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All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 A Man of Our Times

    • August 10, 1996
    • HBO

    While being nominated for the civic honor ""Man of Our Times,"" Arliss must juggle one client's plans for a same-sex marriage on the opening night of a huge ice-skating tour, Kirby's gambling habit, and another client's financial ruin and impending unemployment.

  • S01E02 Negotiating: It's Never Personal

    • August 14, 1996
    • HBO

    While high-school hoops sensation Shaler halimon announces he'll skip college and jump straight to the NBA, Arliss positions himself as Shaler's agent and uses the opportunity to settle a score with team owner Buddy Reingold.

  • S01E03 Athletes Are Role Models

    • August 21, 1996
    • HBO

    Temptation gets the better of squeaky-clean QB Dan Hendricks. Arliss battles with a client's desire to confess his sins to the world, while keeping the suspicious media and a scorned wife at bay.

  • S01E04 How to Turn a Minus into a Plus

    • August 28, 1996
    • HBO

    AMM client and boxing champ Sucre Rey Santos finally gives in and grants top contender Cohones Ochonez a title fight. The huge payday means Arliss can finally buy that Gulfstream Jet he's had his eyes on. But when Ochonez is arrested and tossed in jail, the fight is no mas. However, Arliss gets the governor to sign off and approve the fight, allowing HBO to televise the Battle in the Bighouse, live from the state penitentiary.

  • S01E05 What About the Fans?

    • September 4, 1996
    • HBO

    L.A. Kings owner Flora Lansing dangles part-ownership in front of Arliss if he can find a new home for her hockey team--provided there's a new stadium, complete with luxury boxes and PSLs. But this must be kept a secret! So Arliss shops the team to three prospective homes: Raleigh-Durham, Las Vegas and New Mexico.

  • S01E06 The Company You Keep

    • September 11, 1996
    • HBO

    Mike Armstrong, president of multinational CSM, is interested in buying AMM. Arliss never dreamed of selling until he hears what Armstrong's paying. AMM staffers, particularly Kirby, Rita and Stanley, know their boss is up to something and begin to worry about their job security.

  • S01E07 Colors of the Rainbow

    • September 18, 1996
    • HBO

    A reporter overhears Arliss talking about the Jaboos of South Street, a rival stickball team from his old neighborhood, and interprets this as a racial slur. A media siege begins and arliss is under fire. Meanwhile, free-agent relief pitcher (and white supremacist) Trevor Heath decides to let Arliss represent him upon hearing the comments.

  • S01E08 Crossing the Line

    • September 25, 1996
    • HBO

    Why would Arliss even consider representing Anya Slovachek, the 186th ranked woman tennis player whose father is a psychotic maniac? Well, when he sees Anya with his own eyes, Arliss' mind is made up for him.

  • S01E09 Timing Is Everything

    • October 2, 1996
    • HBO

    Arliss and Kirby decide to take beach volleyball to the next level by creating a new made-for-TV indoor tour with high-level glitz, oiled bodies, fluorescent sand and heavy promotion. But everything goes afoul as the tour's top women's pair have irreconcilable differences, and one of the top guys infects his toe on a petrified kelp pod.

  • S01E10 The Client's Best Interest

    • October 9, 1996
    • HBO

    In the 12th annual Den of Thieves Rotisserie Baseball League, Arliss and Kirby hope their Frozen Ropes can bring the title back where it belongs, away from cosmetic surgeon Vic Freed and his hated Silicone Valley. Arliss must resolve a conflict of interest between the good of the Frozen Ropes, and the good of AMM client and Phillies ace Ned Bastille.

  • S01E11 The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of

    • October 16, 1996
    • HBO

    As a kid, Arliss idolized Hall of Fame outfielder Rocky Framaggio so much that he still carries around the Rock's rookie card. And now, after a chance meeting at the racetrack, Arliss decides to help the downtrodden Rock make some scratch and get back on his feet. But after the Rock strikes out at three job attempts, Arliss comes up with a stroke of marketing genius.

