SLIDERS

I can not believe I didn’t devote one of last year’s 366 blog posts to the mid 1990’s sci fi series, SLIDERS. Of all the tv shows, binging, you name it, why did I not slide this in? 

Created by Robert K. Weiss and Tracy Torme, SLIDERS follows four travelers as they travel from one parallel to another trying to get home.

While trying to invent an anti-gravity device, Quinn Mallory (Jerry O’Connell) accidentally creates a portal to other dimensions, controlled by a hand held timer. After a test run where he actually experiences a parallel world where red lights mean go, green means stop, and a bill board promoting Elvis “LIVE” in Vegas, Quinn realizes he succeeded in reaching a parallel earth. 

Returning to his earth when the 15 minute timer was up on the device, he invites best friend Wade Wells (Sabrina Lloyd) and his physics professor Maximillian Arturo (John Rhys Davies) to observe the portal in his basement at home. 

They decide to take a journey. But fearing the device might not have enough power for all three, Quinn goes full power, which promotes the portal to suck in them, move outside, and mistakenly absorbs a Cadillac driven by singer Rembrandt Brown (Cleavant Derricks).

All four are plunged into an earth during an ice age. With death imminent, they have to make an emergency jump, disrupting any control over where they go. And so they become unwilling SLIDERS. 

This is a workshop on how to build a good, solid, sci fi series. You start with a concept where there really are no limits, and explore as many as you can.

Then you put together a team of four actors, different sexes, ages, ethnicities, but they have great chemistry together, as they are forced together in a very special bond. The mix and match overlap is wonderful.

Quinn and Wade are each maybe 20, 21 years old. Yet Quinn and Arturo are the brilliant scientists. Arturo and Rembrandt are in their 40’s. While Remy and Wade are the regular, fun loving people who the audience can also relate to easier than the brainiacs. Basically this quartet has something for everyone, and some excellent characterization.

Quinn’s the stand up guy, while Arturo is a kind soul, but has an ego and a short temper. Remy is sometimes the comic relief, but is as brave as they come. Wade’s the heart of the group. Watching these four come together and grow as a close knit group is great. It’s very rare that you can make a group of four leads work so well together.

It’s a very special show and I can’t recommend it enough. Now, the caveats —

Required viewing is Season one, consisting of ten episodes and season two, which is 13 eps. 

Season 3 is where things got dicey. The Fox network started trying to exert more influence on the scripts, and basically, the quality started to plummet. Torme and Weiss departed, and Rhys Davies had absolutely enough of the new scripts in S3, and departed mid season. Most of the original cast had left by the time the show ended with the 5th season, where it had been airing for the past two years on the Syfy channel, shifting there after cancellation from Fox after season 3.

You can watch episodes streaming on Peacock now, and like I say, dive into the first two seasons. Maybe stick around long enough in S3 to watch Arturo’s departure.

AND, while doing a but of research, I found that Torme is currently pitching a reboot of SLIDERS. He’s looking to get the original cast involved as much as possible, which is great. I don’t know if there’s a deal in place, or what the odds are but if Torme is involved, I’m hopeful. 

Actually, if it *doesn’t* work out, you know, Doctor Who IS looking for a showrunner….

Just sayin’…..