Editing Dawson's Creek

{{Short description|American teen drama television series (1998–2003)}}
{{For|the city in British Columbia|Dawson Creek}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Dawson's Creek (Sony Pictures Television) logo.svg
| image_size         =
| caption            =
| genre              = {{plainlist|
*[[Teen drama]]
*[[Romance film|Romance]]
}}
| creator            = [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]]
| starring           = {{plainlist|
* [[James Van Der Beek]]
* [[Katie Holmes]]
* [[Michelle Williams (actress)|Michelle Williams]]
* [[Joshua Jackson]]
* [[Mary-Margaret Humes]]
* [[John Wesley Shipp]]
* [[Mary Beth Peil]]
* [[Nina Repeta]]
* [[Kerr Smith]]
* [[Meredith Monroe]]
* [[Busy Philipps]]
<!-- Cast are listed in order of first billing. -->
}}
| opentheme          = {{plainlist|
* "[[I Don't Want to Wait]]" by Paula Cole (American broadcast, re-recording for streaming 2021–)
* "Run Like Mad" by Jann Arden (DVD, streaming services and [[Puerto Rico]] releases)
}}
| theme_music_composer = {{plainlist|
* [[Paula Cole]] (American broadcast, streaming 2021–)
* [[Jann Arden]] (DVD, streaming services and [[Puerto Rico]] releases)
}}
| composer           = {{plainlist|
* [[Danny Lux]]
* Stephen Graziano
* [[Mark Mothersbaugh]] (season 3)
* Adam Fields (vast majority)
* [[Dennis McCarthy (composer)|Dennis McCarthy]]
}}
| country            = United States
| language           = English
| num_episodes       = 128
| num_seasons        = 6
| list_episodes      = List of Dawson's Creek episodes
| executive_producer = {{plainlist|
* [[Deborah Joy LeVine]]
* [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]]
* [[Paul Stupin]]
* [[Greg Berlanti]]
* [[Tom Kapinos]]
* [[Greg Prange]]
}}
| location           = [[Wilmington, North Carolina]]<br />[[Cape Cod]], [[Massachusetts]] 
| camera             = [[Single camera setup|Single-camera]]
| runtime            = 45 minutes
| company            = {{plainlist|
* [[Columbia TriStar Television]] (seasons 1–5)
* [[Outerbanks Entertainment]]
* [[Columbia TriStar Television|Columbia TriStar Domestic Television]] (seasons 5–6)
* [[Sony Pictures Television]] (season 6)
}}
| network            = [[The WB]]
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1998|1|20}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|2003|5|14}}
| related            = {{plainlist|
* ''[[Young Americans (TV series)|Young Americans]]''
* ''[[Kavak Yelleri]]''
}}
}}

'''''Dawson's Creek''''' is an American [[teen drama]] television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, [[Massachusetts]], beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 1998, to May 14, 2003, for six seasons. The series stars [[James Van Der Beek]] as [[Dawson Leery]]; [[Katie Holmes]] as his best friend and [[Romance (love)|love interest]], [[Joey Potter]]; [[Joshua Jackson]] as their friend [[Pacey Witter]]; and [[Michelle Williams (actress)|Michelle Williams]] as [[Jen Lindley]], a New York City transplant to Capeside. The show was created by [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]] and premiered on [[The WB]] as a [[mid-season replacement]]. It was produced by [[Columbia TriStar Television]] (renamed [[Sony Pictures Television]] before the final season) and was filmed in [[Wilmington, North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Susman |first=Gary |date=February 3, 2003 |title=Up the 'Creek' |url=https://ew.com/article/2003/02/03/dawsons-creek-will-end-may/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508030459/https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C418637%2C00.html |archive-date=May 8, 2014 |access-date=April 6, 2012 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>

Along with ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' and ''[[7th Heaven (TV series)|7th Heaven]]'', ''Dawson's Creek'' became one of the flagship shows for The WB and launched its main cast to international stardom.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stanley |first=Alessandra |date=September 10, 2004 |title=A President-to-Be and His Rosebud |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/10/arts/television/a-presidenttobe-and-his-rosebud.html |access-date=May 9, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The show placed at No. 90 on ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''{{'s}} "New TV Classics" list in 2007.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The New Classics: TV|url=https://ew.com/article/2007/06/18/new-classics-tv/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=February 5, 2012|date=June 18, 2007|archive-date=October 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020093840/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C20207339%2C00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It has also been credited with kicking off a boom of teen-centered shows in the late 1990s that continued into the 2000s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Baldwin |first=Kristen |date=March 29, 2018 |title='Dawson's Creek': How the series influenced 'Riverdale', 'The O.C.', and more teen TV |url=https://ew.com/tv/2018/03/29/dawsons-creek-influence-teen-tv-critic-essay/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[EW.com]] |language=en}}</ref>

== Premise ==
[[Dawson Leery]] is an introspective 15-year-old and aspiring filmmaker in the small [[New England]] town of Capeside, Massachusetts. Since childhood, he has been best friends with [[Joey Potter|Josephine "Joey" Potter]], who routinely comes over to his house through a ladder into his bedroom for movie-watching and platonic sleepovers. [[Tomboy]] Joey, who lost her mother to cancer and whose father is in prison for drug trafficking, lives with her older sister Bessie, who runs the restaurant The Icehouse. Dawson works at a [[Video rental shop|video rental store]] with his other best friend [[Pacey Witter]], an underachieving class clown who occasionally squabbles with Joey. Dawson and Joey dance around a growing attraction to each other, but their dynamic shifts with the arrival of [[Jen Lindley]], who has moved to Capeside from New York City to live with her grandparents. The series explores the characters' coming-of-age, dealing with topics such as [[Love|first love]], [[death]], [[coming out]], [[homophobia]], [[Social class|class differences]], [[mental health]], and [[divorce]].