Season 2

  • S02E01 A Full Service Agency

    • June 17, 1997
    • HBO

    Catcher Zack Bowers can barely get the ball back to the mound, let alone to second base. The source of his problems: he suspects his wife is unfaithful. He demands that Arliss hire a private investigator to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, Kirby is asked to housesit Bruce Smith's 'cat'.

  • S02E02 The Value of Loyalty

    • June 24, 1997
    • HBO

    One of Arliss' long-term friends and clients leaves him when his fiancee declares it's time for a ""fresh start."" Meanwhile, Rita is dating a client and Arliss wants it to stop, or else.

  • S02E03 Arliss Michaels, American

    • July 1, 1997
    • HBO

    Arliss is invited to dinner at the White House and he can't decide whom to invite as his escort. but that becomes the least of his worries when his bowling champion client, the controversial Turkey Reeves, gets in trouble with the law.

  • S02E04 The World at Your Feet

    • July 8, 1997
    • HBO

    Kahoutec ""Comet"" Evans is a can't-miss tennis phenom whom Arliss discovered years ago when the boy stood as tall as his racket. Now that Comet has come of age, Arliss must juggle the boy's mother's wish for her son to go to college with his own wish to cash in on the young superstar's talents.

  • S02E05 Salary Cap This!

    • July 15, 1997
    • HBO

    Sports Illustrated is planning an article about sports agents, and will select one to grace the magazine's cover. Despite some early maneuvering, Arliss thinks he's out of the running. But ""the working man's friend"" puts on his best moves in OT when he risks his own life to save client Damian Niles, in the process displaying a brilliant grasp of NBA salary capology.

  • S02E06 Kirby Carlisle, Trouble-Shooter

    • July 22, 1997
    • HBO

    When Arliss throws out his back, his dream of playing in the Crosby Pro-Am with golf client Ryan Mason III is shattered. Enter Kirby Carlisle, Arliss' Man Friday. Kirby steps in to partner with Mason, and assist the pro with his club selection.

  • S02E07 The Real Thing

    • July 29, 1997
    • HBO

    AMM client Dan Manville is closing in on his 500th home run. Add that to the 500 stolen bases he's already chalked up, and he's the charter member of the 500/500 club. Arliss has everything in position for the ""500/500 Experience,"" a huge Manville memorabilia tour on wheels, coming to a mall near you. All that's left for Manville to hit his 500th dinger--and for Arliss to get the ball.

  • S02E08 Visionary for a New Millennium

    • August 5, 1997
    • HBO

    Arliss is dazzled by marketing whiz Giselle Jaynes. She's charming, clever and sexy, and she's filled with brilliant, cutting-edge ideas for AMM clients -- despite knowing nothing about the sports world.

  • S02E09 How to Be a Good Listener

    • August 12, 1997
    • HBO

    It's a day from hell for Arliss Michaels: Stanley is considering leaving AMM, while client Sammy Stilton is about to be suspended for ""assaulting"" an umpire. All this as Arliss tries to get to the airport for a top-priority ""secret meeting.""

  • S02E10 Truth and Responsibility

    • August 19, 1997
    • HBO

    Arliss manages to get Kirby some airtime as a sports talk-radio host. What better way to promote his own clientele--especially Yoshi Kobiashi, the latest pitching phenom nobody's ever seen. Before you know it, Kirby starts to rule the airwaves and a star is born--and a huge deal for Arliss may be on the rocks.

Season 3

  • S03E01 The Family Trust

    • June 7, 1998
    • HBO

    After Kirby signs hockey star Luc Cassoulet to the biggest contract in AMM history, an extremely delicate situation develops: how does AMM get paid its commissions without going public that the client is a deadbeat? Meanwhile, Arliss has his hands full defending NBA star Dewayne Troy for assaulting a referee.

