History Trivia / Sliders

* TheWikiRule: [[http://sliders.wikia.com/wiki/Sliders_Wiki The Sliders Wiki]].

* FatalMethodActing: RealLife example. Guest star Ken Steadman was killed on-set when he flipped a dune buggy.

* McLeaned: The series was notorious for this. When Sabrina Lloyd wanted to leave the show, they stuck Wade in a Kromagg breeding camp, then brought her back briefly as a brain in a jar. When Creator/JerryOConnell wanted out, they had Quinn merge with an alternate-reality version of himself which erased his personality. When Creator/JohnRhysDavies... well, you get the picture. Getting out of the show was almost as bad as staying in. Rhys-Davies was reportedly disgusted with the direction the show was taking, but he didn't want to leave, nor did he ever express total opposition to coming back. His departure was as much because the production staff (as led by David Peckinpah) loathed Rhys-Davies for his constant criticism. Rhys-Davies' story (he was credited as co-author) was greatly altered from its original version to the point where it's barely recognizable. While not naming names, Rhys-Davies did not ever want to work with a certain executive producer ever again and it was Peckinpah that stayed with the show until its end.
* OldShame: Writer Paul Jackson has very little positive to say about his last episode, "[[Recap/SlidersS03E22Slither Slither]]".

-->"I will unabashedly tell you I thought it was one of the worst pieces of television ever produced, and the low point of the entire series. If you look at it, there are signs of the lack of caring, lack of thinking; lack of everything. There are giant logic holes, scenes that don’t edit together well, poor production values, poor performances, poor writing; it was an absolute utter embarrassment. It goes way beyond either of the shows I took my name off on ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Star Trek]]''."

** It's also been stated that the wrong Arturo slid and that there were several hints placed that showed this. Confirmed by Tormé himself, after over a decade of keeping silent on the matter, he considers the "Wrong-Arturo" from Earth Double Prime to have been the one who slid with the regular Sliders, thus the reason for the horrified "Oh my God" from the Arturo left behind. [[http://www.dimensionofcontinuity.com/shellgame.htm This]] website compiled some very compelling clues years before Tormé admitted the truth that, whilst far too long to post here, are incredibly compelling. To summarize, there was a ''lot'' of work involved in setting up the swap, to the point where it was very likely going to be a future story arc if éDavis hadn't been fired.

* TheCastShowoff: Creator/CleavantDerricks has a beautiful singing voice, which is showcased in several episodes. Justified, in that Rembrandt was a professional musician on Earth Prime. This was used to expose Rembrandt as a fraud in "[[Recap/SlidersS03E09ThePrinceOfSlides The Prince of Slides]]", where an alternate version of Rembrandt was royalty and tone-deaf.

** The French dub has an IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming in place, in which each episode's title starts with "A world" (sometimes "The world") . For instance, "Pilot" is called "Un monde selon Lénine" (the world according to Lenin) and "Post Traumatic Slide Syndrome" is "Un monde de renommée" (a world of fame) . The only slight deviation from the rule is "Last Days", with a French title "La fin du monde" (The end of the world).

* TheCastShowoff: Cleavant Derricks has a beautiful singing voice, which is showcased in several episodes. Justified, in that Rembrandt was a professional musician on Earth Prime. This was used to expose Rembrandt as a fraud in "[[Recap/SlidersS03E09ThePrinceOfSlides The Prince of Slides]]", where an alternate version of Rembrandt was royalty and tone-deaf.

** The creator has gone on record stating that the world mentioned in YouCantGoHomeAgain was actually the group's homeworld. He has also stated that the plot from Season 4 with Quin being from an alternate Earth was up until the season finale going to turn out to be a hoax by the Kromaggs. This concept was abandoned when the Season 4 story editor was driven off the show and the intended master reveal of Colin turning on the group due to his status as a sleeper-agent-modified-clone-of-Quinn and wormholes opening with dozens of Kromagg ships pouring onto Earth Prime due to Quinn opening the Slidecage was no longer feasible to film. Several fanfics have taken this original plot and run with it.

* ArtistDisillusionment: Tracey Torme had to deal with a whole ton of ExecutiveMeddling, and according to the fan site [[http://earthprime.com Earth Prime.com]], he hated what the show turned into. Go to the pages about the double episode "[[Recap/SlidersS03E16E17TheExodus Exodus]]", and read the part about what he thought of it, you'll see.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: From the very get-go, FOX (and later Sci-Fi) tried their best to screw with the show, and mostly succeeded by the end of its run. Tracy Tormé was in a constant battle against FOX executives, including producer David Peckinpah, who deliberately forced out Creator/JohnRhysDavies after the latter allegedly insulted him at the show's launch party. FOX and Torme squabbled over everything from the serialized nature of the show to executive oversight, the show was cancelled at the end of its first season (only to be brought back by a massive fan campaign), and the move to Sci-Fi only made things worse. Torme quit in frustration, and Peckinpath made things worse by causing everyone to get screwed over on-set - actress Sabrina Lloyd was humiliated at points and essentially forced out when they brought in new cast member Creator/KariWuhrer, actors Jerry and Charlie O'Connor were locked in ongoing negotiations with the network over what they perceived to be unfair treatment, Peckinpath himself was demoted out of spite by FOX and the whole situation spiraled out of hand. By the time it limped to the end of its fifth season (a wonder despite the executive meddling), the network used the first opportunity it had to scuttle it and claimed that the actors were let go because of salary issues.