== Series overview ==
=== Episodes ===
{{Main article|List of Dawson's Creek episodes{{!}}List of ''Dawson's Creek'' episodes}}
{{:List of Dawson's Creek episodes}}

=== Season 1 (1998) ===
The first season covers a love triangle between Dawson, Joey, and Jen, which some critics have compared to the love triangle between [[Archie Comics]] characters [[Archie Andrews|Archie]], [[Betty Cooper|Betty]], and [[Veronica Lodge|Veronica]].<ref name=":4" /> Some episodes feature homages to movies such as ''[[The Breakfast Club]]'' and some reference Kevin Williamson's work on ''[[Scream (franchise)|Scream]]''. Jen's reasons for moving to Capeside are revealed – she was acting "too sexual" as a result of being taken advantage of when she was twelve. Pacey aims to lose his virginity and has an affair with a new teacher at Capeside High School. Dawson must cope with the news his mother Gail has had an affair, and then witness his parents' attempts to recover from this.

=== Season 2 (1998–1999) ===
The second season takes place during the characters' second half of their [[Sophomore|sophomore year]]. Siblings Andie and Jack McPhee move to Capeside and enroll at the high school. The type-A achiever Andie becomes romantically involved with Pacey and helps him to become more motivated. It is revealed that her older brother has died but her mother sometimes acts as if he is still alive. Andie seems to be responsible for caring for her and protecting her at such times, as her father is absent. Pacey becomes a rock for Andie as it is revealed she struggles with [[mental illness]] herself. Joey finds herself drawn to Jack, who initially reciprocates her feelings, but comes to realize he is gay, which puts him at odds with homophobic classmates and an intolerant father. Jen befriends "bad girl" Abby Morgan and goes down a path of self-destruction. Dawson must deal with the divorce of his parents, Mitch and Gail.

=== Season 3 (1999–2000) ===
The third season saw the beginning of the characters' [[Junior (education year)|junior year]] and a blossoming romance between Joey and Pacey. When Dawson discovers his two friends have become a couple behind his back, he is dejected and angry. Dawson and Pacey become rivals for Joey's affection. Joey tries to repair her friendship with Dawson, but at the end of the season, Dawson realizes he does not want to hold Joey back, so he urges her to go and join Pacey, who is sailing down the coast for the summer. Jen is pursued by freshman football player Henry Parker and initially finds him immature but grows to return his feelings. Jack tries to find his first gay experience, while also juggling football and trying to find a new place to live after his father sells the only home he knows.

=== Season 4 (2000–2001) ===
The fourth season takes place during the characters' [[Twelfth grade|senior year]] of high school and deals with Joey and Pacey's ups and downs as a couple. Their relationship is tested by differing post-high school plans, Joey's friendship with Dawson, and Pacey's insecurity. Jen learns that Henry wants to break up with her but he does not say this to her face. Andie almost dies at a rave when she takes [[MDMA|ecstasy]] that was in Jen's possession via a new boy, Drue, whom Jen used to know in New York. The drug conflicts with Andie's prescribed medication. The incident fractures Jen's friendship with Jack and the group. Dawson starts to date Gretchen, Pacey's older sister who has moved back to Capeside.

=== Season 5 (2001–2002) ===
The fifth season follows most of the characters leaving Capeside to begin new lives in big cities. In [[Los Angeles|LA]], Dawson attends film school at the [[University of Southern California]] but starts to have second thoughts. After arguing with his parents over dropping out, his father dies, leaving Dawson more confused about his future. In [[Boston]], Joey, Jack and Jen navigate their freshman year of college at Worthington University. Pacey finds himself adrift after working on a yacht all summer but enters the restaurant business when he takes a job as a cook at a trendy restaurant in Boston. Jack joins a fraternity and embraces life as an openly gay college student, but it puts his relationship with Toby{{who|date=May 2025}} under strain. Joey struggles to adjust to life as a college student but makes a new friend. Jen finds herself drawn into a whirlwind relationship and also supports Dawson when he attends grief counselling.

=== Season 6 (2002–2003) ===
In the sixth and final season, Dawson moves to Boston and begins to work on a low-budget film project that echoes his life in Capeside. Jen must deal with her parents' impending divorce, while Jack faces sexual harassment from a professor. Joey clashes throughout the season with an egotistical writing professor. Pacey embarks on a new career which comes as a surprise to everyone when he takes a job as a stock broker in a small brokerage firm in Boston. The two-part finale, which is set in the year 2008, finds everyone reunited in Capeside for a special wedding, but the happy reunion is cut short after the group learns that one of their own has been harboring a heartbreaking secret. In the midst of the tragedy, old scores are settled, new relationships blossom, and new ventures are chosen for a better future.

== Cast and characters ==
{{Main article|List of Dawson's Creek characters{{!}}List of ''Dawson's Creek'' characters}}