  • S03E02 My Job Is to Get Jobs

    • June 14, 1998
    • HBO

    AMM client Theo Holt is the kind of football player every team needs: a reliable backup quarterback capable of winning games. But when Theo's team decides to let him go and there are no other takers for his services, Arliss begins to wonder. When Arliss learns about a league-wide rumor that Theo is gay, he resurrects Theo's career as only Arliss can.

  • S03E03 Whatever It Takes

    • June 21, 1998
    • HBO

    Representing clients who line up against each other in the heat of battle is nothing new to Arliss. But he hopes to hold running back Quinton Holloway out of Sunday's game. It isn't because Quinton will face another AMM client, linebacker Chet Smitrovich. So when Arliss gets Quinton a new contract extension, it clears the way for a showdown.

  • S03E04 Fans First

    • June 28, 1998
    • HBO

    Disaster hits AMM when Defensive Player of the Year Lucian Balboa is stabbed by a crazed fan at the office's annual Super Bowl party. Where was the security? How did the stabber get into the party? These are the questions Arliss has to answer. And now Lucian has decided not to play on Super Sunday unless Arliss can guarantee that the stabber will be locked up.

  • S03E05 Where Do Clients Come From?

    • July 5, 1998
    • HBO

    Whenever a rival agent passes away, Arliss always leads the feeding frenzy to sign the available clients. But when Leo Maroni bites the dust, young turk Jeremy Brenner gives Arliss a battle in the scramble for new business. That's why Arliss signs Kit Ballew, a loser on the NASCAR circuit. But with nothing to live for, Kit starts tearing up the field, giving Arliss more than he bargained for.

  • S03E06 The Legacy

    • July 12, 1998
    • HBO

    Arliss has a comfortable arrangement with a Midwestern football powerhouse university: Arliss negotiates the school's exclusive network TV deal pro bono, and teaches an ethics class at the school. This provides him access to the student-athletes and creates a pipeline straight from the dorm to AMM. However, the pipeline may dry up when an investigation into legendary Coach Duffy's program reveals some improprieties.

  • S03E07 What Arliss Hath Joined Together...

    • July 19, 1998
    • HBO

    AMM client Amadou M'Bow is in love. And the NBA center from Senegal plans to marry his beloved, Miss Lisa Klein of Long Island. When Arliss insists that Amadou get his betrothed to sign a prenuptial agreement, Lisa balks, wedding bells are put on hold and Amadou plans to hang up the hightops.

  • S03E08 The Working Man's Friend

    • July 26, 1998
    • HBO

    As a fierce rainstorm brings the city to a standstill, Arliss is virtually alone at AMM. That is, until pitching sensation Diego Sanchez, like manna from heaven, arrives at the office after defecting from Cuba. But Arliss must rely on some unexpected assistance to overcome the obstacles of the day.

  • S03E09 Stanley Babson...Win, Place, or Show

    • August 2, 1998
    • HBO

    AMM's financial whiz Stanley Babson is fed up with his conservative reputation. But when Arliss accuses him of always playing it safe, Stanley puts the company at risk by using clients' funds to purchase a racehorse.

  • S03E10 Behind Every Great Client...

    • August 9, 1998
    • HBO

    Arliss knows as well as any agent that helping a client in his personal life is part of the job. So when all-star shortstop Joe Garrison asks Arliss to tell his wife that he's leaving her, Arliss obliges. But what happens between Arliss and Erica Garrison isn't necessarily part of the job--nor what Joe had in mind.

  • S03E11 The American Game

    • August 16, 1998
    • HBO

    Lockouts and strikes are unfortunately a part of pro sports, and nothing does more to alienate the fans. But when a ballplayer crosses the picket line, he knows the true meaning of alienation. Arliss must consider the consequences of representing replacement player Jim Greenbriar after Greenbriar saves Arliss' life.

  • S03E12 What Would I Do Without Wu?

