MovieChat Forums > Sliders (1995) Discussion > David Peckinpah ruined Sliders!!!

David Peckinpah ruined Sliders!!!

posted 5 years ago by TMC-4 (20475)
6 replies | jump to latest

I remember on the old IMDb boards, his son Trevor got really upset when people went on to his board to talk about how he was a shitty showrunner and hack writer:
https://www.filmboards.com/board/p/2545567/

https://tygerwhocame2t.blogspot.com/2014/10/what-if-tv-movie-had-been-success-in-usa.html?showComment=1510723826985#c3026250538810366374

http://mashautoblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/sliders-seasons-1-4-dvd-box-set-for.html

https://www.quora.com/What-TV-show-would-you-like-to-see-the-networks-bring-back-with-the-same-cast/answer/Danny-Lubbering

http://olclassic.lowerdecks.com/index.php?s=df83e0502e02801b165e5f61b66125cc&showtopic=2462

Sliders didn't start to seriously go down hill until the next season, when production was moved from Vancouver to Los Angeles and Tracey Torm� was pushed aside as executive producer in favor of David Peckinpah. With Peckinballs in charge, Sliders degenerated into a series of movie rip-offs and T&A action shows (witness the replacement of JRD by fomrer MTV personality Kari Wuhrer). But the second season retained much of the quality and feel of the first season.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:3kEwFcgNoLEJ:https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sliders-Season-1-2-DVD-6-Disc-Set-Series-One-and-Two-/264521687359%3F_trksid%3Dp2349526.m4383.l4275.c4+&cd=28&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:edH1rKYAiucJ:https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php%3Ft%3D259624+&cd=22&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=8&tid=28771&mid=495735

https://books.google.com/books?id=kcuhDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA433&lpg=PA433&dq=david+peckinpah+ruined+sliders&source=bl&ots=heNuHadfK9&sig=ACfU3U1pnd4xVTNxQEseG4Ghd3NS71kOJA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjpkuz9qqvoAhXidM0KHYY0A_o4ChDoATAEegQIChAB#v=onepage&q=david%20peckinpah%20ruined%20sliders&f=false

https://forum.gateworld.net/threads/17439-Sliders-Discussion-Appreciation?s=18bbb1c83ed0140188bd14357b7050ab&p=4510262&viewfull=1#post4510262

https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/sliders-season-4.235962/page-2#post-3114968

https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=1734448&postcount=9

https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/s-l-i-d-e-r-s.162073/post-3477581

https://www.reddit.com/r/scifi/comments/cm3yz/sliders_how_to_ruin_a_show_torture_your/

https://earthprime.com/essays/abusing-the-audience

http://sliders.tv/bboard/viewtopic.php?id=326

[–] BillySlater (4281) 5 years ago

I think people exaggerate how season 3 killed Sliders. Season 2 wasn´t even that great, it has a bunch of really boring and mediocre episodes. Sliders was never an amazing show from the get go. Season 1 was decent but after the best episode of the entire series, "Luck of the draw", Sliders would never reach the same heights again.

[–] Galactus03 (4399) 5 years ago

I agree with this. The show was starting to stink way earlier than David Peckinpah....

[–] BillySlater (4281) 5 years ago

I don´t know if I would say it stunk but it was always kind of a mixed bag.

[–] TMC-4 (20475) 5 years ago

When this subject was brought up on Quora:
https://www.quora.com/When-did-Sliders-show-began-having-a-lesser-quality-episodes-due-to-David-Peckinpah

Peckinpah took over between the end of season 2 and the beginning of season 3, as a result you can see some interesting parallels between the episodes in season 3 and well known movie plots like

Twister (electric twister acid test)

Jurassic Park (dinoslide)

Tremors (paradise lost)

Dragonheart (dragonslide)

Mad Max 2 (desert storm)

The Running Man (rules of the game)

Species (breeder)

Nightmare on Elm Street (the dream masters)

Junior (prince of slides)

Blade Runner (State of the ART)

Sherlock Holmes (murder most foul)

HG Wells’: The Time Machine (last of eden)

Night of the Living Dead/Day of the Dead (sole survivors)

Anaconda (slither)

Dracula (stoker)

The Island of Doctor Moreau (this slide of paradise)

Planet of the Apes (genesis)

Logan’s Run (prophets and loss)

Mindwarp (virtual slide)

The Quiet Earth (world killer)

ect ect

[–] TMC-4 (20475) 4 years ago

http://sliders.tv/bboard/viewtopic.php?pid=641#p641

The terrible truth of Season 3 is and always has been this: David Peckinpah was a *great* writer. A brilliant director. A capable, skillful talented man who truly understood the TV medium. He introduces guest-characters correctly. Names and points of distinction so the audience will remember them later. He knows how to stage confrontations. He knows how to tell stories through action and dialogue. He even does the thought-provoking ending as the episode ends with us looking at little Trevor, the first of a new generation of sliders. Trevor was named after one of David Peckinpah's sons.

The sad fact is that David Peckinpah had *all* the skills needed to make SLIDERS great. He was a fun guy to work with. A gifted storyteller. Decades of experience. He had also known hardship; Peckinpah was a recovered drug addict who put his recklessness behind him to be a good father to his four children. He was sober for 20 years. And then, shortly before being assigned to SLIDERS, Peckinpah's 16-year-old son, Garrett, died of meningitis.

This broke Peckinpah. He fell back into his drug addiction. He had a two-year development deal with Universal and they assigned him to SLIDERS -- a show that Peckinpah simply didn't care about. His son had died and it left a hole in his heart that never healed. Note how Peckinpah was generally vindictive and angry towards people who made his working life challenging. Sabrina Lloyd. John Rhys-Davies. To people who showed up, stood on their marks, did their work and left him alone to shoot up or snort, Peckinpah was perfectly amiable.

http://sliders.tv/bboard/viewtopic.php?pid=643#p643

[–] TheManWithNoName (1) 2 years ago

No you're both wrong, the show was hitting its stride until Peckinpah came along. It didn't help when they added Kari Wuhrer who is a terrible actress, to the show.