The actors explain the premise in the opening credits and several times in the series. They do not visit different planets, just different universes with other versions of Earth. "Sliders" fits well into its format as a series as opposed to a movie. It allows for alternate political and social scenarios and fascinating "what if" questions about history.

Quinn Mallory, the main character, invents an interdimensional travel machine in his basement (where all great inventions are born, I guess). After successfully visiting another universe, he shows it to his physics professor and they activate the machine and go to another world with Wade, a girl at Quinn's school, and Rembrandt Brown, a singer who was on his way to sing the national anthem at a ball game when his car happened to be swallowed up by the dimensional hole. The world they get to is a frozen San Francisco and they are forced to activate the timer before it is ready when a snow tornado bears down on them. As a result they cannot control what universe the timer opens up an interdimensional tunnel for or when it opens that tunnel. The timer counts down when it will do so and the time can vary from a few minutes to several days. They must always slide when the timer reaches zero or they will be trapped in whatever world they are in for years perhaps for life.

After visiting worlds in which the United States never achieved independence from Britain, where intellectuals are superstars, and one where the 1960's counterculture blossomed in the 1990's (when this series was made), they eventually encounter other sliders. These sliders are creepy aliens called Kromaggs except they are not actually aliens but rather an evolutionary rival of true humans from the same earth albeit another universe. The Kromaggs use sliding technology to conquer the other earths. These Kromaggs take on more importance in later seasons.

I must also add that some of the worlds they visit have a lot of the same details of the sliders' home world including alternate versions of themselves. For example one of the worlds they visit has its own Rembrandt Brown whose musical career was far more successful. It is fascinating to watch them meet their doubles in these worlds.

Again this is overall a good, fun series. The characters are shallow but likable. Irony and humor seem to follow them along the way. I was sad when I ran out of episodes to watch.

If you aren't familiar with "Sliders", or only know it from the final two seasons which aired on the "Sci-Fi" channel channel, I urge you to pick up this 2 season collection.
"Sliders" was a nifty little show that premiered on the Fox network in the mid 1990's. It combines the best elements of "Quantum Leap" and "Voyagers", giving you four heroes that you come to truly care about.

The basic story is that boy-genius Quinn Mallory accidentally opens a portal between dimensions on Earth. He, his girl friend, his physics professor and a has-been soul singer get pulled into a wormhole and begin sliding through different dimensions.

The various worlds that our heroes travel to are imaginative, sometimes funny, sometimes scary, but always fun. All of the inventive predicaments the Sliders find themselves in will keep you entertained, a San Francisco that is a maximum security prison, an American that is ruled by Russia, a world where the male population has been rendered sterile, a world where Howard Stern became leader and anyone over 30 years of age is a second class citizen, or a world where Dinosaurs still roam the Earth.

The casting is great, Jerry O'Connell as Quinn Mallory, is perfect, someone you can really root for and like. Cleavant Derricks plays Rembrandt Brown, a once-famous soul singer dragged along by accident on the first slide. John Rhys-Davies as the pompous professor Arturo is hilarious, but also gives the group a leader, and Sabrina Lloyd as Wade Welles, Quinn's sometimes girlfriend, provides the heart and conscience of the group. You will come to appreciate each of the characters, and as the show progresses you really come to enjoy the interaction between them.

It's easy to see why this show initially found such a small but devoted audience, and why even a decade later it's still such a cult hit. If you are a fan of sci-fi TV, give "Sliders" a shot, I'm sure you will enjoy it. Even if you don't like sci-fi in general, give "Sliders" a shot, as the characters, writing and charisma of the actors will hook you.
Highly recommended.

I remember this series when it first aired 13 years ago (WOW! time flies...). I am watching them now and enjoing them even more. I have been studying leading edge theoretical physics for the last 5 years(Quantum theory, Relativity, Cosmology, String Theory, nuclear physics and astrophysics), therefore I am more understanding of the sliding concept and the technical language used occasionally during the show. Yes, some of the episodes and the special effects are on the cheesy side(low budget), but the cast is excellent and humor is appropiate when used during the shows (The Professor is hysterical everytime a landing occurs). Overall this is a great show that did not get the credit it deserves.

When this was on the tube I was a big fan, but I had totally forgotten about it until it showed up on the Zune Marketplace site. After doing the math I figured it was more cost effective for me just to buy the DVD's. If you are into to this sci fi stuff this is a must own. Well of course you are otherwise you wouldn't even be here...Duh!
Anyway the first two seasons are really very good, after that they are ok but really nothing to write home about.
But man the packaging/box of this,well for the lack of a better phrase...sucks. Who ever came up with it should be taken out back behind the wood shed and severely taught a lesson in mass marketing.
I gave it only 3 stars because of the packaging. If it had been packaged like the stargate series, a big 5 stars!

oh boy, when it come to these two short seasons of Sliders, there's one word that comes into my mind and that's is...... its Freaking Awsome!!!lol

I've been a big Sci-Fi fan for years and when this show came out i felt like i was 7 yrs old again.. Really!!!! My imagination of Parallel Worlds went into a Sci-fi addiction. Thinking about Parallel worlds is fascinating!


So on to the review...... well Jerry O'Connell(Quinn) and John Rhys-Davies(Prof. Arturo) are fantastic. Prof. Arturo to me was the father figure in the series. He had the wisdom and insight you needed when it came too terrible situations. In fact, he was the counter balance for Quinn Mallory.

The DVD case sucks giant Kromag balls!! Handle it with care. Buy the first two seasons because their awsome for little kids and adults too.