    • August 23, 1998
    • HBO

    When Rita, the glue of AMM, gets her shot at representing clients, she proves herself an adept agent. Arliss, meanwhile, is helpless without his right-hand gal. To make matters worse, Kirby's cousin Fitz is Rita's fill-in.

  • S03E13 His Name Is Arliss Michaels

    • August 30, 1998
    • HBO

    Longtime AMM client Donnie Thurman isn't quite ready to hang up the baseball cleats. So when Arliss tells Donnie there are no takers for his services and then signs a younger ballplayer to a big contract, Donnie sues Arliss for conflict of interest.

Season 4

  • S04E01 Cause and Effect

    • June 6, 1999
    • HBO

    An upset stomach leads Arliss to Dr. Irv's for a routine checkup. But when Dr. Irv expresses his concerns based on Arliss' family history, Arliss starts thinking the ""C"" word. Meanwhile, Kirby and Rita try to help a little old lady sell her late husband's treasure trove of sports memorabilia.

  • S04E02 Taking One for the Team

    • June 13, 1999
    • HBO

    Arliss is so eager to sign high school baseball phenom Jake Battershell before any other agent does that he's willing to do anything to please Jake and his parents. Well, almost anything. Kirby's effort to help AMM client Seth Carson focus on his duties as a pro quarterback go further than anyone expects.

  • S04E03 Our Past, Our Present, Our Future

    • June 20, 1999
    • HBO

    Fourteen-year-old skating champion Crystal Dupree is an AMM cash cow. But she learns the hard way, with Stanley's assistance, that Mom and Dad may not necessarily have her best interest at heart. Also, Kirby resists shutting down the ""KIRBY CARlisle WASH.""

  • S04E04 People Are Assets, Too

    • June 27, 1999
    • HBO

    When the Lakers move from the Forum to the Staples Center, there will be fewer courtside seats, and the ticketholders with seniority will maintain their floor seats. Arliss is not one of those ticketholders, and desperately tries to find a way to keep his cherished seats on the floor.

  • S04E05 The Stories You Don't Hear About...

    • July 4, 1999
    • HBO

    It's fight night in Las Vegas and AMM client Ivory Ortega needs to get past Tomate de Cannes before a huge showdown (and payday!) with Oscar De La Hoya. But Arliss needs to act fast when he sees that Ivory is in no condition to box after a fight with his wife.

  • S04E06 The Changing of the Guard

    • July 11, 1999
    • HBO

    Arliss gets fogged in while in Kansas City negotiating shortstop client Rico Rosa's contract with team owner Helga Krupp. Helga's an un-P.C. penny-pincher, making her an easy target for just about everyone. Meanwhile, the AMM bowling team is relieved that Arliss, the weak link on the squad, is AWOL.

  • S04E07 You Gotta Love This Game

    • July 18, 1999
    • HBO

    The NBA lockout allows Arliss the opportunity to focus on the other aspects of sports representation, particularly his female clients. At Rita's urging they take on WNBA player Terry Shaw. Terry is unlike anyone AMM has ever represented, creating a newly found awareness and appreciation of women's sports.

  • S04E08 To Thine Own Self Be True

    • July 25, 1999
    • HBO

    When The Korean government insists that AMM client, pitcher and native son Ja Ahn Kim serve in the Korean military, Arliss' deal-making expertise is put to the test. Meanwhile, AMM client and hockey enforcer Doug Hager is banned from the NHL and seeks a new career in professional wrestling.

  • S04E09 The Cult of Celebrity

    • August 1, 1999
    • HBO

    Cooter McCoy is world-renowned for playing before huge crowds. But the country singing sensation wants to play baseball, not music, and seeks Arliss' assistance. Meanwhile, Rita and Kirby try to help Stanley find the woman of his dreams.

  • S04E10 D-Day

    • August 8, 1999
    • HBO

    Rap-master extraordinaire T-Bagg enters the arena of sports agency, and a few AMM clients jump ship. And, with Arliss bedredden with chicken pox, it's up to Kirby and Stanley to make things happen at the NFL Draft.

