Sliders News & Notes
August 1997 Archive

August 28, 1997

Rumors, Hearsay and Gossip of the Week:

Disclaimer: The following information has been culled from a number of sources. None of it has been confirmed and so should not be taken as fact. I present it here as a public service.

Rumors: Source: Kelly Welles III, who posted the following on the Fox Message Board, says that these are things she overheard at GenCon (a gaming convention in Milwaukee) and at "the Star Trek Writers' Seminar."

1) When Quinn's alternate brother (played by Charlie O'Connell) joins the group, it's on a world where Quinn died in infancy and the brother was born the next year. The brothers have a hard time learning how to keep away from each other's throats. EXPERT OPINION: It's a sound concept and the infighting theory goes toward the producer's vision of last year that the characters don't (and shouldn't) always get along.

2) Another Arturo [presumably played by John Rhys-Davies] joins the group from another world, but he also has the disease that Home Arturo had. EXPERT OPINION: As has long been thought, if JRD wanted to return to the show, this would be the most logical way to go about it, though the disease storyline would debunk theories that the Kromagg implant (from "Invasion") was planted in Arturo and caused his illness in the first place.

3) It will now be Remmy's turn to be guilt-ridden and depressed as he agonizes over leaving Quinn and Maggie and returning to Home World. He's afraid that Maggie will kill Quinn and just leave him on some not-nice world. EXPERT OPINION: Such a character arc would finally give Cleavant Derricks an opportunity to bust his acting chops but who's really worried about Maggie killing Quinn?

4) Wade returns only to find her father has died of a heart-attack and her sister blames her for it. Grief-stricken Wade does nothing to resist the Kromaggs when they come after her. EXPERT OPINION: Supposing Sabrina Lloyd does not come back to shoot anymore scenes (which I don't think she will) this storyline would likely be related to Quinn and Maggie through Rembrandt (or possibly Kelly Welles). The Kromagg kidnapped theory was first mentioned as a possible Wade outcome back on August 18 (see below) in Jason Lohn's newsletter. The theory also is sound with regard to Wade's susceptibility to over-emotion.

5) Maggie is discovered to be Wade's daughter. The working theory for pulling this off: What if Maggie's world was actually 25 years (Maggie's approx. age) ahead -- much like a reverse of "The Guardian." The theory dictates that Wade had Maggie at a very young age -- and I think it goes on to say that Rickman is Maggie's father, a consequence of a 25-year-old affair between naive young Wade and a younger (probably better looking) Angus Rickman. Such a story arc may take place a couple of episodes into the season and Sabrina Lloyd's return to make a guest appearance is not out of the question. EXPERT OPINION: I laughed when I saw this until I read the working theory. For what it's worth, such a turn of events would go a long way toward building the "Sliders Mythology" that has been promised to us by the powers that be, and though I don't believe Sabrina will return for an episode and Rickman is (supposedly) dead, the concept could conceivably be pulled off in a recounted dialogue or in flashbacks with other actors playing the younger Wade and Rickman. Still, don't bet on this concept evolving past the storyboard stage.

6) Producers are going to allow Cleavant Derricks to sing more next season. EXPERT OPINION: Well it's about freakin' time!

The following is hearsay, culled by a friend, from alt.tv.sliders where it was posted by a person who says that the info was passed along by a person associated with the show. I can't reveal the source (because it's not mine to begin with) but, again, the following is simply hearsay -- it's not to be taken as fact. I post it here in it's original quotes:

"Regarding Sabrina['s departure]: It was by mutual agreement that she left the show. Maybe a little more on the firing side than not, but impetus may have been along the lines that she stopped caring. While her departure is related to [Kari Wuhrer] infecting the show, the *reason* is not as catty as has been speculated upon, but based in the affects of the Maggie character on the Wade character. Needless to say character interaction with Maggie is different than that with the Professor.

