❝
- I just think our burgeoning hormones are destined to alter our relationship and I'm trying to limit the fallout
- —Joey to Dawson[src]
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama series which debuted 20 January 1998 on the WB television network.
About
A seminal one-hour drama series, Dawson's Creek chronicles with wry humor the undeniably intense period of awakening known as the teenage years. A startlingly fresh and realistic portrayal of this passage from adolescence to young adulthood, Dawson's Creek takes a dramatic turn in its fifth season as the teens embark on their post-high school lives. At this crossroads, expectations are turned on their heads as the friends surprise each other with the people they grow into being, how well they thrive in this new world and who steals their hearts.
Starring
- James Van Der Beek as Dawson Leery
- Katie Holmes as Joey Potter
- Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley
- Joshua Jackson as Pacey Witter
- Meredith Monroe as Andie McPhee (2—4, guest 6)
- Kerr Smith as Jack McPhee (2—6)
- Mary-Margaret Humes as Gale Leery (1—4, guest 5—6)
- John Wesley Shipp as Mitch Leery (1—4, guest 5)
- Mary Beth Peil as Grams
- Nina Repeta as Bessie Potter (1—4, recurring 5—6)
- Busy Philipps as Audrey Liddell (6; recurring 5)
Special Guest Stars
- Dylan Neal as Doug Witter (1, 3—6)
- Obi Ndefo as Bodie Wells (1, 3, 4, 6)
- Monica Keena as Abby Morgan (1—2)
- Harve Presnell as Arthur Brooks (Season 4)
- Sasha Alexander as Gretchen Witter (Season 4)
- Mark Matkevich as Drue Valentine (Season 4)
- Mädchen Amick as Nicole Kennedy (Season 2)
- Rachael Leigh Cook as Devon (Season 2)
Recurring cast
- Gareth Williams as Mike Potter (1—2, 6)
- Hal Oszan as Todd Carr (5—6)
- Michael Pitt as Henry Parker (Season 3)
- Adam Kaufman as Ethan Brody (Season 3)
- Bianca Lawson as Nikki Green (Season 3)
- Obba Babatundé as Howard Green (Season 3)
- Lourdes Benedicto as Karen Torres (Season 5)
- Megan Gray as Emma Jones (Season 6)
- Ken Marino as David Wilder (Season 5)
- Jordan Bridges as Oliver Chirchick (Season 5)
- Oliver Hudson as Eddie Doling (Season 6)
- Ian Kahn as Danny Brecher (Season 5)
- Jensen Ackles as C.J. Braxton (Season 6)
- Bianca Kaijlich as Natasha Kelly (Season 6)
Guest starring
- Ed Grady as Gramps (Season 1)
- Rodney Scott as Will Krudski (Season 3)
- Leann Hunley as Tamara Jacobs (1—2)
- Sherilyn Fenn as Alex Pearl (Season 5)
- Scott Foley as Cliff Elliot (Season 1)
- Eion Bailey as Billy Konrad (Season 1)
- Ian Bohen as Anderson Crawford (Season 1)
- Nicole Nieth as Nellie Oleson (Season 1)
- Eric Balfour as Warren Goering
Trivia
- Creator Kevin Williamson is unhappy with how the character of Andie was treated after he departed the series[1]
- The title card font type is Fontageous Rendition
- Of the Dawson's Creek alumni Holmes[2], Van Der Beek[3] and Philipps[4] have all guested How I Met Your Mother, Van Der Beek in a recurring role over the course of the series.[5]
- Both Van Der Beek and Jackson have done work with Funny or Die.[6][7]
- The series was celebrated with a 20th anniversary reunion cover for Entertainment Weekly in March 2018. Sadly, Mary-Margaret Humes and John Wesley Shipp were not informed of nor invited to the event, which they both released reactions to on Instagram.[8][9] Meredith Monroe and Katie Holmes both wrote posts of gratitude to Shipp and Humes in response[10][11]
Accolades
- 2000 GLAAD Award for 'Outstanding Drama Series'[12]
Production
The show was produced by Sony Pictures Television and takes place in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts. It took place in Boston, Massachusetts during the college seasons.
- The Pilot was shot in six days.[13]
- Katherine Heigl, who went on to star in another WB show, Roswell, auditioned for and was a contender to portray Jen Lindley[14][15]
- Selma Blair was the first choice for Joey Potter until the production received Holmes' audition tape[16]
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson auditioned for Dawson[17], as did Adrian Grenier[18]
- Charlie Hunnam auditioned for the show and wasn't cast, but later recurred as Ryder in its spin-off Young Americans.[19] Others include Adam Brody and Scott Speedman[20]
- Executive Producer Paul Stupin, co-producer Drew Matich and music supervisor John McCollough curated the music used for the episodes.[13]
- Stupin asked McCollough to find some musicians to write a theme song for the series. One of the songs to come out of this was 'Run Like Mad' by Jann Arden, which has been used for the DVD releases of the series (save for seasons 1 and 2 in some countries)[13]
- Joshua Jackson (Pacey Witter) was seriously considered to portray Dawson Leery before James Van Der Beek was cast![1]
- hand in my pocket by Alanis Morissette was producer Paul Stupin and Kevin Williamson's original choice for the intro song[1]
Seasons
1
2
3
4
5
6