Sliders - Finally on DVD...

[McGuit]

Just picked up my copy yesterday and brought it to its new home.
Tore open the shrink and devoured 4 episodes in a row.

Wonderful! Truly one of my TV viewing guilty pleasures. For those of you that are Sliders fans you know exactly what I mean. For those of you that have never seen the series, you might want to consider at least renting the first couple of discs when you get the chance. Yes, you can write to me and thank me later.

Some people have compared it to "Quantam Leap" and I agree they both appear to be similar on the surface. But, for my money, "Sliders" is heads and shoulders above that other series.

It is great getting the first 2 seasons at once since they really are the cream of the series. Starting with season 3, the show really started to go downhill.

Not sure how I feel about the packaging yet. It is so bizzare but I guess I will live with it. After all, what can I do about it? (It is kind of cool to see the discs float in the air like that, but question is how will it stand up to being archived long term.)

I'm thrilled that so many great TV shows are finally making it out on DVD. Now if you will excuse me... my timer is up.

McGuit

[Brikar99]

The reason "Sliders" is often compared to "Quantum Leap" is because the two shows were so similar in format and tone. QL had some serious drama, but always managed to balance it with a light-hearted tone that made the show very enjoyable to watch - never truly dreary or depressing, no matter what subject matter the show was tackling. And at the end of each episode, usually,we'd see the beginning of Sam's next adventure. The same happens on "Sliders" - the end of a number of episodes leads directly into the next. On top of that, QL has Sam leaping into different time periods and places, and getting embroiled in what was going on, helping people for the better. More often than not, the same happened to the Sliders - they'd come to a world, and help change things for the better just before moving on to the next.

Sure, the shows are VASTLY different in minute details, but in broad strokes, there are a few similarities - none of which are bad, however. Both are GREAT shows. it's just too bad what ended up happening to "Sliders", and it's ultimate fate was... less than desirable.

[Vigilante]

One could also say that Stargate SG-1 is a carbon copy of Sliders.

[Brikar99]

There are a lot of shows with this similar formula of characters that come to a place, help the locals, and then move on. It was big in the 80s, with shows like "The A-Team" and "Knight Rider"

[McGuit]

I'm amazed by how well the episodes have held up after all these years. There is some good stuff in "Sliders". Glad it is finally here on DVD for everyone to enjoy. Again, stick with the first couple of seasons, it does go downhill from Season 3 on......

McGuit

[Vigilante]

Originally Posted by McGuit

it does go downhill from Season 3 on......

McGuit

It slides downhill from S3

[MooglePorn]

I remember liking this when it was on Fox, I believe before X-Files. I assume these are the episodes from that era. The price scares me off but I may pick it up eventually anyway... I DO remember liking it, and as I recall, there was a girl who liked to run around in half-tops that my 14 year old self had a little thing for...

[McGuit]

"It slides downhill from S3"

LOL I stand corrected Vigilante....

As for price MooglePorn, picked it up at Wally World for $65 which was about the same price as each of the B-5 seasons.

Give it a short time and I imagine the prices will start to fall on Amazon and on Ebay.

McGuit

[b][u]

[Brikar99]

Just and FYI for anyone who cares: the episodes on the DVD set are out of order. They're in the order of the original Fox airing, which was wrong to begin with. For example, the first episode after the pilot , "Summer of Love," is actually on Disc 2.

It's not a MAJOR problem, since the episodes are pretty much standalone, but here's the correct order for those interested in watching it that way:

Pilot (Disc 1, Episode 1
Summer of Love (Disc 2, Episode 2)
Prince of Wails (Disc 2, Episode 1)
Fever (Disc 1, Episode 2)
Last Days (Disc 1, Episode 3)
The Weaker Sex (Disc 2, Episode 4)
Eggheads (Disc 2, Episode 3)
The King is Back (Disc 3, Episode 1)
Luck of the Draw (Disc 3, Episode 2)
Into the Mystic (Disc 3, Episode 3)
Time and Again World (Disc 4, Episode 4)
El Sid (Disc 4, Episode 3)
Love Gods (Disc 3, Episode 4)
The Good, the Bad and the Wealthy (Disc 4, Episode 2)
As Time Goes By (Disc 6, Episode 3)
Gillian of the Spirits (Disc 4, Episode 1)
Obsession (Disc 5, Episode 3)
Invasion (Disc 6, Episode 2)
Post-Traumatic Slide Syndrome (Disc 5, Episode 2)
In Dino Veritas (Disc 5, Episode 1)
Greatfellas (Disc 5, Episode 4)
The Young and the Relentless (Disc 6, Episode 1)

[MooglePorn]

So they're in airdate order, not production order? A lot of sets are that way... X-Files jumps out as one... I'm sure it's fine.

[Brikar99]

Yeah, it's not a huge problem, but I know that there would be people out there who would care, or might pick up on the fact that the episodes are out of order - especially the early ones that subtly lead into the other by having the characters begin the next episode in the costumes they wore in the last one (most noticeably, the hippy episode "Summer of Love").

[Notoriousaurus]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

So they're in airdate order, not production order? A lot of sets are that way... X-Files jumps out as one... I'm sure it's fine.

True, but X-Files was aired with continuity in mind. This is not the case with how Sliders was broadcast. The "Quantum Leap" style ending would have them jump into an alternate world that is about to be flooded and you would say "Oooo! How are they going to escape!" only to find the following week that there were dinosaurs and shit. So in THIS case, I imagine you would want to watch them in production order.

[Brikar99]

What's sad is that the conclusion to the "flooded world" cliffhanger aired the week PREVIOUS... So lame. Fox really screwed the pooch with this show. Which, of course, we're all familiar with from Fox nowadays.

[MooglePorn]

Well if the order makes no sense, than that is a bunch of shit... especially with the high cost of the set, and from what I saw at Best Buy, the cheap ass production cost...

[Notoriousaurus]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

...and from what I saw at Best Buy, the cheap ass production cost...

Can you explain further on that?

[Sword of Whedon]

He doesn't like the packaging

[Notoriousaurus]

Originally Posted by Sword of Whedon

He doesn't like the packaging

Does that make it cheap ass though? I would think the more uniqe the packaging, the more costly to produce.

[Sword of Whedon]

Nah, the innovation in this case, from what I can see (getting tomorrow) is just a block of foam

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by Notoriousaurus

Does that make it cheap ass though? I would think the more uniqe the packaging, the more costly to produce.

It's an outer cardboard sleeve, like Buffy or Simpsons, witha block of foam in it holding the DVD's... It looks OK I guess, but it IS cheap as hell...

[theta]

It's a pretty package, but that block of foam is definite a deal-breaker; it might scratch up my discs and I do NOT take that risk.

[Notoriousaurus]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

It's an outer cardboard sleeve, like Buffy or Simpsons, witha block of foam in it holding the DVD's... It looks OK I guess, but it IS cheap as hell...

Gotcha, all I have seen was the "floating" discs.

[Brikar99]

The reviewer at tvshowsondvd.com claims to have watched entire episodes while pulling discs in and out of the foam, without scratching the discs, to see if that would happen. I've also watched the entire set now, and done so in order, which means a bunch of disc scratching, and it IS very soft foam, I don't see the foam being the cause of damage to the discs. If anything, it'll be me and my fingers.

[Sword of Whedon]

Gord stuck a CDR in there and pulled it out about a hundred times. The only time he scratched the disc is when he dropped it afterwards