*[[James Van Der Beek]] as [[Dawson Leery]], the titular character of the show. An introspective dreamer, he aspires to be a filmmaker just like his hero [[Steven Spielberg]]. Throughout the series he has romantic relationships with his childhood friend Joey and his neighbor Jen.
*[[Katie Holmes]] as [[Joey Potter]], Dawson's best friend. A [[tomboy]], Joey often serves as a realistic voice of reason to the more idealistic Dawson but she can also be suspicious and has a short temper.
*[[Michelle Williams (actress)|Michelle Williams]] as [[Jen Lindley]], a rich girl from New York who was exiled to Capeside by her parents to live with her grandparents in the house next door to Dawson's. She was sexually abused at 12 and has since had a wild girl reputation which she resents. Often sarcastic.
*[[Joshua Jackson]] as [[Pacey Witter]], Dawson's wisecracking best friend who is seen as an underachiever by his toxic and abusive family. Apparently light-hearted, Pacey has a hidden sad and romantic side.
*[[Mary-Margaret Humes]] as Gail Leery (seasons 1–4; recurring seasons 5–6), Dawson's mother. She works as an anchorwoman at the Capeside news station, later leaving journalism to start the restaurant Leery's Fresh Fish.
*[[John Wesley Shipp]] as Mitchell "Mitch" Leery (seasons 1–4; guest season 5), Dawson's father and Gail's on-and-off-again husband. He is initially unemployed but then starts working at Capeside High School as a substitute teacher, guidance counselor, and football coach. He later becomes the co-owner of Leery's Fresh Fish.
*[[Mary Beth Peil]] as Evelyn "Grams" Ryan, Jen's grandmother. Her conservative personality initially puts her at odds with Jen, but she comes to form a close bond with her granddaughter and opens her home to Jack when he needs a place to stay.
*[[Nina Repeta]] as Bessie Potter (seasons 1–4; recurring seasons 5–6), Joey's older sister. She has helped raise Joey after the loss of their mother to cancer and their father to prison. She runs the Potter family-owned Icehouse restaurant and later opens up a bed-and-breakfast with Joey.
*[[Kerr Smith]] as Jack McPhee (seasons 3–6; recurring season 2), Andie's brother and Jen's best friend. As a high school student, he struggles with his sexuality and ultimately comes out as gay.
*[[Meredith Monroe]] as Andie McPhee (seasons 3–4; recurring season 2; guest season 6), Jack's sister who befriends and becomes involved with Pacey. Outwardly, she is an achiever at school but also struggles with [[mental illness]].
*[[Busy Philipps|Busy Phillips]] as Audrey Liddell (season 6; recurring season 5), Joey's roommate at Worthington University. She becomes a part of the main characters' friendship group and has a brief relationship with Pacey.

==Production==
===Conception===
Following the selling of his [[spec script]] for [[Wes Craven]]-directed ''[[Scream (1996 film)|Scream]]'' (1996), film assistant [[Kevin Williamson (screenwriter)|Kevin Williamson]] was taking several meetings with film and television producers before the [[slasher film]] began production.<ref name="thr">{{cite web|first=Lesley|last=Goldberg |title='Dawson's Creek' Turns 20: Kevin Williamson Reveals the Teen Drama's Deepest Secrets | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/dawsons-creek-turns-20-kevin-williamson-reveals-teen-dramas-deepest-secrets-1075834|date=January 19, 2018|access-date=January 25, 2018}}</ref> In what would be his first television meeting, Williamson met executive [[Paul Stupin]]; when asked if he had ideas for a television production, Williamson came up with the idea of a [[teen series]] based on his youth growing up near a [[North Carolina]] creek as an aspiring filmmaker who admired director [[Steven Spielberg]].<ref name="thr"/> Stupin liked his idea and asked him to come back the next day and pitch it to [[Columbia TriStar Television]], prompting Williamson to write a 20-page outline for ''Dawson's Creek'' that night.<ref name="thr"/> Williamson pitched the show "as ''[[Some Kind of Wonderful (film)|Some Kind of Wonderful]]'', meets ''[[Pump Up the Volume (film)|Pump Up the Volume]]'', meets ''[[James at 15]]'', meets ''[[My So-Called Life]]'', meets ''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]''",<ref>{{Cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KCm8TUemxkcC&q=%22I+pitched+it+as+Some+Kind+of+Wonderful%2C+meets+Pump+Up+the+Volume%22&pg=PT71| title=Joshua Jackson: An Unauthorized Biography| isbn=9781466813250| last1=Furman| first1=Elina| date=October 15, 1999| publisher=St. Martin's Publishing| access-date=September 3, 2018| archive-date=October 8, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008160022/https://books.google.com/books?id=KCm8TUemxkcC&lpg=PT71&dq=%22I+pitched+it+as+Some+Kind+of+Wonderful,+meets+Pump+Up+the+Volume%22&pg=PT71&hl=en#v=onepage&q=%22I%20pitched%20it%20as%20Some%20Kind%20of%20Wonderful,%20meets%20Pump%20Up%20the%20Volume%22&f=false| url-status=live}}</ref> also taking inspiration from teen drama ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'' as he "wanted it to speak to the teenage audience of the day".<ref name="thr"/>

When Columbia TriStar Television requested him to relocate the show to [[Boston, Massachusetts]], he settled with fictional Capeside, and pitched it to [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]].<ref name="thr"/> However, commissioned amid the struggling of ''[[Party of Five]]'', Fox wondered if they needed another teen drama, and while they were supportive of Williamson's scripts, they eventually passed on it.<ref name="thr"/> Left unused, Columbia TriStar Television sent his scripts to newly founded [[The WB]] network who was looking for fresh ideas for their programme after launching supernatural drama series ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''.<ref name="thr"/> Williamson went for a meeting with then-chief programmer [[Garth Ancier]] and entertainment president [[Susanne Daniels]] who loved his script and picked it up for The WB's new Tuesday night lineup.<ref name="thr"/> [[Procter & Gamble Productions]] joined in as an original co-producer of the series, but sold its interest in the show three months before the premiere when printed stories surfaced about the racy dialogue and risqué plot lines.<ref name="P&G end">{{cite web|last=Paeth|first=Greg|title=P&G Cuts Its Links with Steamy Teen Series|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67852900.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508002425/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67852900.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 8, 2013|website=[[The Cincinnati Post]]|access-date=April 7, 2012|date=October 23, 1997}}</ref>

