Editing Dawson's Creek (section)

==Reception==

===Controversy===
''Dawson's Creek'' generated a large amount of publicity before its debut, with several television critics and consumer watchdog groups expressing concerns about its anticipated "racy" plots and dialogue. The controversy drove Procter & Gamble Productions, initially a co-producer of the series, away from the project.<ref name="P&G end" /> Syndicated columnist [[John Leo]] said the show should be called "While Parents Cringe", and went on to write, "The first episode contains a good deal of chatter about breasts, genitalia, [[masturbation]], and penis size. Then the title and credits come on and the story begins."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Leo |first=John |date=February 2, 1998 |title=Raging hormones on TV |volume=124 |page=9 |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |issue=4 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_u-s-news-weekly-special-issues_1998-02-02_124_4/page/9/mode/1up |access-date=May 17, 2022}}</ref>

The [[Parents Television Council]] (PTC) proclaimed the show as the single worst program of the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons by being "the crudest of the network shows aimed at kids", complaining about "an almost obsessive focus on pre-marital sexual activity", references to pornography and condoms, and the show's acceptance of homosexuality.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television 1998–1999 TV Season |url=http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/98top/main.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523062216/http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/98top/main.asp |archive-date=May 23, 2012 |access-date=April 6, 2012 |publisher=parentstv.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Angulo |first=Sandra P. |date=July 13, 1999 |title=''Dawson's Creek'' is named the worst show on TV |url=https://ew.com/article/1999/07/13/dawsons-creek-named-worst-show-tv/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref> Former [[UPN]] President [[Lucie Salhany]] criticized The WB for airing ''Dawson's Creek'' which features "adolescent characters in adult situations" in an early time slot while the network is supposed to be 'the family network.'"<ref>{{cite web |last=Braxton |first=Greg |date=June 11, 1997 |title=UPN President Knocks Rival WB Network |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-06-11-fi-2230-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306031833/http://articles.latimes.com/1997-06-11/business/fi-2230_1_rival-wb-network |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |access-date=April 6, 2012 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 19, 2018 |title='Dawson's Creek' at 20: That Time It Was Condemned for Safe Sex, LGBT Acceptance |url=https://www.thewrap.com/dawsons-creek-20th-anniversary-parents-television-council-lgbtq-safe-sex/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |website=[[TheWrap]] |language=en-US}}</ref> However, on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum, the [[National Organization for Women]] offered an endorsement, deeming it one of the least sexually exploitative shows on the air.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Fazzone |first=Amanda |date=June 8, 2001 |title=Boob Tube: NOW's Strange Taste in TV |pages=26–35 |magazine=[[The New Republic]] |issue=4515. v. 225, n. 5}}</ref>

Much of the criticism cited the show's early decision to feature a storyline about a romantic relationship between a high school student and a teacher.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosenberg |first=Howard |date=January 19, 1998 |title=These Teens Skipped Over the Wonder Years |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-19-ca-9762-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509121510/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-19-ca-9762-story.html |archive-date=May 9, 2022 |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Lowry |first=Brian |date=March 3, 1998 |title=Teens Flow to 'Creek' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-03-ca-24754-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509121522/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-03-ca-24754-story.html |archive-date=May 9, 2022 |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nowalk |first=Brandon |date=June 5, 2012 |title=Dawson's Creek: Dawson's Creek |url=https://www.avclub.com/dawson-s-creek-dawson-s-creek-1798173051 |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |language=en-us}}</ref>

