Sliders

In his basement in San Francisco, boy-genius Quinn Mallory unlocks the doorway to an infinite number of Earths. During a test run, Quinn invites co-worker Wade Welles and his teacher Professor Maximillian Arturo to see his new invention. But an increase in power and an early departure leave all three, plus a washed-up soul singer named Rembrandt "Crying Man" Brown, lost in a parallel world. Now they must "slide" from world to world, not only adapting to their changing surroundings, but also trying to get back to their world. Will they ever make it home?

Sliders (1995-2000) is an American science fiction adventure series created by Tracy Tormé and Robert K. Weiss for FOX, with later episodes airing on Syfy. Boy-genius Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) accidentally opens a doorway to an infinite number of Earths, and he, his classmate Wade Welles (Sabrina Lloyd), their teacher Professor Maximillian Arturo (John Rhys-Davies), and washed-up soul singer Rembrandt Brown (Cleavant Derricks) are stranded in a parallel world. Their engine is simple and relentless: they must keep sliding from one alternate Earth to the next, adapting to each new society while straining toward a way home. Each episode is built around a different world where a philosophy, political system, or cultural issue has been pushed to an exaggerated extreme, and the travelers examine it with humor and curiosity before moving on. The series runs five seasons with a case-of-the-week rhythm in which standalone adventures carry a loose, evolving thread. The tone is breezy and playful, with wry commentary and an undercurrent of wistful longing for home. Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap and Doctor Who will find resonance in its blend of episodic exploration, comedy, and sci-fi imagination.

Viewers broadly praise the show's inventive premise and its willingness to satirize different parallel worlds, though later seasons were rated lower than the early ones.

• Star Trek: The Next Generationparallel world episodic sci-fi adventure, comedic tone with philosophical exploration of alternate societies
• Quantum Leaptime and dimension hopping premise with a small group of travelers and a quest to return home
• The Man in the High Castlealternate history premise with counterfactual worlds and episodic exploration of differing realities
• Doctor Wholighthearted episodic sci-fi adventure with recurring cast trapped in strange worlds

Created by

Tracy Tormé, Robert K. Weiss

Release Date

1995-03-22

Episode runtime

43 min

Rating

7.4 / 10 (494)

What is Sliders about?

Four travelers accidentally slide into an endless chain of parallel Earths and must keep improvising their way home.

What is Sliders like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sliders as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Sliders violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Sliders as mild.

What did critics think of Sliders?

Viewers broadly praise the show's inventive premise and its willingness to satirize different parallel worlds, though later seasons were rated lower than the early ones.

Which shows are like Sliders?

Shows with a similar feel include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, The Man in the High Castle, and Doctor Who.

How long is Sliders?

Sliders: 5 seasons, 87 episodes.

Is Sliders still running?

No, Sliders has ended.

Where can I watch Sliders?

In United States, Sliders streams on Peacock Premium, Xumo Play, Peacock Premium Plus.