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| Available at Amazon.com |
Season Four of Sliders was a season of many changes, most obvious of which was the switch from FOX to the Sci-Fi Channel (ostensibly for). In addition, series creator Tracy Torme had left the show. Sabrina Lloyd left the show in part due to the shenanigans of the previous season (John Rhys-Davies was fired in a not-so-distinguished manner) and ended up being replaced by Charlie O’Connell – future Bachelor and consistent no-talent nepotism beneficiary (it’s shocking that he didn’t appear in Carpoolers).
Story-wise, we saw a return to stories more indicative of the first two seasons, with worlds that were different based on a divergence of a historical event. Maggie became a more well-rounded character (instead of just a bitch), and a continuing story was created involving the Kromaggs – alternate humanoids who had also developed sliding technology. The Kromagg plotline seemed to work because while it was a continuing thread throughout the season, it tended not to overshadow the story of the day which is good if you weren’t a regular follower of the series – but it rewarded those who were. For example, if you jumped into things during the last few seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or seemingly any point on Babylon 5, you may have felt overwhelmed because there were so many things going on that you didn’t understand and perhaps NEEDED to understand in the series.
Despite the issues that happened offscreen, season four felt more focused than season three, and Colin was thankfully treated more like a supporting character than a lead cast member. I felt that Wuhrer was allowed to show her acting chops a bit more (yeah, she can actually act), and certainly Derricks and Jerry O’Connell were still doing a good job with their characters.
It’s worth mentioning at this point that there are no extras whatsoever in this set. It would’ve been good to have some commentaries or something here, but for that you should check out the Sliders fan sites out there on the web.
Episodes
- “Genesis”
- “Prophets and Loss”
- “Common Ground”
- “Virtual Slide”
- “World Killer”
- “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou”
- “Just Say Yes”
- “The Alternateville Horror”
- “Slidecage”
- “Asylum”
- “California Reich”
- “The Dying Fields”
- “Lipschitz Live”
- “Mother and Child”
- “Net Worth”
- “Slide by Wire”
- “Data World”
- “Way Out West”
- “My Brother’s Keeper”
- “The Chasm”
- “Roads Taken”
- “Revelations”
Audio and video look good for a late ’90s show, but show it’s age on a flatscreen – it’s simply not as sharp as you’d hope for.. Video was shot for 4:3 televisions so stretching this one out on your flatscreen is not recommended.
This is as bare bones as it gets. There weren’t that many extras to begin with on the Sliders DVDs, but there’s nothing here.
Once I popped in a disc, I found it pretty easy to get back into Sliders, and I think that speaks volumes about either a) the writing on the show, or b) my fanboyishness about the show. I’m still not sure which. The lack of extras is very disappointing, and in my mind, for a cult show that’s almost unforgivable.
If you were a fan, you’ve probably already gotten this set and bitched about the lack of extras. If you’re not a fan I’d put the series on your rent pile and watch it – you might like what you see here.
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Universal Studios presents Sliders: The Fourth Season. Starring Jerry O’Connell, Cleavant Derricks, Kari Wuhrer and Charlie O’Connell. Not Rated. Running time: 992 minutes. Available on DVD: March 25, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.
About Kevin Wong
