Explain to me what was so bad about Arli$$

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It was a 30-minute, single camera, satirical comedy about a sports agent that ran for seven seasons on HBO starting in 1996. Many critics lambasted it and EW used to call it the worst show on TV.

It's basically a workplace comedy about a sports agent and his clients, starring Robert Wuhl as Arliss, with Sandra Oh and Michael Boatman. Lots of cameos by sports figures. Arliss is not a particularly nice or moral character, but neither was Ari Gold and viewers loved that guy.

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Every HBO Comedy Ranked From Worst To Best

56. Arliss

The Ballers of its day, Arliss too was a comedy about a sports agency that lasted a remarkable amount of time on TV despite really not being very good at all. The Robert Wuhl-starring sitcom lasted from 1996 to 2002, and was a divisive show in its time. With HBO yet to become truly established as a purveyor of great TV, the fact that some subscribers kept the network purely to watch Arliss meant that it was untouchable.

For everyone else, though, it was unbearable. Wuhl did his level best, playing an unscrupulous sports agent as the notion of the dislikable comedy protagonist became increasingly popular, but he left a lot to be desired as the star. The comedy is none more mid-’90s, full of sophomoric gay jokes and the like that have dated dreadfully.

It also made a habit of including celebrities (here sports stars) as warped versions of themselves while an HBO stablemate was doing the same thing with far more success. 80 episodes in, it finally ended.