===Casting===
''Dawson's Creek'' would become responsible for launching the acting careers of its young lead stars [[James Van Der Beek]], [[Michelle Williams (actress)|Michelle Williams]], [[Katie Holmes]], and [[Joshua Jackson]], who had varying levels of acting experience prior to being cast in the show.<ref name="thr"/> Known for his appearance in ''[[The Mighty Ducks (movies)|The Mighty Ducks]]'' series, playing a young and aspiring hockey player, Jackson was initially considered for the main role of Dawson Leery.<ref name="thr"/> However, while Williamson "fell in love" with Jackson, citing his ability to read any role during the auditions, he felt that Jackson's good looks would not fit the underdog, nerd, and video geek character he envisioned for the show's titular character.<ref name="thr"/> After The WB expressed their wish to look for a different actor, Williamson decided on casting him in the role of Dawson's best friend Pacey Witter instead.<ref name="thr"/> After watching a video of James Van Der Beek that his casting director had sent in, the casting crew invited him to audition in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name="thr"/> A regular [[off-Broadway]] performer, Van Der Beek impressed Williamson with his "cerebral and internal" quality, citing "that nervousness that made it seem like he was pre-thinking and over-thinking and over-compensating constantly like he was insecure. And we said, "There's Dawson"."<ref name="thr"/> Actors [[Charlie Hunnam]], [[Adrian Grenier]], [[Jesse Tyler Ferguson]], and [[Scott Speedman]] also auditioned for the role of Dawson, while [[Adam Brody]] read for Pacey.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Heldman|first=Breanne L.|url=https://ew.com/tv/actors-who-auditioned-for-dawsons-creek/|title=Actors you didn't know auditioned for Dawson's Creek|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=January 20, 2018|access-date=January 28, 2018}}</ref> [[Josh Hartnett]] also auditioned for a role.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cinema.com/articles/1019/40-days-and-40-nights-josh-hartnett-interview.phtml | title=40 Days and 40 Nights : Josh Hartnett Interview }}</ref>

With the role of Dawson's best female friend Joey Potter, casting directors were looking for a [[tomboy]] character. Williamson and his team were initially close to casting actress [[Selma Blair]] in the role who had auditioned "very tough, [but] with a lot of heart,"<ref name="thr"/> when an audition tape of Katie Holmes came in, in which she had filmed herself in her basement, with her mother reading Dawson's lines.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Chilton |first=Charlotte |date=December 11, 2020 |title=30 Things You Probably Never Knew About 'Dawson's Creek' |url=https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/g34656618/dawsons-creek-fun-facts-trivia/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[Marie Claire Magazine]] |language=en}}</ref> Williamson thought she had exactly the right look for Joey, citing that "she had those eyes, those eyes just stained with loneliness."<ref name="Rapoport">[[Adam Rapoport|Rapoport, Adam]]. "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon", ''[[GQ]]'', April 2002.</ref> He asked her to come to [[California]], but a conflict with her school play schedule prevented her from doing so.<ref name=":1" /> Upon her arrival in [[Los Angeles]] two weeks later, she was able to secure the role.<ref name="It Girl">Borrelli, Christopher. "The It Girl: For Toledoan Katie Holmes, Stardom Is Just Around the Corner". ''Toledo Blade''. January 11, 1998. Arts and Entertainment, 1; "Katie Holmes", ''Current Biography''.</ref><ref>Pearlman, Cindy. "'America's little sister' hits it big." ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. August 15, 1999. pg 3.</ref>

Michelle Williams, who had acted in ''[[Lassie (1994 film)|Lassie]]'', ''[[Species (film)|Species]]'', and in guest spots on TV sitcoms,<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 14, 2011 |title=The Evolution Of Michelle Williams |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-evolution-of-michelle-williams/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920113525/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-evolution-of-michelle-williams/ |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |access-date=May 14, 2022 |website=Total Film}}</ref> impressed Williamson when she auditioned with a heartfelt scene in which her character Jen Lindley goes in and sees her grandfather lying in the bed, transforming herself "into this broken child who just needed to be fixed".<ref name="thr"/> [[Katherine Heigl]] also was one of the actresses who auditioned for the role of Jen after [[Steve Miner]], who directed the show's pilot and Heigl's 1994 film ''[[My Father the Hero (1994 film)|My Father the Hero]]'', brought in the young star.<ref name=":9">{{cite magazine|last=Stack|first=Tim|url=https://ew.com/tv/2018/03/28/dawsons-creek-reunion-casting-stories/|title=Dawson's Creek reunion: Katherine Heigl could have been Jen and other casting stories|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=March 28, 2018|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref>

