# What do you think of "Sliders"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 8, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053 "2006-01-08T22:17:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 19\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/1 "2006-01-08T22:17:06Z")

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I just found out that [_Sliders_](http://imdb.com/title/tt0112167/) exists, and at first glance it looks like a show I’d absolutely love. Have you seen it? What did you think? Is it true that the quality sharply drops after two seasons?

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**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/2 "2006-01-08T22:20:13Z")

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I really enjoyed this when it first came out. And yeah, the quality drops sharply after two seasons. The writers seemed to change or run out of decent ideas. Too bad, because to me the premise offered alot of possibilities.

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**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/3 "2006-01-08T22:27:52Z")

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Great show in the early seasons. The quality dropped sharply once it landed on the Sci-Fi channel. And it became all but unwatchable once Jerry O’Connell left.

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/4 "2006-01-08T22:30:37Z")

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> [@Kolak of Twilo](#):
>
> I really enjoyed this when it first came out. And yeah, the quality drops sharply after two seasons. The writers seemed to change or run out of decent ideas. Too bad, because to me the premise offered alot of possibilities.

I agree. The first season, they experimented with cool alternate-history scenarios. And then it degenerated into plots based on not-so-good SF movies, with the alternative society reduced to a mere backdrop.

The writers were often sloppy with their history, too. I recall one where they land in an alternative San Francisco where the world’s dominant culture is derived from ancient Egypt (and yet everybody speaks English . . .\*):  
PROFESSOR ARTURO: In our world, Egyptian supremacy was ended by Alexander the Great. Perhaps in this world he was Alexander the Not-So-Great.  
:rolleyes: FTR, in Alexander’s time (he was king of Macedon 336-323 B.C.), Egypt was already a conquered province of the Persian Empire, and had been since 525 B.C. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History\_of\_ancient\_Egypt#Late\_Period](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_ancient_Egypt#Late_Period)

This really galls me because I **love** AH and I hate to see it done wrong. (See [http://www.uchronia.net/.)](http://www.uchronia.net/.))

\*That’s another thing. No matter where the Sliders go, they never encounter any language barrier. They never even seem to have any trouble finding and paying for a hotel room and a dinner. I guess every timeline takes Visa.

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/5 "2006-01-08T22:40:18Z")

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The death knell was its journey into the Sci-Fi Channel. It didn’t help that Jerry hired his negatively-talented brother, either.

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**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/6 "2006-01-08T22:40:48Z")

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More agreement with the general concensus of the others.

Although I liked the season that adapted various movies and novels, you can generally guess how good an episode’s going to be by how much of the original cast is still around.

Once Kari Wuhrer came in and Sabrina Lloyd and John Rhys-Davies left, it got pretty uneven - generally inferior to the earlier seasons, but still, mostly, watchable (Particularly Wuhrer’s first few episodes weren’t too bad - if Roger Daltry’s in it, it’s a fun episode.).

Once Charlie O’Connel came in, it began to hurt, but there were still a few good episodes.

Once Jerry O’Connel left, it became unwatchable.

The word ‘Kromagg’ is also a bad sign - honestly, the introduction of the Kromaggs began the slide into badness. (Pardon the pun.)

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**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/7 "2006-01-08T22:46:06Z")

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> [@Tengu](#):
>
> The word ‘Kromagg’ is also a bad sign - honestly, the introduction of the Kromaggs began the slide into badness. (Pardon the pun.)

I was trying to remember what those things were called. I will second this. If they mention Kromaggs change the channel.

Quickly.

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**Author:** ![Analogue\_Skywalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Analogue\_Skywalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Analogue_Skywalker)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/8 "2006-01-08T22:47:48Z")

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> [@Tengu](#):
>
> The word ‘Kromagg’ is also a bad sign - honestly, the introduction of the Kromaggs began the slide into badness. (Pardon the pun.)

ooooh yea, you are right, but it wasn’t the introduction of the Kromagg’s it was the introduction of earth prime’s fight against the kromagg’s. esp. the slide cage

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/9 "2006-01-08T22:49:26Z")

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I disliked it from the beginning, and grew to detest it by about five episodes. It was one of the least imaginative science fiction shows ever, especially bad because the concept was excellent.