  • S04E11 The Art of Give and Take

    • August 15, 1999
    • HBO

    Arliss uses money from his foundation to buy off a bad childhood memory.

  • S04E12 Rules of the Game

    • August 22, 1999
    • HBO

    Feeling long in the tooth, Arliss gets a makeover, hoping to turn back the clock. Rita dates rival agent Justin Sturgess and Stanley is asked to join a prestigious country club.

Season 5

  • S05E01 Creatures of Habit

    • June 4, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss buys a rare piece of memorabilia, and sends a client to a hypnotist to help him quit chewing tobacco. When treatment appears to work, Arliss sends Kirby there to quit gambling. Meanwhile, Rita tries to keep an LPGA client from falling off the wagon.

  • S05E02 Making Things Happen

    • June 11, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss learns that a good friend and client, who is about to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, is being charged with domestic abuse. Meanwhile, Rita's activist friend sides with the client's wife.

  • S05E03 I Get Involved

    • June 18, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss has to walk the fence when two clients, both teammates, are dating the same girl. Rita plays Cyrano for one of the clients, and a TV reporter shows up to do a ""Where Are They Now?"" segment on Kirby.

  • S05E04 Comings and Goings

    • June 25, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss must help a client bury his mother. Meanwhile, Stanley's having a run of bad luck that threatens his chess game, so he goes looking for a ""slumpbuster."" And Kirby comes face-to-face with his own slumpbuster from 18 years ago, and must face the consequences.

  • S05E05 It's Who You Know

    • July 9, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss tries to talk the ""pot dealer to the NBA"" out of retiring by offering to get his kid into a fancy private school. Meanwhile, Rita plays a relationship with a physical trainer by ""The Rules.""

  • S05E06 The Value of Honesty

    • July 16, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss has an affair with a WNBA coach, but his client (also the coach's star player) wants her fired. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of a wild birthday celebration, Kirby and Rita suspect they may have ""done it.""

  • S05E07 The Sum of the Parts

    • July 23, 2000
    • HBO

    A baseball client needs a kidney, and Arliss tries to convince the player's minor-league brother to donate his. Meanwhile, a soccer client scores a goal for the opposing team, causing him to take refuge at Rita's apartment while Kirby goes into hiding.

  • S05E08 Honoring Our Past

    • July 30, 2000
    • HBO

    When one of his boxing clients enlists in the Army, Arliss tries to figure out a way to get him out. Meanwhile, Stanley and a native-American tribal chief attempt to get a football team to change its ""offensive"" mascot.

  • S05E09 When Opportunity Knocks

    • August 6, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss, Rita and Stanley must deal with Kirby's absence when he leaves the agency to join a fledgling football league run by a flashy TV producer.

  • S05E10 Last Call

    • August 13, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss tries to get a dotcom millionaire team owner to re-sign an aging broadcaster who may be losing his touch. Rita ghostwrites a column for Arliss, and Kirby helps discipline Stanley's unruly dog.

  • S05E11 A Breed Apart

    • August 20, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss pursues popular mascot Reggie the Rooster, using a fundraiser Stanley has organized for another mascot, who was injured in the line of duty. Rita takes up boxing after a series of obscene phone calls.

  • S05E12 Where There's a Will

    • August 27, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss is named executor of a superstar jockey's will, which leaves everything to his wife - but he had two wives. Kirby discovers that his former coach is now homeless.

  • S05E13 You Can Pick Your Friends...

    • September 3, 2000
    • HBO

    Arliss' ne'er-do-well brother Archie uses his name to further a scam. Kirby and Stanley plot their own scam on a stadium concession millionaire. Stanley purposely swallows a ring that turned up in a burger.