=== Critical response ===
Early reviews of the series were mixed to positive. During the season premiere, much was written about the show's perceived racy content and the teens' "unhealthy obsession with sex."<ref name=":7">{{Cite magazine |last=Fretts |first=Bruce |date=April 3, 1998 |title=''Dawson's Creek'' |url=https://ew.com/article/1998/04/03/dawsons-creek-3/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> Negative reviews lambasted the show for its lack of realism, particularly its verbose dialogue spoken by the teen characters which ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' said strained credibility.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelleher |first=Terry |date=January 19, 1998 |title=Picks and Pans Review: Dawson's Creek |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0%2C%2C20124237%2C00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916031849/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20124237,00.html |archive-date=September 16, 2015 |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[People (magazine)|People]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tucker |first=Ken |author-link=Ken Tucker |date=January 23, 1998 |title=Dawson's Creek |url=https://ew.com/article/1998/01/23/dawsons-creek/ |access-date=June 3, 2022 |website=[[EW.com]] |language=en}}</ref> ''[[The Observer]]'' called the show "simply misguided and misconceived (hyper-articulate, self-conscious teenagers go through puberty in a Macy's catalogue)."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jennings |first=Charles |date=June 7, 1998 |title=Dawson's Creek, Season One |page=183 |work=[[The Observer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72712181/dawsons-creek-season-one-windrush/ |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref> [[Tom Shales]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' commented that creator Kevin Williamson was "the most overrated wunderkind in Hollywood" and "what he's brilliant at is pandering."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shales |first=Tom |date=January 20, 1998 |title=STUCK IN THE MUCK |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1998/01/20/stuck-in-the-muck/f0b4a0df-2343-46a7-815b-22cb5d6a1315/ |access-date=February 11, 2021 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

Other reviews noted the show tread familiar ground, with the ''[[LA Weekly]]'' writing, "[The show] comes alive in fits and starts, then folds back into a less original or less plausible or less coherent version of some part of something you've seen before, if you've seen ''[[The Wonder Years]]'', ''[[My So-Called Life]]'', ''[[Degrassi High]]'', ''[[Party of Five]]'', ''[[Dangerous Minds (TV series)|Dangerous Minds]]'', or ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]''. Or even one of those very special episodes of ''[[Blossom (American TV series)|Blossom]]''."<ref name=":4" />

On the other hand, multiple critics lauded the show's hyper-articulate, self-aware dialogue, saying it is what sets it apart from past teen shows.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Holloway |first=Diane |date=January 16, 1998 |title=New teen drama 'Dawson's Creek' is set to make a stir with hot young stars and controversial dialogue |pages=51 |work=[[Austin American-Statesman]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72590276/dawsons-creek-season-one-1/ |access-date=June 3, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Boone |first=Mike |date=April 12, 1998 |title=Dawson's Creek runneth over |pages=27 |work=[[Montreal Gazette]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72710679/dawsons-creek-season-one/ |access-date=June 3, 2022}}</ref> [[Caryn James]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote the "sophisticated awareness...characteristic of Mr. Williamson's writing" is the show's standout.<ref>{{Cite news |last=James |first=Caryn |date=January 20, 1998 |title=TELEVISION REVIEW; Young, Handsome and Clueless in Peyton Place |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/20/arts/television-review-young-handsome-and-clueless-in-peyton-place.html |access-date=May 9, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Bruce Fretts of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' wrote, "That's Kevin Williamson's genius — just as [[Scream (1996 film)|''Scream'']] did with slasher flicks, ''Creek'' simultaneously works as a teen soap (you can't help but get caught up in the Dawson-Jen-Joey triangle) and comments ironically on the genre (witness the digs at the overly earnest ''90210'' and ''Party of Five''). The trouble is, some people aren't getting the joke."<ref name=":7" /> Jeff Simon of ''[[The Buffalo News]]'' opined, "This is the way wildly bright 15-year-old kids dearly want to talk, which puts ''Dawson's Creek'' into a higher class of realism entirely."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simon |first=Jeff |date=January 25, 1998 |title=SALINGER-LIKE DIALOGUE FLOWS ON 'DAWSON'S CREEK' |url=https://buffalonews.com/news/salinger-like-dialogue-flows-on-dawsons-creek/article_647f19ca-35f3-5a16-8ad9-6b106c5ede0c.html |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[The Buffalo News]]}}</ref> Williamson admitted he wrote the dialogue as such with the aim of showing "how teenagers would like to be seen, as opposed to being talked down to."<ref name=":3" />