===Production team===
The entire first season, thirteen episodes, was filmed before the first episode even aired.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bobbin |first=Jay |date=May 11, 2003 |title=Bittersweet goodbye |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/05/11/bittersweet-goodbye/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812103041/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-05-11/entertainment/0305110368_1_pilot-season-dawson-s-creek-dawsons-creek |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |access-date=April 6, 2012 |website=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> After the end of the second season, Williamson left to focus on ''[[Wasteland (American TV series)|Wasteland]]'', a new show for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]],<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bonin |first=Liane |date=July 28, 1999 |title=Pilot Error |url=https://ew.com/article/1999/07/28/latest-kevin-williamsons-troubled-new-tv-show/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008160024/https://ew.com/article/1999/07/28/latest-kevin-williamsons-troubled-new-tv-show/ |archive-date=October 8, 2020 |access-date=April 7, 2012 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> but later returned to write the two-hour series finale.<ref>{{cite web |last=King |first=Susan |date=May 11, 2003 |title='Dawson's Creek' Bows Out Looking Ahead |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-may-11-tv-coverstory11-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418162611/http://articles.latimes.com/2003/may/11/news/tv-coverstory11 |archive-date=April 18, 2016 |access-date=April 6, 2012 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> After Williamson's departure, [[Alex Gansa]] was selected as the new [[showrunner]], but a production shutdown in addition to actors' unhappiness with the story lines at the start of season three led to Gansa being replaced by [[Greg Berlanti]], who had been on the writing staff before Williamson's departure.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Glassman |first=Thea |date=January 19, 2018 |title=Inside the Thrilling, Chaotic Writers' Room of Dawson's Creek |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/01/dawsons-creek-20th-anniversary-writers-room |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Members of the series' writing staff would go on to create or write for other notable TV shows, including [[Gina Fattore]] (''[[Gilmore Girls]]''), [[Jenny Bicks]] (''[[Sex and the City]]''), [[Julie Plec]] (''[[The Vampire Diaries]]''), [[Tom Kapinos]] (''[[Californication (TV series)|Californication]]''), and Dana Baratta (''[[Jessica Jones (TV series)|Jessica Jones]]'').<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":14">{{Cite web |last=Pinnington |first=Lauren |date=May 24, 2020 |title=How Joey and Pacey Became Dawson Creek's Most Irresistible Couple |url=https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a32635167/dawsons-creek-joey-pacey-female-writers/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |website=Marie Claire Magazine |language=en}}</ref>

===Filming locations===
During its first four seasons, ''Dawson's Creek'' was primarily filmed in [[Wilmington, North Carolina]], at [[EUE/Screen Gems]] studios and on location around Wilmington, with [[Southport, North Carolina|Southport]] and [[Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina|Wrightsville Beach]] also standing in for the fictional town of Capeside, a port city located in mid-[[Cape Cod]].<ref name="seahawk">{{cite web|first=Kyle|last=Kissinger|title=Hollywood of the East: Wilmington's notable television and film appearances|url=https://theseahawk.org/14846/lifestyles/hollywood-of-the-east-wilmingtons-notable-television-and-film-appearances/|website=The Sea Hawk|access-date=January 28, 2018|date=November 14, 2017}}</ref> The Wilmington area benefited greatly from the show. While a number of films, commercials and music videos had been shot at the studios, ''Dawson's Creek'' was the first to occupy numerous [[soundstage]]s for many years. Other shows as ''[[One Tree Hill (TV series)|One Tree Hill]]'' later occupied some of these same soundstages for several years and used some of the same locations in Wilmington.<ref name="legacy">{{cite news |author=Hidek |first1=Jeff |last2=Hotz |first2=Amy |date=January 20, 2008 |title='Creek' revisited: The super-hot, locally filmed teen drama is, like, so 10 years ago |work=The Star-News |url=http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080120/NEWS/285137840 |url-status=dead |access-date=May 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108203616/http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080120/NEWS/285137840 |archive-date=January 8, 2009}}</ref> In addition to business brought into the community by the project, it attracted attention to the city as a filming location and boosted tourism.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Neumaier |first=Joe |date=June 4, 1999 |title=Visiting ''Dawson's Creek'' |url=https://ew.com/article/1999/06/04/visiting-dawsons-creek/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522124952/https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,273599,00.html |archive-date=May 22, 2010 |access-date=April 7, 2012 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> The visitors' bureau distributed a special guide to filming locations used in the show.<ref name="legacy" />

For the Leery, Lindley, and Potter homes private residences located along the shores of [[Hewletts Creek]], a stream in [[New Hanover County, North Carolina|New Hanover County]], were used.<ref name="legacy2">{{cite news |last=Rakestraw |first=Emory |date=June 26, 2018 |title='Dawson's Creek' legacy endures |work=Wrightsville Beach Magazine |url=https://wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com/dawsons-house/ |access-date=May 14, 2022}}</ref> Some of the scenes shown during the opening credits and miscellaneous scenery shots throughout the early episodes were filmed in [[Martha's Vineyard]], an island off the coast of [[Massachusetts]], as well as [[Masonboro, North Carolina|Masonboro]].<ref name="legacy" /> Interiors for the Potter family's Icehouse restaurant were filmed at The Icehouse bar in downtown Wilmington, while exteriors were filmed at the Dockside Restaurant in [[Wrightsville Beach, NC|Wrightsville Beach]].<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=July 15, 2020 |title=Dawson's Creek Locations Tours {{!}} Wilmington, NC |url=https://www.wilmingtonandbeaches.com/blog/post/dawsons-creek-locations-tour/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |website=wilmingtonandbeaches.com |language=en-us}}</ref> Nearby constructions at the real Icehouse later forced producers to eliminate the bar from the storyline by burning it down.<ref name="legacy" /> Other prominent exterior shots include Alderman and Hoggard Halls on the [[University of North Carolina Wilmington]] campus, serving for Capeside High School.<ref name="seahawk"/>

Due to the architectural uniformity of the campus, it was difficult for the university to double as another campus in the show when the characters reached college in the fifth and sixth season. Therefore, scenes at the fictional Worthington University in [[Boston]] were filmed at [[Duke University]] and around [[Franklin Street (Chapel Hill)|Franklin Street]] at the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]].<ref name="seahawk"/> Other filming locations in later seasons include [[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]] and [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]].<ref name=Duke>{{cite journal|title=Duke: The TV Show |journal=Duke Magazine |url=http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/010202/depgar.html |date=January–February 2002 |access-date=December 4, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222131405/http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/010202/depgar.html |archive-date=December 22, 2007  }}</ref> The Hell's Kitchen bar featured in the show was a natural food store at 118 Princess Street in Wilmington which was purchased by producers, dressed as a seedy college bar and used for production during the show's last season. When production completed, the building was purchased by a local restaurateur, along with much of the set and decorations and was then converted into a real restaurant and bar that retains the same name.<ref name=":10" /><ref name="legacy" />

