HBO Benches 'Arli$$'

[TJ]

http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?28576

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - HBO has decided not to renew "Arli$$," ending the
show's run after seven seasons.

The comedy, starring Robert Wuhl as sports agent Arliss Michaels, premiered in 1996
and helped bridge the gap between earlier original series the pay-cable network aired
and the more sophisticated fare it offers now.

Despite the fact that "Arli$$" earned its best-ever ratings for the season that ended
Sept. 8, however, HBO decided it was time for the show to go.

"Our feeling was [the series] was a success by anybody's standards," HBO chairman
and CEO Chris Albrecht tells The Hollywood Reporter. "Things can't stay on forever,
and it seemed that this was a good place to finish the show."

The final episode saw the usually hyper-stressed Arliss leaving his agency in the
hands of his associates (played by Jim Turner, Michael Boatman and Sandra Oh)
while he went off to do some soul-searching.

The show's cast and crew knew that the recently completed season would likely be
the show's last. Its solid ratings -- likely helped by lead-in "Sex and the City" -- led
HBO to consider ordering additional episodes, but the network ultimately decided to
stick to its original plan.

Wuhl, who created "Arli$$" and was one of its executive producers as well as its
star, will likely develop other projects for HBO.