Regarding Tracy Torme['s departure]: He still cares *a lot* about the show. He is the executive consultant for life, and is certainly bound to the show. He's hoping it will revert back to the way it was, but he's not really holding his breath. His departure, as previously reported, does not affect his consulting status. They had disagreements and his contract was up all at the same time, so, since he has a lot of other irons in the fire, he vacated his Universal office (but he has others).
If the show proves to be making a concerted effort to get back on track, he will put in his two cents as frequently as possible, perhaps even write a script or two. If he doesn't like what he sees in the first couple of scripts, he will distance himself, if not wash his hands of it entirely, and perhaps even say something publicly about the whole ridiculous change."

That's the quote, folks and -- of course -- I believe a correction/clarification is in order for my reporting that Tracy will not be the creative consultant after his departure. The Ultimate Sliders Companion apologizes for any confusion this may have caused.

Okay, onto the real news portion of our broadcast:
TemporalFlux reports that the Sci-Fi Channel is planning a second online sci-fi convention from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. The following is from an e-mail TF received from the Dominion (Sci-Fi's web site):
"SCIFI.CON 2.0, the follow-up to last year's award-winning online science fiction convention, will be held this year from October 31 - November 2. We can't leak any details yet but if you have any suggestions for the Con now's the time to tell us! Just e-mail your ideas to feedback@scifi.com and be sure to put "SCIFI.CON 2.0" in the subject field. We can't reply to everyone's suggestions but all will be read and considered for this year's big event."
Thanks, TF, for the info.
TF also reports that the Sept/Oct Issue, Vol. 3 of Cinescape magazine contains a little article on Sliders. I won't post all of it suffice to say it's "news" about Sci-Fi Channel's pickup of Sliders.
Attention Canadian Fans: Miksue, at the MCA Board, reports that Sliders gets a mention on the web site of "Space: The Imagination Station" in the FAQ section. Regarding its possible acquisition of Sliders, the FAQ states:
This isn't really important news but they have actually mentioned Sliders at the SPACE FAQ site. Here's the quote:
"In the case of Sliders, the new season will be on the Sci-Fi Channel in the U.S. We're aware of the level of fan interest. We would love to have it. We're talking to the right people. We will know something by October. We're still talking about MST3K. Stay tuned!"

Shameless plug of the week: As you may have noticed, two new features have been added to The Ultimate Sliders Companion; first, The Library, which can be accessed via the Bibliography. In it you will find 38 online articles relating to Sliders and many more that are not online. If you would like to share an article that you've found, please mail me and we'll discuss it. Second is a guest book new to the contents page. This is also meant to serve as a feedback page so please drop in and leave me your suggestions, corrections, bad link reports, spelling errors, ect. It's much appriciated.
This from way back: Raydell was kind enough to let me know that Sliders did not win a Saturn Award this year (X-Files won) but Jerry was at the awards, held July 22, and had a couple of comments:

Jerry O'Connell, the star of the TV show "Sliders" and a supporting player in "Scream," said he enjoys horror films over sci-fi, especially when done by "Scream" producer Wes Craven. "I'd have to say horror is a lot more fun," O'Connell said. "I'm a product of the 80s, so horror films were very popular, that whole genre. Growing up, 'Nightmare on Elm Street' was a real fave of mine. I went to NYU film, I took a class called "The Horror Genre" where we studied Wes Craven. I've done papers on my boss, Wes Craven, so it's a real treat."

There's also a real-audio link of his interview.

(PS: I know it says Jerry was in "Scream," an obvious mistake on the part of hollywood.com because we all know Jerry is really in "Scream, the Sequel," which is scheduled for release in December.)

August 26, 1997

The first airing of an original Sliders episode on Sci-Fi Channel has been pushed back from January to March, 1998, a Sci-Fi spokesperson said today.
Although the cable channel had originally planned to air Sliders in January, Jerry O'Connell's schedule conflict with regard to "Scream, the Sequel" will not give production enough time to be ready for a January launch -- though O'Connell's primary filming with the movie is finished and Sliders prodution is still scheduled to gear up the week of Sept. 15.