In response to concerns about the show's sexual dialogue, some critics wrote "it's safe to assume teens have said, heard, or done far worse."<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 20, 1998 |title=Dawson's Creek review |page=43 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/726521e5/dawsons-creek-season-one-2/ |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref> ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'' wrote the show is "not so much about sex as it is about growing up in a sex-obsessed culture. It's a subtle difference, but one that could make this newest prime-time soap a cut above the rest."<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 20, 1998 |title='Dawson's Creek' teens give sex a lot of thought |pages=42 |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72643155/dawsons-creek-season-one-2/ |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref> ''[[The Sacramento Bee]]'' noted the show does not appear to glorify teacher-student romances as "Pacey's great adventure is not seen by the others as a triumph, and in the end, both he and the teacher pay for [their liaison]."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kushman |first=Rick |date=January 20, 1998 |title=Kushman: Williamson wrote both 'Scream' films |work=[[The Sacramento Bee]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72663871/dawsons-creek-season-one-2 |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref>

John Carman of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' found ''Dawson's Creek'' scenically "downright luxuriant" and liked that it "doesn't have the rushed feel of so many teen shows. The edginess is in the situations, not the pacing."<ref>{{cite web|last=Carman|first=John|title='Creek' Runs Hot / Hormone-fueled teen drama looks like a hit for WB|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/01/20/DD65261.DTL|website=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|access-date=April 6, 2012|date=January 20, 1998}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote that it was "an addictive drama with considerable heart", and that "it's a drama conceited enough to believe that it created the concept of teenagers who care and jaded enough to...[suggest] more than a post-pubescent pipe dream."<ref name=":8">{{cite web|last=Richmond|first=Ray|title=Dawson's Creek|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117436782?refcatid=32&printerfriendly=true|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=April 6, 2012|date=January 19, 1998}}</ref> ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]'' acknowledged the sexual dialogue but said "Williamson conjures a strangely compelling blend of jadedness and innocence."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kloer |first=Phil |date=January 20, 1998 |title='Dawson's Creek': Teens get feet wet |pages=B1 |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72589580/dawsons-creek-season-one/ |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref> The ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' wrote the show "is a real charmer, capturing not only the awkwardness and agonies of growing up but also the pure joy of possibilities ahead",<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pennington |first=Gail |date=January 20, 1998 |title=Even adult viewers can enjoy Dawson's Creek |page=35 |work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72710849/dawsons-creek-season-one/ |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref> and ''[[The Seattle Times]]'' declared it the best show of the 1997–1998 season and said it "belongs in that too-small pantheon of ''My So-Called Life'', ''[[James at 15]]'' and to a lesser extent, ''Party of Five'' and ''[[Doogie Howser, M.D.]]''"<ref>{{cite web |last=McFadden |first=Kay |date=January 19, 1998 |title=The Kids Are Alright – 'Dawson's Creek' Frankly, Lovingly Presents Teen Coming Of Age |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980119/2729563/the-kids-are-alright----dawsons-creek-frankly-lovingly-presents-teen-coming-of-age |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508172128/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980119&slug=2729563 |archive-date=May 8, 2013 |access-date=April 7, 2012 |website=[[The Seattle Times]]}}</ref>

Praise for the cast was widespread. ''LA Weekly'' called the leads "luminous" and "talented",<ref name=":4" /> while ''Variety'' wrote, "As Dawson, Van Der Beek is an exquisitely talented heartthrob, and Holmes, as Joey, is a confident young performer who delivers her lines with slyness and conviction. Williams (Jen) and Jackson (Pacey), meanwhile, more than hold their own, with Jackson looking to be a budding star in his own right."<ref name=":8" />

