Editing Dawson's Creek (section)

==Legacy==
The show's influence as a cultural touchstone has been widely acknowledged by media outlets and critics.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Millman |first=Joyce |date=May 2, 2003 |title=Hail and farewell: Dawson's Creek, Buffy, and the soul of the WB |url=https://bostonphoenix.com/boston/arts/tv/documents/02857484.htm |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[The Boston Phoenix]]}}</ref> In an article for ''[[BuzzFeed News]]'', Sandi Rankaduwa wrote about why the show resonated with young people who came of age during the era of [[Columbine High School massacre|Columbine]] and [[September 11 attacks|9/11]], saying "At a time in teens' lives when they're tasked with trying to understand their place in the world, events unfolding around them were becoming increasingly senseless. So it's not entirely surprising that a show featuring confused, outsider teens who seemed more self-aware than the adults around them became comfort food for so many young Americans...but despite its nostalgic elements, ''Dawson's Creek'' managed to portray a warts-and-all world in which viewers watched smart, stubborn, and emotional characters search for stability, and seeing them both struggle and succeed in a controlled space became therapeutic. The breadth of characters was wide enough to give everyone at least one person to root for and relate to, especially for a primarily teen girl audience."<ref name=":6" />

Rankaduwa added, "Unlike the glamorous lifestyles shown in shows like ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' and later ''The O.C.'', both on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]], the stories of teens on the Creek felt somewhat accessible. And when it came to what made ''Dawson's Creek'' so significant to its teen viewers, it wasn't just the words, it was who was saying them."<ref name=":6" />

''Entertainment Weekly'' ranked Pacey and Joey as number 20 on their list of the 100 Best TV Romances of All Time.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=February 14, 2022 |title=The 100 best TV romances of all time |url=https://ew.com/tv/100-best-tv-romances-of-all-time/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Grady |first=Constance |date=March 28, 2018 |title=20 years ago, Dawson's Creek introduced a love triangle that changed teen soaps forever |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/1/25/16911234/dawsons-creek-20-years-love-triangle-joey-pacey |access-date=May 15, 2022 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]}}</ref> The season three finale episode "[[True Love (Dawson's Creek)|True Love]]" is ranked at number 50 on ''[[The Ringer (website)|The Ringer]]''<nowiki/>'s list of 100 Best TV Episodes of the Century.<ref>"Dawson's Creek S3 E23 - 'True Love'". ''[https://besttv.theringer.com/?episode=50 The 100 Best TV Episodes of the Century]''. [[The Ringer (website)|''The Ringer'']]. July 31, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2022.</ref> The character of Jack McPhee was cited as being among the most groundbreaking gay roles on television<ref>{{Cite magazine |last= |first= |date=January 26, 2011 |title=Fifteen TV Characters Who Helped Shatter Stereotypes |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/the-15-most-groundbreaking-gay-roles-on-television-21061/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US}}</ref> and his kiss with Ethan marked the first romantic kiss between two gay male characters on primetime TV.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=May 1, 2001 |title=GLAAD Heralds 'Dawson's' Kiss |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=105961&page=1 |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 23, 2018 |title='Love, Simon' Director Greg Berlanti Almost Quit 'Dawsons Creek' Job Early in Career Over Banned Gay Kiss |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/love-simon-greg-berlanti-dawsons-creek-banned-gay-kiss-1201942587/ |website=[[IndieWire]]}}</ref>

The popularity and success of ''Dawson's Creek'' is credited with paving the way for subsequent teen shows.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2017 |title=Cheers for tears! How Dawson's Creek helped teen TV get emotional |url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/nov/25/dawsons-creek-helped-teen-tv-get-emotional |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> In 2018, Kristen Baldwin of ''EW'' argued, "Without ''Dawson's'' (and its original lead-out, ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''), we would never have the hyper-verbal, pop culture-obsessed teens of ''[[Riverdale (American TV series)|Riverdale]]''— not to mention ''[[Felicity (TV series)|Felicity]]'' and ''[[Charmed]]'' (1998), ''[[Popular (TV series)|Popular]]'', ''[[Freaks and Geeks]]'' (which was actually pitched as 'the anti-''Dawson's Creek''<nowiki/>') and ''[[Roswell (TV series)|Roswell]]'' (1999), ''[[Gilmore Girls]]'' (2000), ''[[Everwood]]'' (2002), or 2003's ''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]'' and ''[[The O.C.]]'' After all, who is [[Seth Cohen]] but a snarkier, more Jewish Dawson Leery?"<ref name=":0" />

Baldwin continued, "with ''Dawson's'' the characters didn't just suffer through crushes and hormones and parental drama — they talked endlessly, and with hilarious eloquence, about how cliché their crushes and hormones and parental drama was. As EW's Chris Nashawaty wrote in 1997, on the eve of Dawson's premiere, 'Williamson shows teens a reflection of how they want to be seen: witty, urbane, and always armed with a perfectly barbed, sarcastic comeback.'"<ref name=":0" />

In 2018, the cast reunited for the series' 20th anniversary in a special issue of ''Entertainment Weekly'', which included five different collectible covers for its print issue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stack |first=Tim |date=March 28, 2018 |title='Dawson's Creek' cast reunites for its 20th anniversary on this week's EW cover |url=https://ew.com/tv/2018/03/28/dawsons-creek-reunion-ew-cover/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref> The weekend following the reunion cover saw streaming traffic for the series on [[Hulu]] quadruple.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kinane |first=Ruth |date=April 9, 2018 |title='Dawson's Creek' views spike on Hulu after EW's 20th-anniversary reunion cover |url=https://ew.com/tv/2018/04/09/dawsons-creek-hulu-reunion/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref>

When asked about the possibility of a [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]], Katie Holmes said, "What I love about the show is that it existed at a time pre-social media, pre-internet, and it was nostalgic when we were shooting it. So I really like it where it is, to be honest."<ref name=":13">{{Cite magazine |last=Stack |first=Tim |date=April 6, 2018 |title=Creek Out |volume=1509/1510 |page=44 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> Kevin Williamson added, "''Dawson's Creek'' was me expressing myself at that point in time. And here I am, at another age, at another point in time. I don't know what I could emotionally bring to the table. I can't wait for someone else to do it. I don't think it's going to be me. But I'll be happy to watch it."<ref name=":13" />