From the first day that “Sliders” aired back in 1995, I considered myself a fan. Not a “goes to conventions/joins fan clubs” kind of fan, just a guy who enjoyed the show enough to keep tuning in. I watched the show pretty regularly through the first two seasons finding them to be very entertaining, thanks in part to the imaginative plot lines and the charismatic cast. “Sliders” starred Jerry O’Connell (who shocked me early on when I learned he was Vern Tessio in “Stand By Me”) as Jimmy Neutr… I mean Quinn Mallory, boy genius. While working in his basement, Mallory invents a device that is able to open portals to other dimensions. The dimensions offer up alternate versions of Earth. When he invites his teacher, Professor Maximilian Arturo (John Rhys-Davies) and friend Wade (Sabrina Lloyd) to see the device, he accidentally sends them all into one of the parallel worlds. Due to the device’s increased power, he also pulls passerby Rembrandt Brown (Cleavant Derricks) along for the ride.

My first impression of the series was that it was vaguely similar to “Quantum Leap”, in that the characters continue to ‘slide’ from parallel world to parallel world, in the hopes that they might eventually find the way back to their Earth. The first two seasons were made up of only 23 episodes total (which were released in a single set last year by Universal), and of those only a handful were what I considered weak. Most of the plotlines were pretty strong. I especially enjoyed those where our ‘heroes’ found themselves in a worlds where the Soviets controlled Amerika, there was no penicillin and a plague was wiping out the population, there was an asteroid on a collision course with Earth, and even one where they think they really have made it home.

Once the show it it’s third season, it began to… well… ‘slide’ downhill. There were a number of good episodes, and even a couple I consider great, “Soul Survivors” being one of them, but the decline was showing. A lot of the episodes just weren’t as well written as they had been and we began to lose some of the characters that had become so familiar. Both John Rhy-Davies and Sabrina Lloyd left, only to be ‘replaced’ by veteran B-movie actress Kari Wurher (as Maggie Beckett). What chemistry the original cast had, was just never recreated by the newer members. In later seasons, after the series moved to the Sci-Fi channel, O’Connell’s brother Charlie also joined the cast (proving that talent doesn’t always run in the family), and from there it just got worse. As it turns out, even Jerry O’Connell left by the fifth (and final) season. Finally, the show was cancelled.

In spit of the way the series ended up, it still commanded enough of a fan base to warrant some serious consideration to bringing it back in some form. Most, if not all, fans want it back with the entire original cast, the problem there being that none of them are interested in doing it again. This is kind if a shame since the series started off with such a bang and lost it all due to (as I understand it) a lot of creative differences between the cast and crew. If they were ever to reunite, I have no doubt they could rekindle the spark that made “Sliders” such a great series in its beginnings.

Universal is now releasing the third season of “Sliders” in a four disc set (double-sided to hold all 25 episodes) this month. The packaging is similar to the previous release, where the discs looked like they were floating in the case. It’s not exactly the same, but close. The only complaint is that the discs, being double-sided, aren’t clearly marked as to which side is A or B. You really have to look hard.

There are also very few extra features, one of which is a brief gag reel. It’s pretty funny, but that’s about it. The other extra features are bonus episodes from the series “Earth 2” and “Cleopatra 2525”, also being released this month by Universal. (Be on the lookout for those reviews). It’s kind of a strange bonus feature, but I can understand the idea of cross-promotion in order to sell consumers on these other sets. It’s a great idea, especially if there are few extras available for the series in question. At least it’s something.

Universal did a pretty good job with the transfer, as the series looks as good, if not better than it looked on broadcast television. In spite of the decline of the series, which began in this third season, I still can recommend the set to fans of the series. There are enough good episodes in the season to warrant its purchase, and even at its worst, the show is still entertaining.

Episodes:
Rules Of The Game
Double Cross
Electric Twister Acid Test
The Guardian
The Dream Masters
Desert Storm
Dragonslide
The Fire Within
The Prince Of Slides
Dead Man Sliding
State Of The Art
Season's Greedings
Murder Most Foul
Slide Like An Egyptian
Paradise Lost
The Exodus, part one
The Exodus, part two
Sole Survivors
The Breeder
The Last Eden
The Other Slide Of Darkness
Slither
Stoker
This Slide Of Paradise
Dinoslide

Starring: Jerry O’Connell, Cleavant Derricks, John Rhys-Davies, Sabrina Lloyd,
Extras: Gag Reel, Bonus Episode: Cleopatra 2525 "Quest for Firepower", Bonus Episode: Earth 2 The Man Who Fell to Earth (Two)
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 7/19/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Sliders: Season 3 a B-.