At this point, the idea of airing five of Sliders "Best Episodes" in the early part of the year is being tossed around but nothing has been decided and the full run of Sliders repeats on Sci-Fi still are scheduled until January 1999. Sliders will also not be shown in stunt airings on the USA Network as orginally announced, though the reason for the change was not known.
Also today, it was announced that Sliders producer Alan Barnette has chosen not return to Sliders in any capacity next season, and is currently moving his offices. It's believed that Barnette has started his own production company called, fittingly, Barnette Productions.
August 22, 1997

This from today's Daily Variety: USA Network has pulled the plug on its original drama series "The Big Easy." Representatives for producer Polygram TV could not be reached for comment late Thursday, but the company may well shop the show to other cable networks or even try to keep it alive in firstrun syndication. [I don't know what this means except to say that USA has an open, primetime timeslot now.]
Both Jerry O'Connell and Kari Wuhrer are featured in this week's double issue of "Entertainment Weekly."
Jerry is quoted on page 87 with regard to the upcoming release of "Scream 2." He says: "The script was printed on James Bondish paper you can't Xerox." That's the only quote from him and there is no picture.
Kari, on the otherhand, does have a prominent picture on page 142 in the Cybertalk section. The magazine pulled a quote from her recent AOL chat session; it reads: "I've worked with actors who give me less than the visual puppets they use for the dinosaurs or the snake in Anaconda, so faking it like I sometimes have to do is a piece of cake."
Congratulations to both actors for making the final edit!
August 21, 1997

Tracy Torme, who co-created Sliders with Robert Weiss in 1994, has opted not to return to Sliders production in any capacity this season, according to his assistant. His last day in his office at Universal Studios was today and he has decided to take the money given to him (from his contract) and "run."
As of last season, Torme was still going to be the "Executive Consultant" for "the life of the series" but because he has taken this severance-type package, it is now unclear as to whether this title will remain. There was some speculation in June that Torme would return to the series in a more active capacity for the fourth season but it seems he has decided not to do that now.
Torme stepped away from Sliders in August of 1996 when his father, Mel, suffered a stroke but changes in Fox and Universal production staff prompted him to not return in the capacity he showed during years one and two.
Again, to recap, Tracy Torme no longer has anything to do with Sliders whatsoever and has decided to move out of his offices at Universal to concentrate on other things -- namely his forthcoming MTV series "Kung Pow."
Production control of Sliders now falls mainly onto the shoulders of Executive Producer David Peckinpah.

John Rhys-Davies is set to make a return to television in the ABC Friday night comedy "You Wish" this fall. JRD plays the owner of a carpet store where a single mom and her kids purchase a rug with a hip genie (John Ales) inside. For now, the role is a "recurring" one though JRD is in the pilot episode along with two others so far. JRD will also not be in the Star Trek: Voyager premiere on Wed. Sept. 3, "Scorpion, Part 2," even though his Leonardo da Vinci character appears in Part 1. See Aug. 6 and 8 news for more on JRD.
Here are some credits for the new writers at Sliders production next year:

  • Chris Black has written three episodes of "Weird Science" (another MCA-ST. Clare production) and co-wrote the film "Masterminds" which starts soon in theaters.
  • Bill Dial is probably best known for authoring a number of "WKRP in Cincinnati" episodes (including the infamous flying turkeys one) but he also co-wrote the pilot episode of "Legend" (with Michael Piller of Star Trek fame) and has written a few Deep Space Nine episodes (The Alternate and Tribunal among them) and a ST: Voyager episode (Eye of the Needle). Dial he also appeared in one episode of WKRP as well as in "Sling Blade" as Billy Bob Thornton's boss.
  • Mark Scott Zircree wrote a companion book to "The Twilight Zone" (Bantam, 1982); the introduction to the "Twilight Zone" trivia book (TZ Publications, 1984) and delivered the keynote address at the University of Colorado Trivia Bowl in 1984. He also wrote the 1994 "Babylon 5" episode Survivors.
    August 19, 1997

    For those of you who were interested to know what the budget will be like for Sliders next season, sources at Universal say that each episode will cost about a million dollars, which is down about $400,000 from last season. As a result, Sliders will be geared "more" toward sci-fi which will allow the characters to become "more involved" in storylines. There will also be a "new Sliders mythology" created; (I assume along the lines of an X-Files-like story arc over the entire season with stand alone episodes every so often).