===Awards and accolades===
''Dawson's Creek'' was nominated for fourteen awards, including ALMA Awards, Casting Society of America Awards, [[Golden Satellite Award]]s, [[TV Guide]] Awards, and YoungStar Awards. In 2000, the show was awarded a [[SHINE Awards|SHINE Award]] for consistently addressing sexual health issues on TV.<ref>{{cite web |last=Feiwell |first=Jill |date=October 25, 2000 |title='Dawson's Creek' garners honors |url=https://variety.com/2000/tv/news/dawson-s-creek-garners-honors-1117788316/ |access-date=April 6, 2012 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> By the end of its run, the show, its crew, and its young cast had been nominated for numerous awards, winning six of them. Joshua Jackson won the [[Teen Choice Award]] for Choice Actor three times, and the show won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Drama twice. The series also won the [[GLAAD Media Award]] for Outstanding TV Drama Series.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 27, 2002 |title=The WB's Drama "Dawson's Creek" Paddles Its Way To Its 100th Episode {{!}} Press Releases |url=https://www.warnerbros.com/news/press-releases/wb%E2%80%99s-drama-%E2%80%9Cdawson%E2%80%99s-creek%E2%80%9D-paddles-its-way-its-100th-episode |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[Warner Bros.]]}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Result
! Award
! Category
! Recipients
|-
|2001
|{{nom}}
|[[ALMA Awards]]
|Outstanding Director of a Drama Series
|[[Gregory Prange]]
|-
|1998
|{{nom}}
|[[Artios Award]]
|Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Pilot
|Marcia Shulman
|-
|2000
|{{won}}
| rowspan="2"|[[GLAAD Media Awards]]
| rowspan="2"|Outstanding TV Drama Series
| rowspan="2"|
|-
|2001
|{{nom}}
|-
|2004
|{{nom}}
|[[Satellite Awards]]
|Best DVD Release of TV Shows
|''Dawson's Creek – The Complete Second Season''
|-
|2000
|{{nom}}
|[[TV Guide|TV Guide Awards]]
|Favorite Teen Show
|
|-
| rowspan="6"|1999
|{{won}}
| rowspan="21"|[[Teen Choice Awards]]
|TV – Choice Drama
|
|-
|{{won}}
|TV – Choice Actor
|Joshua Jackson
|-
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Actor
|James Van Der Beek
|-
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Actress
|Katie Holmes
|-
|{{nom}}
| rowspan="2"|TV – Breakout Performance
|Rachael Leigh Cook
|-
|{{nom}}
|Meredith Monroe
|-
| rowspan="3"|2000
|{{won}}
|TV – Choice Drama
|
|-
|{{won}}
|TV – Choice Actor
|Joshua Jackson
|-
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Actress
|Katie Holmes
|-
| rowspan="3"|2001
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Drama
|
|-
|{{won}}
|TV – Choice Actor
|Joshua Jackson
|-
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Actress
|Katie Holmes
|-
| rowspan="4"|2002
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Drama/Action Adventure
|
|-
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Actor, Drama
|Joshua Jackson
|-
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Actress, Drama
|Katie Holmes
|-
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Sidekick
|Busy Philipps
|-
| rowspan="4"|2003
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Drama/Action Adventure
|
|-
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Actor – Drama/Action Adventure
|Joshua Jackson
|-
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Actress – Drama/Action Adventure
|Katie Holmes
|-
|{{nom}}
|TV – Choice Sidekick
|Mika Boorem
|-
|2018
|{{nom}}
|Choice Throwback TV Show
|
|-
|1998
|{{nom}}
| rowspan="2"|[[YoungStar Awards]]
| rowspan="2"|Outstanding TV Drama SeriesBest Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama TV Series
| rowspan="2"|Michelle Williams
|-
|1999
|{{nom}}
|}