** It's also been stated that the wrong Arturo slid and that there were several hints placed that showed this. Confirmed by Tormé himself, after over a decade of keeping silent on the matter, he considers the "Wrong-Arturo" from Earth Double Prime to have been the one who slid with the regular Sliders, thus the reason for the horrified "Oh my God" from the Arturo left behind. [[http://www.dimensionofcontinuity.com/shellgame.htm This]] website compiled some very compelling clues years before Torme admitted the truth that, whilst far too long to post here, are incredibly compelling. To summarize, there was a ''lot'' of work involved in setting up the swap, to the point where it was very likely going to be a future story arc if Torme and Davis hadn't been fired.

** Tracy Tormé reportedly fought tooth and nail for much of the first two seasons. He ultimately left partway into Season 3 because of both this trope and to take care of his ailing father. He was interested in returning for Season 4, but cited this trope in regards to working with David Peckinpah (a holdover from Season 3).

** Tracy Tormé was vocal in his criticism of the way things were going before he finally left, but all of that was nothing compared to when he saw the "Exodus" two-parter. Quote found on [[http://earthprime.com/episode-guide/the-exodus-part-2.html Earth Prime]]:

** This actually worked in the show's favor in Season 2: Fox originally wouldn't let the show resolve the previous season's Cliffhanger ending, but Tracy Torme was able to lobby Fox to allow it (although, even then, the resolution seemed almost an afterthought, since it actually was). The resolution was included as part of the 3rd episode to be filmed... and 1st to be shown.

** In the same episode, Tracy Tormé's wife appears as a bridesmaid.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: From the very get-go, FOX (and later Sci-Fi) tried their best to screw with the show, and mostly succeeded by the end of its run. Tracy Torme was in a constant battle against FOX executives, including producer David Peckinpah, who deliberately forced out Creator/JohnRhysDavies after the latter allegedly insulted him at the show's launch party. FOX and Torme squabbled over everything from the serialized nature of the show to executive oversight, the show was cancelled at the end of its first season (only to be brought back by a massive fan campaign), and the move to Sci-Fi only made things worse. Torme quit in frustration, and Peckinpath made things worse by causing everyone to get screwed over on-set - actress Sabrina Lloyd was humiliated at points and essentially forced out when they brought in new cast member Creator/KariWuhrer, actors Jerry and Charlie O'Connor were locked in ongoing negotiations with the network over what they perceived to be unfair treatment, Peckinpath himself was demoted out of spite by FOX and the whole situation spiraled out of hand. By the time it limped to the end of its fifth season (a wonder despite the executive meddling), the network used the first opportunity it had to scuttle it and claimed that the actors were let go because of salary issues.

** Fox brass continually hounded co-creator Tracy Torm&eacute throughout his tenure on the show. They tried to derail his plan to resolve the first-season cliffhanger, his input in season three was ignored by the production team when the series moved primary filming to Los Angeles, and he eventually left the show at the end of the third season.

** Tracy Tormé intended Ryan to be apart of the team for a few Season 2 episodes, creating a love triangle with Quinn and Wade.

** After Sci-Fi picked up the series for a fourth season, Tracy Tormé made a play to return as executive producer. (Fellow co-creator Robert K. Weiss was also interested in getting back in the game.) This didn't happen because the studio was contractually obligated to keeping David Peckinpah onboard. Tormé couldn't stand the thought of working with Peckinpah again and couldn't convince the higher-ups to remove him. [[http://earthprime.com/tracy-torme/tracy-torme-2009.html This interview]] features some ideas Tormé had in mind for Season 4, as well as other parts of the show's run.

** Tracy Tormé reportedly fought tooth and nail for much of the first two seasons. He ultimately left partway into Season 3 because of both this trope and to take care of his ailing father. He was interested in returning for Season 4, but cited this trope in regards to working with David Peckinpah (a holdover from Season 3).

* YouLookFamiliar: Charlie O'Connell appeared in two episodes ("As Time Goes By" and "[[Recap/SlidersS03E07Dragonslide Dragonslide]]") in two bit roles before being added as a regular cast member in Season 4.

* ArtistDisillusionment: Tracey Torme had to deal with a whole ton of ExecutiveMeddling, and according to the fan site [[http://earthprime.com Earth Prime.com]], he hated what the show turned into. Go to the pages about the double episode "Exodus", and read the part about what he thought of it, you'll see.

