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Robert Wuhl: The Storyteller

Mervyn Rothstein
From the Print Edition:
Air Sick, Jul/Aug 02

The show has just seven writers, including Wuhl, although he refuses to take a writer's credit. A minimum of 11 episodes have been scheduled for the new season.

Once shooting begins, a typical weekday finds Wuhl up at 5 a.m., being picked up at 6 and getting to the set by 6:30. We're shooting till about 8 or 9 p.m., he says. Every off second I have I'm either working with writers or in the editing room. I get home about 10 p.m., and I watch the dailies from the day before till about 11:30, making notes on every take, every word, so I'm prepared when I go into the editing room. Then I go to bed, say hi to my wife, say goodbye to my wife, and then I'm up at 5. That's Monday through Friday. On Saturday I edit from about 9 to 6, and on Sunday I'm usually with the writers doing a rewrite on an upcoming episode.

Production continues until about the end of June or early July, followed by post-production, editing and mixing and everything else, until late August or Labor Day, pretty much until two or three weeks before the broadcast season ends.

Wuhl is of course thrilled with the series' success, but he is quick to share credit with many: HBO, for allowing the show such freedom; the writers and co-producers; and fellow cast members Sandra Oh (who plays Rita, his assistant), Jim Turner (Kirby, his junior partner) and Michael Boatman (Stanley, his financial officer).

In the two months or so he has off each year before script work begins again, Wuhl and his wife, Barbara-they've been married 19 years-leave their Westwood, California, home and spend time in their New York apartment or abroad, often in Paris. They have no children, but we do have a dog, who lives very well, and travels everywhere with us. My dog has been to Paris five times.

Wuhl knows that Arli$$, like all TV shows, eventually will end. Each year, in fact, is a cliffhanger. Unlike many of Arliss's clients, with their multimillion-dollar, multiyear deals, the show has never had a long-term contract. There have been only one-year agreements, and part of each fall is hostage to the suspense and uncertainty of waiting for the HBO referees' decision on the series' future.

It's excruciating, he says. I've always thought every year is the last year. And of course, one year it will be.

But Wuhl says he knows for certain what he wants to do next. I want to continue telling stories, he says. And smoking good cigars.

Mervyn Rothstein is an editor for The New York Times.

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