10 Aug 1996, p.F6]