Season 6

  • S06E01 Setting Precedents

    • June 10, 2001
    • HBO

    Arliss deals with the domestic problems of a female tennis superstar. Kirby helps a basketball client graduate from college.

  • S06E02 Fielding Offers

    • June 17, 2001
    • HBO

    Arliss treks to Canada in an effort to steal a hockey team; Rita uses alternative medicine in her war against age.

  • S06E03 You Are Your Priorities

    • June 24, 2001
    • HBO

    Arliss treks to Canada in an effort to steal a hockey team; Rita uses alternative medicine in her war against age.

  • S06E04 A Question of Character

    • July 1, 2001
    • HBO

    While Stanley and Kirby consider investing in the rodeo business, Arliss re-kindles an old flame.

  • S06E05 The Price of their Toys

    • July 8, 2001
    • HBO

    Arliss tries to get a husband-and-wife broadcasting team their own show; Kirby deals with a spoiled clients's new ""hobbies.""

  • S06E06 Like No Business I Know

    • July 15, 2001
    • HBO

    Arliss seeks revenge on a baseball manager who embarrasses him; an actor studies Kirby as research for a movie role.

  • S06E07 Of Cabbages and Kings

    • July 22, 2001
    • HBO

    Kirby reps a mercurial college basketball coach; Arliss is frustrated trying to sell beachfront property.

  • S06E08 As Others See Us

    • July 29, 2001
    • HBO

    While Rita is visiting her family, Kirby and Stanley prepare Arliss' ""surprise roast.""

  • S06E09 Giving Something Back

    • August 5, 2001
    • HBO

    A female pro-golf client conceals a dark secret; Kirby gets hold of a piece of rare memorabilia.

  • S06E10 Hard Choices

    • August 12, 2001
    • HBO

    Arliss faces his first year in the red, while Kirby deals with his model girlfriend.

Season 7

  • S07E01 The Immortal

    • June 16, 2002
    • HBO

    Arliss deals with a revered baseball legend and his namesake daughter. Stanley escorts a boxer to his HBO debut.

  • S07E02 What You See Is What You Get

    • June 23, 2002
    • HBO

    Rita manages a client's political passion, while Arliss helps a team member find her passion. Stanley's new car gets dinged

  • S07E03 In with the New

    • June 30, 2002
    • HBO

    Arliss works to make an NBA client's dream come true, while Stanley mentors a student project.

  • S07E04 There's No I in Team

    • July 7, 2002
    • HBO

    Arliss hires a protégé, to the dismay of Kirby. Rita is attracted to the chef at Stanley's new restaurant.

  • S07E05 Playing It Safe

    • July 21, 2002
    • HBO

    Arliss tries to realize his gold record dreams while helping a baseball player through a tough decision.

  • S07E06 Moments to Remember

    • July 28, 2002
    • HBO

    Kirby dates a female body builder, while Arliss motivates a traumatized NFL client.

  • S07E07 It's All in the Game

    • August 4, 2002
    • HBO

    Arliss and Kirby support an ex-client's political rise while Rita seeks a spokesmodel for a specialty clothing item.

  • S07E08 Standards and Practices

    • August 11, 2002
    • HBO

    Stanley advises his sought-after football-star nephew on choosing the right college, while Arliss helps a female football reporter negotiate with network executives who see her as too old for the job.

  • S07E09 End Game

    • August 18, 2002
    • HBO

    Arliss and Stanley try to persuade a reclusive former chess champion to get back into the game, and Rita is wooed by a former lover.

  • S07E10 Profiles in Agenting

    • September 1, 2002
    • HBO

    Stanley and Kirby try to persuade boxer Roy Jones Jr. to endorse an innovative cooking product, while Arliss is smitten with Rita's sports photographer friend.

  • S07E11 All That Glitters

    • September 8, 2002
    • HBO

    Stunned by the sudden death of a good friend, Arliss goes off on a road trip of soul searching, leaving Rita, Kirby and Stanley to manage AMM on their own.