I gave up when they ripped off Shirley Jackson; my daughter, who was nine (and thus the average age they were going for) gave up with the idiotic “rusty gate” episode.

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**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/10 "2006-01-08T23:00:42Z")

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I enjoyed it in the beginning… but when the characters started to get replaced, it lost me. Sabrina Lloyd and John Rhys-Davis’ leaving the show really started to drag it down. I saw a few of them with Kari Wurhur, but it was not the same.

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/11 "2006-01-08T23:02:44Z")

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> [@ISiddiqui](#):
>
> I saw a few of them with Kari Wurhur, but it was not the same.

I agree . . . even though I like to think of her as Kari RRR-UUUHHHRRR! 😉

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**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/12 "2006-01-08T23:05:59Z")

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One thing about the final season that I really liked is that they finally gained the ability to figure out what the difference was between the world they were on and the world they would be sliding to. They could at least do a little planning instead of wandering blindly through the multiverse.

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**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/13 "2006-01-09T03:01:18Z")

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> [@Analogue Skywalker](#):
>
> ooooh yea, you are right, but it wasn’t the introduction of the Kromagg’s it was the introduction of earth prime’s fight against the kromagg’s. esp. the slide cage

No. The Cromag’s first ep. was a one shot deal with the original cast. They didn’t come back until after the Professor was gone and Kari joined the cast. And even then, it was several eps before the slidecage one.

Altough most of the ones on the sci-fi channel sucked ass, there is one with a western theme which is good. It’s a lot lighter than other eps, and has some good humor.

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**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/14 "2006-01-09T08:59:16Z")

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I never saw an episode that was better than the low end of mediocre, personally. Most of them sucked.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/15 "2006-01-09T11:08:24Z")

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It is an interesting concept, put to agonising death by the implementation (at least that’s my opinion of the first series which was aired here a number of years ago); the corny science I could have forgiven, perhaps even the per-episode deus-ex-machina, but the plot-explication-by-dialogue, I will not.

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**Author:** ![CROdell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ea924/32.png) [@CROdell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CROdell)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/16 "2006-01-09T15:18:55Z")

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I only saw the first few episodes and thought it generally uninspired; the only episode I remember liking was the one where they went to a universe where the Jerry O’Connell character was a star in a handball/quiz bowl hybrid. (And I’m a former quiz bowler, so even that tepid recommendation should be taken with a grain of salt.) Also Sabrina Lloyd was kinda cute.

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**Author:** ![ddgryphon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8c91f0/32.png) [@ddgryphon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ddgryphon)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/17 "2006-01-09T15:27:27Z")

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> [@Amp](#):
>
> Great show in the early seasons. The quality dropped sharply once it landed on the Sci-Fi channel. And it became all but unwatchable once Jerry O’Connell left.

I’ll agree with this statement. Not much more to add – it’s brain candy, fun but not deep.

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**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/18 "2006-01-09T16:09:02Z")

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> [@BrainGlutton](#):
>
> \*That’s another thing. No matter where the Sliders go, they never encounter any language barrier. They never even seem to have any trouble finding and paying for a hotel room and a dinner. I guess every timeline takes Visa.

Not only that, but Visas from another dimension. It would have been funny if they had tried to pay for a room and the guy at the desk says “What are you trying to pull? VISA? What kind of card is that? Now if you have a VISSA, we can do business”

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**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-sliders/339053/19 "2006-01-09T16:54:57Z")

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> [@HPL](#):
>
> Not only that, but Visas from another dimension. It would have been funny if they had tried to pay for a room and the guy at the desk says “What are you trying to pull? VISA? What kind of card is that? Now if you have a VISSA, we can do business”

That was exactly what was wrong with they show: they never considered things like that. All the worlds were exactly like ours except of one little twist.

I kept hoping they’d go to a version of Earth where there was an atmosphere with no oxygen.