== Marketing ==
The WB spent an estimated $3 million on marketing the show several months ahead of the January 20, 1998, series premiere.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Ted |date=March 7, 1998 |title=Dawson's Peak |volume=46 |pages=18–24 |work=[[TV Guide]] |issue=2345 |url=https://www.oocities.org/televisioncity/stage/8130/wmedia.html |url-status=bot: unknown |access-date=May 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605060636/https://www.oocities.org/televisioncity/stage/8130/wmedia.html |archive-date=June 5, 2023 }}</ref> Promotion included billboards in addition to trailers in theaters before screenings of films like ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'', making The WB the first TV network to run trailers in movie theaters.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Lloyd |first=Robert |date=January 29, 1998 |title=Without a Paddle |work=[[LA Weekly]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72709686/dawsons-creek-season-one/ |access-date=May 9, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=March 31, 2018 |title=How The WB broke new ground by promoting 'Dawson's Creek' in movie theaters |url=https://ew.com/tv/2018/03/31/the-wb-dawsons-creek-movie-theater-promotion/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref> A clip of the show was circulated to television critics and media outlets in the summer of 1997 which generated buzz for the show's risqué content that included frank sexual talk amongst teenagers and a romantic plot line between a teacher and a high school student.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

[[J.Crew]], which was the show's wardrobe provider,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Ilana |date=January 22, 2018 |title='dawson's creek' is an underrated archive of 90s fashion |url=https://i-d.co/article/dawsons-creek-is-an-underrated-archive-of-90s-fashion/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[i-D]] |language=en}}</ref> featured the then unknown cast for its winter-spring catalog.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lester |first=Tracey Lomrantz |date=January 28, 2013 |title=Um, the Dawson's Creek Cast Stars in this Vintage J. Crew Catalog |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/um-the-dawsons-creek-cast-star |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In January 1998, promos ran in [[Blockbuster LLC|Blockbuster]] video stores featuring the [[Paula Cole]] song "[[I Don't Want to Wait]]",<ref name=":3" /> which would later become the show's theme song after producers could not secure the rights for [[Alanis Morissette]]'s "[[Hand in My Pocket]]".<ref name="billboard20180120" /> The WB's marketing campaign led ''[[Newsweek]]'' to remark ''Dawson's Creek'' is "as much a marketing event as a small-town serial about overheated hormones."<ref name=":4" />

During the series' run, producers and writers were among the first to use cross-platform fan engagement through the series' official website, which was known as Dawson's Desktop.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=Botwin |first=Michele |date=May 12, 1999 |title=WB's 'Creek' Hits Fan Pay Dirt With Dawson's Desktop Web Site |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-12-ca-36282-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609051946/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-12-ca-36282-story.html |archive-date=June 9, 2020 |access-date=May 14, 2022 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 20, 2014 |title=Throwback Thursday: Looking Back at 'Dawson's Creek,' Connected Content Pioneer |url=https://www.adweek.com/lostremote/throwback-thursday-looking-back-at-dawsons-creek-connected-content-pioneer/48584 |access-date=May 15, 2022 |website=[[Ad Week]] |language=en-US}}</ref> On the site, users could peruse "Dawson's multimedia journal and homework files, surf his bookmarked Web sites and listen to his CDs. They can read characters' e-mails and chats and go through their trash bins."<ref name=":11" /> According to show writer [[Jeffrey Stepakoff]], "dawsonscreek.com [was] where fans could not only chat about the show, but tell us what they wanted to see next. The wishes of viewers had a very strong impact on the direction of the series. In fact, staff members were hired to interact regularly with fans online."{{sfn|Hodge|2012|p=46}}

==Broadcast==

===International===
The show was broadcast in over 50 countries.<ref name=":6" /> It was especially popular in Australia, where it rated #1 in its time slot on [[Network Ten]] for several episodes and highly at other times from seasons one to four.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-XyDwAAQBAJ&q=Dawson%E2%80%99s+Creek |title=The Australian TV Book |publisher=Routledge |year=2020 |isbn=978-1865080147 |editor-last=Cunningham |editor-first=Stuart |editor-link=Stuart Cunningham |language=en |editor-last2=Turner |editor-first2=Graeme |editor-link2=Graeme Turner}}</ref> Reruns of the show are often seen in Australia on [[9Go!]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=McManus |first=Bridget |date=June 22, 2019 |title=Daily Picks M Magazine June 26 - Wednesday |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/daily-picks-m-magazine-june-26-wednesday-20190612-p51wwc.html |access-date=May 15, 2022 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref> 

In the United Kingdom, Dawson's Creek initially on [[Channel 4]] but later moved to [[Channel 5 (UK)|Channel 5]] for its last two seasons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 6, 2003 |title=Channel Five swoops for Dawson's Creek |url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/mar/06/channel4.channel5 |access-date=May 15, 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> In 2007, Channel 5's sister channel [[5Star]] began airing reruns on weekdays. From April 2011, it aired on [[Sony Entertainment Television (UK & Ireland)|Sony Channel]] on the [[British Sky Broadcasting|Sky]] digital platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wightman |first=Catriona |date=April 6, 2011 |title=I've never seen... 'Dawson's Creek' |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a312929/ive-never-seen-dawsons-creek/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |website=Digital Spy |language=en-GB}}</ref> In November 2017, the full series returned to Channel 4's streaming service [[All 4]]. In May 2023, [[ITV2]] started airing every ''Dawson's Creek'' episode on every weekday afternoons.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 8, 2017 |title=All 4 is making all six seasons of Dawson's Creek available to stream |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a840102/dawsons-creek-streaming-all-4-uk-november-2017/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=Digital Spy |language=en-GB}}</ref> 

In [[Finland]], the show aired on [[Yle]]. 