    As reported earlier, the L.A. Times ran an article saying that Universal was planning to sell Sliders overseas to make some extra cash per episode, but my sources at Universal say that the company already has sold the series to a number of outlets overseas -- but not Canada. Still, you folks in England and Australia can rest easy: Sliders is coming your way.
    August 18, 1997

    Well, folks, much news to report (it seemed to get dumped on my lap all at once yesterday, which left me scrambling to confirm it all). First things first, the following bulleted items were first reported by Jason Lohn who is the President of the Unofficial Sliders Fan Club and puts out a newsletter on occasion. The items are contained in his Aug/Sept 1997 (issue 11) newsletter *have* been confirmed by me with a source on high at Universal. They are as follows:

  • Jerry's brother, actor-model Charlie O'Connell, will be joining the cast next season as our 4th slider. He will play Quinn's alternate brother. The younger O'Connell, as you may remember, appeared in the episodes "As Time Goes By" (as Kit Richards) and "Dragonslide" (as Officer Kelly). Charlie is also an avid fencer.

  • One of the stipulations in Jerry's contract for a 4th season was that he be given 'Producer' credit (a la Jason Priestly ("Calender Girl") of Beverly Hills 90210). Jerry will also be directing at least four episodes next season. Reports are that producers at Sliders had absolutely no qualms about giving Jerry a "Producer/Director" credit because they fully believe in his abilities as a filmmaker and trust his education (at NYU Film School) and experience (directing "Stoker). "It's not an honorarium," one source said.

  • Sliders production (which begins Monday, Sept. 15) also welcomes three new faces into the fold next season: writers Chris Black and Bill Dial (a history buff) and executive producer/writer Mark Scott Zircree.

  • Jason Lohn says that his sources also told him that Sabrina Lloyd was "fired" from Sliders due to some in-fighting with Kari Wuhrer. Lohn reports that Lloyd was jealous of Kari and was constantly misbehaving on the set. The official word from Universal and Sabrina's agent is "She felt it was time to move on."

  • Also, according to Lohn, Producers intend (this is still in the early stages) to have Wade kidnapped by the Kromaggs, Quinn and Maggie finding Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks has signed on for Year 4) who will relate the shocking tale.

  • For those who would like to subscribe to the newsletter (I am not affiliated with it), Alan_H suggests trying: U.S.F.C. / Jason Lohn / 4414 W. Dunwood Rd. / Brown Deer, WI 53223. "The cost was $5.00 a year for which you got 6 issues of the newsletter, but this may have changed," Alan says.
    Jerry O'Connell's May 8th appearance on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" will be rebroadcast on August 29th. Other guests include Mike Myers with musical group Tonic.
    August 16, 1997

    With regard to the Vancouver/L.A. production fiasco, an explanation: Ian Edwards, who reported in the Aug. 11 issue of Canada's Playback magazine that Sliders would be returning to Vancouver for 4th season production, says that "It's been widely covered that [Sliders] is coming back to Vancouver to lower expenses and produce enough episodes for syndication. Producers have also booked studio space [and] talked to unions, so if the show isn't coming now, then the producers have changed their mind." David Peckinpah states that Sliders is staying in L.A., however.

    August 14, 1997

    CORRECTION: Yesterday I reported that Sliders will be moving production back to Vancouver, via information obtained from articles in the Vancouver Sun newspaper and Canada's Playback Magazine. Today, I report that a source at Universal Studios says that Sliders will stay on the lot in California and that there are no plans to return production to Canada. I don't know why those two usually reputable publications would report such a thing but it is possible that Vancouver Sun mistakenly reported it and Playback picked up on it. I will try to sort out what is going on. As for production start, the Universal source says that production will likely start earlier, possibly as early as Sept. 15.

