Starlog Article

I got this article through one of the mailing lists I'm on. Much thanks to the person who originally transcribed this...it's quite long. It originally appeared in Starlog Issue July #252, andis being used without any permission from the copywrite owner. Please see my disclaimers page.

SLIDING THROUGH

When Jerry O'Connell started out on Sliders, he was just an actor. But as of season four-the first for Sliders on the Sci-Fi Channel beginning this month-he's acting, producing and directing. And one need only look at his tired eyes and listen to his rambling, caffeine-piqued speech to know that O'Connell is finding the going tougher than he expected.

"It's a lot tougher," says O'Connell, pulling up a chair during a break from an early evening round of shooting on the Universal Studios lot. "I thought it was going to be about chicks and a cell phone and making my own hours. But this is all crazy work. I know now that I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I'm on a real course for burnout. But I guess that's why they invented coffee.

As if to justify his mania, O'Connell temporarily excuses himself as the director of this week's episode, Sliders' new executive producer David (Beauty and the Beast) Peckinpah, calls him back to the set. O'Connell, as de facto Sliders Leader Quinn Mallory, finds himself in a screaming and oushing match with a military type while Cleavant Derricks and Karu Wuhrer try to separate them. The argument continues until Peckinpah, finely satisfied with the action, calls "Cut!" O'Connell steps through conversations with the director, director of photography, his fellow actors and , as he reaches the periphery of the set, a cell phone call. From the look on his face, the person on the other end is not the hoped-for "chick". More likely it's somebody interested in discussing budget, script changes or O'Connell's directing of next week's episode, the third of four he will helm this season.

O'Connell once again collapses into his chair and, in his trademark tongue-in-cheek manner, bemoans his lot in life. "As you can see, I now have a grownup job," he laughs, "I don't get to stay out all night anymore, and I have to be on my best behavior."

Super Slider

The popular actor (previously profiled in Starlog #215 and 229) claims that he was "thrown the production bone" midway through the third season. His knowledge of Sliders and the fact that he was one of only two creative people present from the series's inception made him an ideal choice. But he freely admits that producing, to a large extent, is omsething he has learned by doing.

"Sure, I knew the show, but I didn't know much about things like budgeta and the importance of keeping to shooting schedules. So I went to alot of meetings, met with a lot of bosses and learned about money and numbers and how to make it all fit. It was a great deal of on-the-job training. Producing was definitely a nie bonus, but it was something I was really serious about and pursued."

O'Connell's transition to hyphenated performer couldn't have come at a more precarious time. Sliders, forever on shaky ratings ground, was nearing the end of a third season marked by discontent. Creator tracy Torme, after numerous arguments with FOX excutives about the show's direction, had finally washed his hands of Sliders and was present only in name. Jhn Rhys-Davies, equally unhappy, exited (discussing his departure in Starlog #240). Newcomer Wuhrer came in near mid-season's end to balnce the genders, alongside Sabrina Lloyd, who would ultimately depart after the thrid season. And finally, adding insult to injury, FOX cancelled Sliders.

"Being on FOX was kind of a double-edged sword," concedes O'Connell. "Yes, they kept us on, which was nice. But, because we were on what was considered the family hour, we really couldn't do anything too wacky. When they finally cancelled us after the third season, I thought Sliders was pretty much over. But then I've felt this show was over after every season, and we just kept sliding right back.

"When we knew FOX was definitely not going to pick us up, a few of us got together and went looking for a new home for the show. We deliberately went after a more specialized network-not one that had to appeal to the masses, but one that could get away with appealing to only a science fiction audience. At that point, we heard the Sci-Fi Channel wanted to do more original programming, so we approached them and struck a deal.

Continued here.