After FOX cancelled SLIDERS, the Sci-Fi Channel came to the rescue and picked up the series. Given the show had a lower budget now, the writing and sci-fi concepts were worked on more. The Kromaggs returned, but they never lived up to the dread they showed in the second season episode, INVASION. The strongest episodes except SLIDECAGE (which used redressed sets of the recently cancelled TIMECOP series) weren't the Kromagg episodes. The standalone episodes had the gems like SLIDE BY WIRE (El Dilabo and the great Quinn-tar), JUST SAY YES (the same material was covered in a SLIDERS comic book), LIPSCHITZ LIVE! (that played up the humor), CALIFORNIA REICH, and WAY OUT WEST (wacky Wild West episode where Maggie Beckett sings modern songs as Wild West tunes in a salon). The fourth season showed what the series could be and failed to execute many times during it's first three seasons.

SLIDERS reinvented itself after a lackluster third season. Quinn (Jerry O'Connell) ended up with a brother (Colin played by Charlie O'Connell- Jerry's real-life brother) he never knew he had and found out the Earth he first slide from wasn't his homeworld. It was too bad the series never found a way to bring back John Rhys-Davies (after he requested Aturo be written out of the series in season 3) because season 2's POST-TRAUMATIC SLIDE SYNDROME provided an excellent chance that was never followed up on). Maggie Beckett's character was developed further. The one loss to season 4 was that Sabrina Lloyd didn't want to come back, so Wade was written out. It was a shame, but the improved SLIDERS made up for it.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Too bad Universal couldn't put together some extras for this season, but I am happy to see the fourth season out on DVD since the third season's DVD release two years ago. Maybe they can do a retrospective featurette for the fifth season where cast and crew talk about where the should went right and wrong.

FINAL ANALYSIS: If you're a fan of SLIDERS, you will want to own season 4 on DVD. If you're a fan and don't own any of the seasons on DVD, buy the previous two releases and this one. The only downside to the season 4 DVD set are the appearance of heavy grain sometimes and the lack of extras.

this DVD review is (c)3-15-2008 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com  


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