    August 13, 1997

    Jerry O'Connell will guest host NBC's "Later" from August 18 - 21! The guest lineup is as follows: Monday, August 18: Sports agent Leigh Steinberg; Tuesday, August 19: Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt; Wednesday, August 20: Writer Steve Oedekerk; Thursday, August 21: Actor D.B. Sweeney.
    The lineup was announced Aug. 12 at 2:22 pm (et) 11:22 am (pt) on the A.P. wire.

    Universal Plans to Sell Sliders for Airing Overseas
    The L.A. Times reports today that Universal is "depending on overseas sales [of Sliders] and a reduced budget to keep the show econmically viable." The Times says that the reason is because Sci-Fi Channel cannot afford to pay as much for episodes as the Fox Network did.

    This could mean good news for Canada if Universal decides that the market for Sliders would add a few wads to its wallet.
    The article can be found at latimes.com though I don't know how long this link will stay active as the L.A. Times has its own pay-as-you-go archive section.
    Looks Like it's Back to Canada! I've finally found a second source that says that Sliders will be moving production back to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada when it starts up again in the first week of October. The source is called "Playback" a magazine/newspaper that bills itself as "Canada's Broadcast & Production Journal." In the August 11th issue, it reads that Sliders is back in B.C. The first source for this information was an article (that I haven't seen) in the Vancouver Sun newspaper.
    So, what does this mean? Good things, I suspect. More story-generated episodes, reappearances of old friends (Mace Moon, Michael Hurley, Ross J. Kelly, possibly Conrad Bennish, but not Gomez Calhoun); also, they're going to have to come up with a way to explain why they now slide in San Francisco again.
    August 12, 1997

    Sliders rumor of the week: Now that Sabrina has departed, rumor is that Charlie O'Connell (yup, Jerry's younger brother) may join the cast as the fourth slider next season. O'Connell has some experience on the Sliders set too, he's appeared in "As Time Goes By" and "Dragonslide".
    STATUS: Trying to Confirm.

    August 11, 1997

    Got a hankering for a big meal? Why not try a Sliders meal? Czaritza's community Sliders web site has a new page devoted to Sliders recipies. Right now, it includes Arturo's favorite (asparagus) and Chef Remmy's specialty (Trout Almondine from "Luck of the Draw"). If you have Sliders recipe you'd like to share (or have a Sliders classified ad that you'd like to post) drop by All About Sliders!.

    August 8, 1997

    Tipster Jason Gaston brings more JRD/Voyager news 

    In an episode called, "Scientific Method", aliens will trap Robert
Picardo's Emergency Medical Holographic Doctor in the holodeck with John
Ryhs-Davis' Leonard da Vinci.  This will not be the primary story and is
slated to air before "Da Vinci's Day Out".
    August 7, 1997

    It's Official: Sabrina Lloyd has opted not to come back for season four.
    A spokesperson at Sabrina's talent agency told me that it's definite that Ms. Lloyd won't be back. When asked for a reason, the spokesperson said 'there's really no comment at this time' though the person did say that Sabrina currently has no other projects on the go and that it was her decision not to return.

