Sliders - Remember it?

Leo euler · Jan 18, 2005

Myself, I just say American because it would be awkward to say, "United Statesian".

I liked Sliders, but the episodes could range from absolutely pathetic to pretty good. One horrible episode I remember is the one where tornadoes run rampant or something, and people have to hide in caves. I remember watching that episode but being unable to pay attention because it was so bad. I don't even remember the details or what happened, and I stopped watching before it ended. A couple of good episodes were the one where they go to the Earth that's slightly more advanced than ours, and is using sliding to try to exploit resources from other Earths. I also liked the episode with Chris Elliot where people on death row are eliminated in a game show like in "The Running Man."

I also liked the characters. The first cast was the best, and I was angry when they changed it. They just did so well together.

csa945 · Jan 19, 2005

Leo euler said:
One horrible episode I remember is the one where tornadoes run rampant or something, and people have to hide in caves. I remember watching that episode but being unable to pay attention because it was so bad. I don't even remember the details or what happened, and I stopped watching before it ended.

Yeah, I remember that one. There was some secret gov't experiment gone awry -- trying to make some kind of electric tornadoes as a weapon or something like that, and everyone lived like Amish (no technology, because it would pull the tornadoes over some special kinds of rocks -- lithium?) and the person in charge was actually the scientist who released them. It was pretty stupid.

Tyr · Jan 20, 2005

Matt Quinn said:
A lot of the AH didn't extrapolate much from the PODs--didn't they go to an US-Loses-Revolutionary-War TL where the British Army still ran around in red uniforms and didn't have modern guns, even though it was the present-day of that TL?

I thought everything was modern on that one to the point of stupidty. Everything was exactly the same except for a few British flags, post boxes and other traditional British things (which were developed after the American revolution IOTL).

I liked Sliders, it sucks how it stopped without a definate ending. It did eb at times with lots of stupidity though it was generally good.

For the sci fi channel- what on earth did they do to it?
They only picked it up long after it had finished and showed repeats.

Scarecrow · Jan 20, 2005

ok this is all that i can remember from the shows.

one where all the oil was under california, and they went to a fire world just before.

one where a guy had also invedted the Sliders thng, but it sucked everyone except him into another world

one where a ultra-conservative religion with something called the oracle is inpower

one where there was less water.

a 'green' world

one where california was part of texas

one where it was 10 years behind us

one where there was no industrial revolution

one many years tech ahead of us

a dinosaur world, and a truth world

thats all ican remeber

robertp6165 · Jan 20, 2005

Leej said:
For the sci fi channel- what on earth did they do to it?
They only picked it up long after it had finished and showed repeats.

Actually, the Sci Fi channel picked it up after it was cancelled on regular network TV and produced a couple of seasons of shows on it's own. But the original cast began leaving, one by one...first Maximillian Arturo died, then Wade got captured by the Kromags, then the original Quinn was fused with his alternate on another world and played by a different actor for the final season. Along the way they added new actors/actresses...Maggie, Collin (Quinn's brother) and of course the new Quinn. By the end the only original character still on the show and being played by the same actor was Rembrandt Brown...all the others were just gone and replaced. It was pretty sad...once Max and Wade especially were gone, the show really started to go downhill. The final season was just BAD...no other way to describe it.

Leo euler · Jan 20, 2005

So I guess by the end of the show, there really was a reason for the Cryin' Man to cry.

the_lyniezian · Sep 13, 2006

Sliders used to be one of my favourite shows as a kid (I'm 21 now). Personally I've not seen much of it long after the Kromaggs appeared on the scene as I think BBC2 dropped it not long after (don't quite remember), and I know it was kicking around either on Sci-Fi or Sky One where I did watch a couple of later episodes, but I lost track. Yes I agree it was silly especially the British one (since when do we still have sheriffs over here?) although I still seem to remember (modern) BT phone boxes being in it-a nice touch showing that the Yanks give some concessions to modern Britain and didn't merely opt for the old red phone boxes. And the Q virus episode- since when did penecllin cure viruses? It's an antibiotic not an antiviral.

But hey, it was good fun, and has inspired a number of fictional ideas which never made it out of my head. But may do in the late future.

Highlander · Sep 13, 2006

This show rocked my socks. I've seen people build replicas of the "Timer" they used - actually count down and everything. Always wanted to try it, but didn't know anything about electronics.

Keenir · Sep 13, 2006

Leej said:
Everything was exactly the same except for a few British flags, post boxes and other traditional British things (which were developed after the American revolution IOTL).

But that one had the best character development.

Her Imperial Highness Queen-(Consort) Wade.

Fire God · Sep 13, 2006

I watched some episodes when I had the time, luckily most of them were AH oriented, not with those Kromaggs in the later seasons.

Some episodes I can remember:

The Communist US
Allies lose Battle of the Coral Sea making Australia the TL's Vietnam War
Tabloid news more important that the US war agaisnt Switzerland
No penicillin TL
People have more ESP
The big quake hit California early on, resulting in more off coast islands

Akiyama · Sep 13, 2006

zoomar said:
Yeah, that was kind of my take as well. Or everything looked exactly the same as today even though we were still a British Colony. AH does on the vine without imagination and realistically realized settings. It failed miserably and I don't miss it.

Not everything looked the same. IIRC San Francisco looked exactly the same *except* it had red telephone boxes and red double-decker buses.

I enjoyed the first series of Sliders and some of the second series. The initial characters were good, and many of the early AH concepts were good. But I was always left feeling each episode could have been a lot better.

My favourite episodes: the world where geekishness is cool and scientists and strategy gamers are celebrities; the world with the backwards lottery - you get paid for taking lottery tickets, but if you win, you die! The world where most of the men had died out (as a result of a biological weapon used by Iraq, natch!); the world with the enormous prison.

There is a guide to all the worlds the sliders visited here. I guess I must have missed the episode with "Nude World".

Readman · Sep 14, 2006

Sliders was indeed a good show. I watched it quite a bit back in the day, but you're right towards the end in kinds dropped off