===U.S. television ratings===
{| class="wikitable" width=99% |
|-
! Season
! Timeslot
! Network
! Number of episodes
! Season premiere
! Season finale
! TV seasons
! Rank
! Viewers<br />(in millions)
|-
! [[List of Dawson's Creek episodes#Season 1 (1998)|1]]
| Tuesday 9/8c
| rowspan=6 | [[The WB]]
| 13
| January 20, 1998
| May 19, 1998
| [[1997–98 United States network television schedule|1997–1998]]
| style="text-align:center" | #121<ref name="9798season">{{cite magazine|title=The Final Countdown|url=https://ew.com/article/1998/05/29/what-ranked-and-what-tanked/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=April 8, 2012|date=May 29, 1998|archive-date=September 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924184101/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C283382%2C00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center" | 6.6<ref name="9798season" />
|-
! [[List of Dawson's Creek episodes#Season 2 (1998–1999)|2]]
| rowspan="5"| Wednesday 8/7c
| 22
| October 7, 1998
| May 26, 1999
| [[1998–99 United States network television schedule|1998–1999]]
| style="text-align:center" | #119<ref name="9899season">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/4616/ew0604.html|publisher=[[GeoCities]]|title=TV Winners & Losers: Numbers Racket A Final Tally Of The Season's Show (from Nielsen Media Research)| date=June 4, 1999 | magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=April 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029011819/http://geocities.com/Hollywood/4616/ew0604.html|archive-date=October 29, 2009}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center" | 5.4<ref name="9899season" />
|-
! [[List of Dawson's Creek episodes#Season 3 (1999–2000)|3]]
| 23
| September 29, 1999
| May 24, 2000
| [[1999–00 United States network television schedule|1999–2000]]
| style="text-align:center" | #125<ref name=s3>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/1991/08/1999-2000-ratings-history.html |title=1999-2000 Ratings History |website=The TV Ratings Guide |access-date=May 15, 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center" | 4.4
|-
! [[List of Dawson's Creek episodes#Season 4 (2000–2001)|4]]
| 23
| October 4, 2000
| May 23, 2001
| [[2000–01 United States network television schedule|2000–2001]]
| style="text-align:center" | #121<ref name=s4>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/1991/08/2000-01-ratings-history.html |title=2000-01 Ratings History |website=The TV Ratings Guide |access-date=May 15, 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center" | 4.6
|-
! [[List of Dawson's Creek episodes#Season 5 (2001–2002)|5]]
| 23
| October 10, 2001
| May 15, 2002
| [[2001–02 United States network television schedule|2001–2002]]
| style="text-align:center" | #121<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/1991/08/2001-02-ratings-history.html|title=2001-02 Ratings History |website=The TV Ratings Guide |access-date=May 15, 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center" | 4.1
|-
! [[List of Dawson's Creek episodes#Season 6 (2002–2003)|6]]
| 24
| October 2, 2002
| May 14, 2003
| [[2002–03 United States network television schedule|2002–2003]]
| style="text-align:center" | #134<ref name=s5>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/1991/08/written-astounded-at-how-much-folks.html |title=2002-03 Ratings History |website=The TV Ratings Guide |access-date=May 15, 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center" | 4.1
|}

While never a huge ratings success in the context of major networks like [[NBC]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], and [[CBS]], ''Dawson's Creek'' did very well with the younger demographic it targeted and became a defining show for the WB Network. It became the highest-rated show among female teens at that time<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" /> and helped ad revenue for the WB "soar from $100 million in 1996 to well over half a billion dollars in 1999."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Farhi |first=Paul |date=October 21, 1998 |title=ON TV, A PRIME TIME FOR TEENS |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/10/21/on-tv-a-prime-time-for-teens/220c23d0-81bb-4896-8d92-99036ea01a05/ |access-date=May 15, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> The pilot episode was watched by 6.8&nbsp;million viewers and had a 4.8 rating which made it the network's highest ranked show within two months.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Rankaduwa |first=Sandi |date=May 12, 2018 |title=All Your Fave Teen Dramas Wouldn't Exist Without "Dawson's Creek" |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/sandirankaduwa/dawsons-creek-pacey-joey-michelle-williams-katie-holmes |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[BuzzFeed News]] |language=en}}</ref> The first season's highest ranked episode was the finale, which was fifty-ninth, while the second highest rated was the second episode (probably scoring so well partially because the other major networks carried President [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]]'s [[State of the Union]] address in the midst of the [[Lewinsky scandal]] rather than their regular programming).<ref>{{cite web |last=Bierbaum |first=Tom |date=January 28, 1998 |title=Clinton tide stops long enough at 'Creek' |url=https://variety.com/1998/tv/news/clinton-tide-stops-long-enough-at-creek-1117467201/ |access-date=April 6, 2012 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> The series finale itself was watched by 7.3&nbsp;million U.S. viewers, which was its largest audience since Season 2.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bauder |first=David |date=May 21, 2003 |title=NBC's season finale of 'Friends' tops Nielsen ratings for week |pages=8B |work=[[The Dispatch (Lexington)|The Dispatch]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KPEbAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA21 |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref>