SLIDERS..overall?

[RobertScorpio]

I have never seen Sliders until two weeks ago when it was offered on NETFLIX streaming. My son and I are enjoying what we are seeing. Its a predictable formula already (somewhat like Stargate became) but it is still fun to watch them go to these other Earths and meet their counterparts and encounter different Earths....

For those of you who watched this show, what would you give it on an overall scale?

Rob
Scorpio

 

[FordSVT]

I have a problem with the voting. I'd rate the first season a solid B as far as cable-sci fi goes, totally watchable with enjoyable characters and interesting situations/worlds.

The show just got progressively worse, and I hated the Cromag arc after the first couple of stories. By the end it was a D or an F and I couldn't bother to watch.

 

[Starbreaker]

There are some real gems in the series, but a large majority of episodes are cringe inducing.

 

[backstept]

I liked the show
the whole formula with the new and different earths was really cool
at first I didn't realize that Cleavant Derricks has an identical twin, so when the two Rembrandt Browns were interacting I couldn't figure it out at first
I also liked how Quinn's brother was played by Jerry's real brother Charlie
in fact they've played brothers several times

one thing that annoyed me was the timer, and how it inexplicably changed between seasons from one of those old motorola phones to various remote controls

 

[Admiral2]

Between D-F, leaning toward D.

 

[Neroon]

Rob, try using the Search utility a bit more, and you'll find a few other recent Sliders-oriented threads where you could have posted this.

 

[Timby]

Thread re-opened. Enjoy and discuss, all you Sliders fanatics.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Between D-F, leaning toward D.

we're watching it in order. And, so far, we like it (mid way in season 1.) But I have read that eventually the behind the scenes drama gets to be too much and some of the cast quits..but so far so good. Formulatic, I think. But no more than SG1 was at the start. In fact, it reminds me of Stargate, in the way the storys are told...

Rob

 

[Harvey]

I gave it a C, but Sliders is such a wildly inconsistant show that it's hard to nail down a letter grade for all of it. The first season is the best of the lot. I'd rate it as a B+ or higher. The second season is a step down, but still a B or a B-. The third season is a very mixed bag, combining an okay first half (B-) with a terrible second half (F). I haven't even bothered with the final two seasons. No need.

 

[Data Holmes]

Rob, try using the Search utility a bit more, and you'll find a few other recent Sliders-oriented threads where you could have posted this.

That is an odd decision on Neroon part...


Not a sliders fan?

 

[P0sitr0nic]

Season 1-3 was fine. After that, not so much.

Spoiler: SPOILER

The Oconnels leaving the show ruined it for me.

 

[TemporalFlux]

Thread re-opened. Enjoy and discuss, all you Sliders fanatics.

Thanks for re-opening the thread; I really do appreciate it.

As for Sliders, I've found my opinion has matured over time; and I would probably rank the series as follows:

Season 1 - A (100%)
Season 2 - B+ (92%)
Season 3 - C (80%) (due to a horrible final quarter)
Season 4 - C (83%)
Season 5 - D (76%)

On my old high school grading scale, that averages out to an 86% which was a B-.

I believe the gradual decline was caused by the same reasons you would find in school; the class average suffers as the class makeup changes.

Season 1 was the creators, and I view Tracy Torme' and Bob Weiss in much the same light as I do Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Both are great in their own right, but you saw some real magic when the two were together. Season 1 was fresh and sharp, and the cliche's that did pop up didn't glare as much to me because you could tell the people involved really cared and were having fun. One of the things that always sticks out in my mind is an old Bob Weiss interview where he recalled how he had constructed a rule book for the "Mindgame" sport in the episode "Eggheads"; he even had the production staff out in the parking lot playing the game to make sure it all worked right. When you've got people putting that kind of love into a show, it's going to shine through.

As the years went on, the team just fell apart. In Season 2, Bob wasn't as involved in the show (his partners Belzberg and Landis had stepped away altogether), and Fox was also complicating things through more proactive meddling. In Season 3, Fox tightened its grip, and Torme' stepped away never to return. In Season 4, Marc Scott Zicree gave a good effort, but by the middle of the season he was being shut out. And by Season 5...well, it was obvious to even me that most of these people were just showing up to collect a pay check.

Sliders is really an excellent case study in what can go right and what can go wrong with a show. It's just such an exaggerated and over the top version of what happens in production that it's easy to highlight and see the things that make or break a television show. Of course, that's just my opinion.

 

[Mr Light]

If we're averaging all the seasons together I'd have to go with a D. Good first season, so-so second season, the rest... *shudder*!

 

[RobertScorpio]

If we're averaging all the seasons together I'd have to go with a D. Good first season, so-so second season, the rest... *shudder*!

Damn..do I even want to see this train wreck coming my way???

Rob

 

[auntiehill]

If averaging the seasons, I'd have to vote C, although I'm leaning towards the C+/B- line. Seasons 1 and 2 were both around a A- and B+, and Season 3? Meh, at best a C. After that, it could be anywhere from C- all the way to an F. It really plummeted, which is a shame, because it started with such potential.

Frankly, once Arturo left, the bloom was off the rose. His presence made the show special for me. I could put up with the not-so-great episodes because I enjoyed the character so much. When he left (or got fired), I could barely stand to watch, but I hung in there for awhile longer, hoping it might improve.

It didn't.

 

[RandyS]

The show just got progressively worse, and I hated the Cromag arc after the first couple of stories. By the end it was a D or an F and I couldn't bother to watch.

All this plus the unecesary cast changes. The show started out perfectly, no reworking needed, and was destroyed so fast, I still find it remarkable.

 

[Bacl]

First season was excellent, then when they changed the showrunners off the show, it went to shit.

 

[TemporalFlux]

Damn..do I even want to see this train wreck coming my way???

My honest assessment would be that it falls off the cliff after "Slide Like an Egyptian" (episode 14 of season three). That's, of course, up for debate. For instance, John Rhys-Davies (Professor Arturo) believes that the series fell of a cliff with "Dragonslide" (episode 7 of season three). I can understand JRD's reasoning for that choice, but I think it cuts out a couple of good episodes if we view "Dragonslide" as the line in the sand.

In retrospect, Sliders changed for me around that mid-point in the series because I started trying to find something good in the show instead of just enjoying a good show. Of course, I had a different kind of fun playing story mechanic during those later seasons; but that's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

It's one show I really haven't thought about it since it was on. First season was good, and slowly went down hill from there. Lost interest I think during the third season.

 

[Mistral]

If we're averaging all the seasons together I'd have to go with a D. Good first season, so-so second season, the rest... *shudder*!

Damn..do I even want to see this train wreck coming my way???

Rob

It wasn't a train wreck-it was a series that was totally re-invented midstream. That's it's biggest flaw-they tried to change the course of the river while the water was flowing. I liked it enough to ride it out to the end-some of the final season pushed past suspension of belief to 'take belief, wad it up and shove it in the trash under the empty milk container", if you know what I mean.