In Italy, Dawson's Creek initially aired on the [[Pay television|pay TV]] channel TELE+ Bianco, but later moved to the [[free-to-air]] TV channel [[Italia 1]] for its last four seasons. 

The show aired in New Zealand on [[TVNZ 2]].

In Norway the show aired on [[TV3 (Norwegian TV channel)|TV3]], and ran from 1999 to 2004.

===Syndication===
Dawson's Creek aired on [[TBS (American TV channel)|TBS]] from 2003 to 2008, and later aired on Noggin's late-night programming block [[The N]] from 2006 to 2007, and then later moved to the 24-hour version of The N where it aired until December 31, 2008. And aired on [[Pop (American TV channel)|Pop]] from 2012 to 2018, and aired on [[Freeform (TV channel)|ABC Family]] for a short time in 2015.

==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>

==Spin-offs==
The show had, in the words of television experts [[Tim Brooks (television historian)|Tim Brooks]] and Earle Marsh, a "semi-spinoff" – ''[[Young Americans (TV series)|Young Americans]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |title=[[The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present]] |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle |publisher=Ballantine Books |year=2003 |isbn=978-0345497734 |location=New York |author-link=Tim Brooks (television historian)}}</ref> The protagonist of ''Young Americans'', Will Krudski ([[Rodney Scott (actor)|Rodney Scott]]), was introduced in three episodes at the end of the show's third season as a friend of Dawson, Joey, and Pacey's who had previously moved away and returned to Capeside for a visit. His character was never referred to before this story arc and did not appear again in the series after the season three episode "Show Me Love". ''Young Americans'' was made by the same company as ''Dawson's Creek'', [[Columbia TriStar Television]], and appeared in ''Dawson's Creek's'' time slot during the show's break in the summer of 2000.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last1=Adalian |first1=Josef |last2=Fleming |first2=Michael |date=December 13, 1999 |title=WB seeks 'Young' blood |url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/wb-seeks-young-blood-1117759891/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Young Americans'' had 8 episodes. The reason the show is considered a semi-spinoff instead of a true spinoff is that the character of Will was not originally created for ''Dawson's Creek'', and was only introduced in ''Dawson's'' to set up and establish the premise of ''Young Americans''.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Young Americans |url=http://www.tv.com/young-americans/show/4183/summary.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930035605/http://www.tv.com/young-americans/show/4183/summary.html/ |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |access-date=April 6, 2012 |website=TV.com}}</ref>

===Foreign remakes===
The show served as inspiration for the production of the Argentine soap ''[[Verano del '98]]'', which received criticism for being a thinly veiled copy of ''Dawson's Creek''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 7, 1998 |title=Telefé, en una inspiración de verano |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/espectaculos/telefe-en-una-inspiracion-de-verano-nid89807/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[La Nacion]] |language=es}}</ref> The 2007 youth drama series ''[[Kavak Yelleri]]'' is also a Turkish remake of the show.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

==Merchandise==

===DVD releases===
{{Main|List of Dawson's Creek home video releases{{!}}List of ''Dawson's Creek'' home video releases}}

===Music===
Curating popular music and breaking artists from the [[indie pop|independent]] and [[alternative rock]] genres, ''Dawson's Creek'' became impactful on shaping the television music culture of [[teen series|teen]] and other [[drama series]] in the [[1990s in music|late 1990s]] and early [[2000s in music|2000s]].<ref name="billboard20180120">{{cite magazine |first=Ilana |last=Kaplan|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8095191/dawsons-creek-music-soundtrack-history-interview|title='Dawson's Creek' Turns 20: Insiders Share Stories Behind the Music, Plot Choices & More|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=January 20, 2018|access-date=January 28, 2018}}</ref> Instrumentation of the episodes was generally overseen by executive [[Paul Stupin]], music supervisor John McCullough, and co-producer Drew Matich who helped artists rise to fame and made pivotal creative decisions.<ref name="billboard20180120"/> The trio approached music in "a way to convey the emotion, to convey the story," looking for songs to underplay whole sequences where viewers could also enjoy the music under dialogue.<ref name="billboard20180120"/> Thus, Stupin would often end up spending hours in the editing room with the editor going over candidates for songs that McCullough sent over. In some cases, they would look at, against picture, ten or 15 songs against each scene.<ref name="billboard20180120"/> Next to McCullough, recommendations for inclusion came "from everywhere", with writers, editors, co-producers and [[Sony Music]] executives playing pivotal roles.<ref name="billboard20180120"/>

[[File:Paula Cole @ The Triple Door (8728542794).jpg|thumb|left|150px|[[Paula Cole]]'s "[[I Don't Want to Wait]]" served as the show's [[theme song]].]]
Originally, Canadian recording artist [[Alanis Morissette]]'s song "[[Hand in My Pocket]]" from her third studio album ''[[Jagged Little Pill]]'' (1995) served as the [[theme song]] in the unaired [[pilot episode]] of the television show. However, Morissette decided not to have it used as the theme after ''Dawson's Creek'' was picked up, prompting Stupin and McCullough to approach different artists for original material to use.<ref name="billboard20180120"/> In the meantime, The WB had licensed American singer-songwriter [[Paula Cole]]'s song "[[I Don't Want to Wait]]" from her second album ''[[This Fire (album)|This Fire]]'' (1996) and suggested them to use it instead.<ref name="billboard20180120"/> An eleventh hour decision, it was incorporated late into the promotion of the series but became a hit on the US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' charts upon the show's debut in January 1998.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/music-90sgirls/33/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726122618/http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/music-90sgirls/33/ |title=Paula Cole: Then {{!}} '90s Alternative Girls: Then & Now |website=Xfinity |archive-date=July 26, 2012|access-date=January 28, 2018}}</ref> The first season's [[Film score|score]] was provided by [[Adam Fields]], including the "End Credits Theme", which was used on all six seasons.<ref name="netflix"/>