* TheCastShowoff: Cleavant Derricks has a beautiful singing voice, which is showcased in several episodes. Justified, in that Rembrandt was a professional musician on Earth Prime. This was used to expose Rembrandt as a fraud in "The Prince of Slides," where an alternate version of Rembrandt was royalty and tone-deaf.

* DirectedByCastMember: Creator/JerryOConnell helmed five episodes - "Stoker," "Slidecage," "Lipschitz Live!," "Data World" and "Roads Taken."

** In a fun subversion, though, Tormé was once able to pull this trope off to his advantage. His bosses were completely opposed to "Invasion," but Tormé so wanted to do it that he went over their heads to their boss (John Matoian). Matoian liked the story, so he overruled the people that had been overruling Tormé. Oh, and unsurprisingly, "Invasion" became an instant fan-favorite.

* MakingUseOfTheTwin: In {{real life}}, Cleavant's brother Clinton was used in "The King is Back," "Greatfellas," and "The Prince of Slides" to play an alternate Rembrandt.

* OldShame: Writer Paul Jackson has very little positive to say about his last episode, "Slither."

* RecursiveAdaptation: Plots and elements of the comic book series eventually found their way onto the TV series, though it's hard to say how much of this was on purpose or just a coincidence. ''Narcotia'' to Season 4's "Just Say Yes" is considered a given though, as the former was written by Jerry O'Connell (who was a producer in Season 4).

** "Deadly Secrets" sees Wade enter a world where she died in infancy and interacts with her parallel parents in a consumerist-driven world, much like Season 3's "Season's Greedings." This story also introduces the plot point of Arturo's terminal illness, which was revealed differently in the show.

* SeriesHiatus: Following the Pilot's completion, FOX ordered a full season. However, the network proved unsatisfied with the initial episodes and ordered a hiatus after "Luck of the Draw" for a ReTool. FOX always intended to bring ''Sliders'' back to finish out the order, but there was no room on the Fall schedule--leading to almost a year-long wait in-between Seasons 1 and 2.
* TeasingCreator: For years, Tormé remained purposefully vague over which Arturo slid in "Post Traumatic Slide Syndrome." It was only until about 2010 when he finally laid it out.

** John Rhys-Davies was contracted for the entire third season and would've stayed if not for the behind-the-scene bitnerness. Scripts for "Sole Survivors," "The Other Slide of Darkness" and "The Breeder" were being worked out before his departure. A script for "Sole Survivors" with Arturo is available [[http://earthprime.com/scripts/sliders-scripts.html here]].

** "In Dino Veritas" was conceived as a mere BottleEpisode, but Jerry O'Connell was allowed to film his part in ''Film/JerryMaguire'' and the special effects proved to be more elaborate than at first thought.

** Originally, the monks' library in "The Great Work" was going to have a wider scope. Instead of simply preserving the history of their world, the monks would be storing the knowledge of numerous worlds throughout the multiverse. The villains were going to be the Kromaggs, who wanted the data for themselves. Things were scaled down because the writers didn't want too many guest characters to have sliding, which they felt would lessen the uniqueness of the main group's adventures. And since that aspect was dropped, the Kromaggs were replaced with generic vikings.
** "New Gods for Old" was based on a Season 4 pitch. The general idea (nanotech that repairs the body but causes loss of individuality) was the same, but there were three different versions: Quinn is infected first, with Rembrandt and Maggie following; only Colin is infected; only Rembrandt is infected. The whole idea was eventually dropped as the season wore on, but the writing team resurrected it for Season 5 as a Mallory story.

* WrittenByCastMember: John Rhys-Davies has story credit on "The Exodus, Part 1" [[spoiler:(the episode where Arturo is killed off)]], though note that he had no input into the script. His [[http://www.dimensionofcontinuity.com/lostep.htm original story]] bore very little resemblance in details and execution to the finished product. Played straight with "Way Out West," where the story originated from Jerry O'Connell (who by then was a producer).
* YouLookFamiliar: Charlie O'Connell appeared in two episodes ("As Time Goes By" and "Dragonslide") in two bit roles before being added as a regular cast member in Season 4.

* OutOfOrder: The first six or seven episodes were screened in a slightly screwy order, and even released on DVD in the same way. As it was a highly episodic show, it didn't matter too much, but there were some odd moments such as the sliders starting an episode dressed weirdly on a flooding world, only to end the following episode the same way, or setting the portal device to a randomised timer after they'd already been using it that way for weeks.

* TechnologyMarchesOn : Those computers. Oh, the Pentium chip...

* FollowTheLeader: In Season 3, the series started following any leader that presented itself, with episodes that were little more than cheap ripoffs of the movies ''Film/{{Twister}}'', ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'', ''Film/{{Tremors}}'', ''Franchise/JurassicPark'', and ''Film/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau''.