In another they arrive in a place where intelligent people are superstars sponsored by Nike, and great athletes struggle to make a living.Ī number of episodes tackle social issues. In one episode the Sliders visit an Earth where Britain won the Revolutionary War. Other times, differences are significant. Sometimes differences between Earths are subtle, like the Golden Gate Bridge being blue and called the Azure Gate Bridge instead. In this universe it’s always the present day, but travel is between parallel universes, which allows for some truly unique experiences.
Prior to Sliders, there had been several films and TV series that had moved backward or forward in time, but rarely was the idea of time travel viewed as a tunnel that moved sideways. Meanwhile, the group must deal with some of the most clever and thought-provoking situations ever conceived in a sci-fi TV series. The quartet, who call themselves Sliders because they slide through portals into different dimensions, don’t have the coordinates to their version of Earth (“Earth Prime”), so they have to keep sliding until they find home. Rembrandt Brown, played by Tony winner Cleavant Derricks, is a singer looking to rejuvenate his flagging career when he’s inadvertently caught in a portal Mallory overamplifies. Rounding out the gang, Sabrina Lloyd portrays Wade Wells, Quinn’s longtime friend and will-they-or-won’t-they love interest. Of note, show creators Bob Weiss and Tracy Torme (the son of legendary crooner Mel Torme) considered Hector Elizondo, David Ogden Stiers, Ricardo Montalban, and James Coburn for the role before offering it to Rhys-Davies. A handsome boy-next-door that’s naturally likable and slightly goofy is an O’Connell staple and made him a perfect choice for Mallory, a hyper intelligent graduate student who creates a device that can open portals to alternate Earths.Ĭo-starring with O’Connell is veteran actor John Rhys-Davies ( The Lord of the Rings trilogy) as professor Maximillian Arturo, Mallory’s perpetually grouchy, yet endearing mentor. While O’Connell would go on to have other memorable roles, the character of Quinn Mallory would be an archetype he’d play for the rest of his career. Back in 1995 the future Bravo superfan and new co-host of The Talk was primarily known as the husky kid from Stand By Me, and for the cult TV series My Secret Identity. The first season of Sliders stars a then 20-year-old Jerry O’Connell, aka Mr. The San Francisco-set series lasted five seasons (the final two of which aired on Sci Fi) and is currently available for streaming on Peacock. However, few have done it better than Sliders, which debuted in 1995 on FOX. Long before Loki fans watched Tom Hiddleston traipse through multiple dimensions while meeting horn-helmeted alligators, there were a plethora of other TV series that used the concept of multiverses. Although it may seem like it, the idea of a multiverse wasn’t created by Marvel.