    August 6, 1997

    JUST IN:
    The End of a Jaded Era

    Sliders will have its last Fox telecast this Friday, August 8th with (fittingly) "The Last of Eden."
    Fox has just announced (10:02 am est) that the previously scheduled telecasts for Aug. 22 and 29 will not be airing. Instead, Fox has chosen to air "Roar" episodes as the network gets ready to air the series premiere of "The Visitor" in the Friday night 8 pm timeslot.
    As it stands now: August 8: Sliders; Aug. 15: NFL Football; Aug. 22: Roar; Aug. 29: Roar; September 5: Roar; Sept. 12: UFOs: Best Evidence; Sept. 19: The Visitor.
    Also, in Canada, the Global/Can-West Network will follow Fox's lead and will simulcast Roar when it begins on the 22nd. The last Global Sliders broadcast will be on August 15 with a repeat of "Invasion."
    In other words, unless you have episodes on tape, this will be your last chance to watch Sliders until January of 1998 -- that's five months!
    Tipster Jason Gaston reports that Paramount is developing a Star Trek: Voyager script that would feature our man John Rhys-Davies in a more prominent role as Leonardo da Vinci. The info, heard at the TV critics press tour, has JRD returning as da Vinci in an episode called "Da Vinci's Day Out" and would have the character partnered with Capt. Janeway in an off-holodeck adventure. Gaston wonders if a device similar to The Doctor's would allow da Vinci to roam away from the holodeck.
    The Friday, Aug. 1st airing of "The Breeder" brought in 1 million more viewers than "Prince of Slides" did a week earlier. Ratings, released yesterday by Nielsen Media Research, shows that while "Prince" took in 3.6 million viewers, "Breeder" scored 4.6 million -- up a full share point (% of sets in use) from last week. For more information, see my ratings by airdate section.
    Army Archerd offers this update about Mel Torme, father of Tracy Torme, in today's Daily Variety:
    Mel, who suffered a stroke a year ago (Aug. 8), is resting comfortably at his Beverly Hills home. He enjoys his weekly "Guys Night Out" at Hugh Hefner's for dinner and a classic movie. He's grateful for all the good wishes and prayers and assures he has no intention of retiring, although the full recovery process has been a long and arduous one.
    GET WELL, MEL! And all the best from The Ultimate Sliders Companion.
    August 5, 1997

    Shannen, via someone named Aaron Dunne, reports that Kari Wuhrer has been named as one of the 25 Most Intriguing Women in Science Fiction in September's Sci-Fi Universe Magazine.

    Canadian fans may be in luck! Sliddude reports that Space, Canada's own Sci-Fi Network will launch Sept 26th, 1997 not in 1999 as previously believed. I have also confirmed this with Space! Right now, the network does not know what shows it will be airing.
    August 4, 1997

    While Fox will not be showing a Sliders episode on August 15 (because of NFL football), Canadian fans will be treated to a rerun of "Invasion" on the Global/Can-West Network.
    Then, on Aug. 22, Fox will show "Rules of the Game," followed by "This Slide of Paradise" on Aug. 29.

    August 2, 1997

    Jerry was featured on "Entertainment Tonight" yesterday (Friday) in a clip from the filming of "Scream 2." Informant reports that "They showed an outtake and then a scene as it was supposed to be. In the outtake, Neve [Campbell] comes running out of the house and bumps into Jerry (literally). [However] in the good take, [Neve] runs out of the house and *almost* hits [Jerry]. He asks if she's okay, and she tells him that "He's in the house." Deviate says that the clip was only about 45 seconds long.

    August 1, 1997

    To clarify: Jerry O'Connell was seen on E! News Daily (by Sliderray, Jon Hammer and others) at a function called "The Saturn Awards." While the camera did show him being interviewed by E!, that interview did not actually air. The only winners known were "Scream" (Best Horror Film) and "ID4" (Best Sci-Fi Film). It is not know if Jerry was a presenter, though E! did make mention of his name and the show.

    Also to clarify: Sliders has been nominated in two categories of the Sci-Fi Universe Magazine's Reader's Choice Awards found on page 73 of the Aug. 1997 issue. "The Guardian" is up for "Best Teleplay for a Genre Series" (Tracy Torme) and "Best Directing for a Genre Series" (Adam Nimoy). Ballots must be in by Aug. 20, 1997. Thanks to Crestgirl and Abbadon for the info.
    Meanwhile:
    Here are some things that I have not yet been able to confirm:
    • The details behind Cleavant Derrick's "horror-type" movie, now filming.
    • Whether or not Sabrina Lloyd will be back for another year, and furthermore, whether or not she has been "kicked off" the show.
    • If Sliders will be returning to Vancouver, Canada to film the fourth season.

    Here are the things I have confirmed:
    • Production of Sliders will begin in the first week of October.
    • Contract talks for all four actors are still on-going.
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