Because [[Sony Music]] failed to secure the rights for home video and [[online streaming]] services when the show was produced and did not wish to pay for them later, most of the songs that aired in the original broadcasts were replaced in the DVD editions and upon the [[video-on-demand]] debut of the show.<ref name="netflix">{{cite web |first=Joe |last=Satran|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/dawsons-creek-theme-song-netflix_n_1683506.html|title=Netflix's 'Dawson's Creek' Theme Song Closes Tortured Saga|website=[[Huffington Post]]|date=July 19, 2012|access-date=January 28, 2018}}</ref> Starting with the third season, "I Don't Want to Wait" was also dropped from the [[opening sequence]] of the DVD releases due to budget reasons and was replaced by "Run Like Mad" from Canadian folk artist [[Jann Arden]], a regular music contributor to the series.<ref name="netflix"/> The 32-second recording was one of the original intros that Stupin commissioned after he had failed to acquire rights to Morissette's song and which international broadcasts had previously used as the theme song for the first season before switching to Cole's song for the remainder of the run.<ref name="netflix"/> In 2021, Cole recorded a new version of "I Don't Want to Wait" to avoid licensing issues with the original master, and [[Netflix]] used this new master as the theme song.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Willman|first=Chris|date=September 3, 2021|title=The Wait Is Over: Paula Cole's Opening Song Returns to 'Dawson's Creek'|url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/paula-cole-dawsons-creek-song-restored-netflix-1235055893/|access-date=September 5, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref>

During its original run, ''Dawson's Creek'' spawned two volumes of soundtrack albums. The album ''[[Songs from Dawson's Creek]]'' was released after the broadcasting of the series' first season in April 1999, and became a major success worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |last=Weingarten |first=Marc |date=May 8, 1999 |title=** Various artists, "Songs From 'Dawson's Creek'", Columbia |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-08-ca-35022-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426045905/http://articles.latimes.com/1999/may/08/entertainment/ca-35022 |archive-date=April 26, 2016 |access-date=April 6, 2012 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> It reached the top of the [[Australian Albums Chart]] and also peaked within the top in Austria, Norway, Sweden, and the United States. During it first sixth months of release, the album sold more than 1.5&nbsp;million copies worldwide and was certified triple platinum by the [[Australian Recording Industry Association]] (ARIA) and gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA).<ref name="billboard111999"/> In Australia, it became the fifth highest selling album of 1999.<ref name="aria_yearend">{{cite web|url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-100-albums-1999.htm|title=ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 1999|publisher=[[Australian Recording Industry Association]]|access-date=January 28, 2018|archive-date=September 12, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912162022/http://aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-100-albums-1999.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Songs from Dawson's Creek – Volume 2]]'' was released in October 2000 to coincide with the debut of the series' fourth season. Less successful, it reached the top twenty of Austrian and [[Swiss Albums Chart]]s, while peaking at number 50 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="billboard111999">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eggEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Songs+from+Dawson%27s+Creek%22&pg=PA60|title=local Noise|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=November 6, 1999|access-date=January 28, 2018|archive-date=October 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008160024/https://books.google.com/books?id=eggEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60&dq=%22Songs+from+Dawson%27s+Creek%22&hl=en#v=onepage&q=%22Songs%20from%20Dawson's%20Creek%22&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Book series ===
[[Simon & Schuster]] published a series of fifteen [[Paperback#Mass-market|mass-market paperback]] novelizations of the series.<ref name="legacy" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Dawson's Creek 0.5 |url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/dawsons-creek/60740/ |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[thriftbooks]] }}</ref> Before joining the series' staff as episode writers, [[Liz Tigelaar]] and [[Anna Fricke]] wrote a [[Young adult fiction|young adult]] suspense-themed series as a companion to the show.<ref name=":14" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dawson's Creek Suspense |url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/dawsons-creek-suspense/124571/ |access-date=June 3, 2022 |website=thriftbooks}}</ref>

==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" />

== In popular culture ==
''Dawson's Creek'' was frequently referenced in other media, including ''[[South Park]]''{{Sfn|Hodge|2012|p=58-59}} at the height of its popularity. The children's sketch comedy series ''[[The Amanda Show]]'' included a recurring soap opera parody segment called "Moody's Point".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grant |first=Stacey |date=October 11, 2015 |title=Still Wondering About The Ending Of 'Moody's Point'? The Creator Shares What Actually Happened |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2346115/what-actually-happened-to-moodys-point/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151012045957/http://www.mtv.com/news/2346115/what-actually-happened-to-moodys-point/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 12, 2015 |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=MTV News |language=en}}</ref> The series was also parodied at the [[1998 MTV Movie Awards]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 30, 2012 |title=Dawsons Creek Katie Holmes Samuel L Jackson |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5IfALsKBNk |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> and in the 2000 film ''[[Scary Movie]]'', the latter which Van Der Beek makes a cameo in.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 2, 2017 |title=How James Van Der Beek shook off Dawson Leery |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2017/08/02/how-james-van-der-beek-shook-dawson-leery |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[SBS Australia]] |language=en}}</ref> Van Der Beek, playing a fictionalized version of himself in ''[[Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23]]'' frequently made fun of his character in the show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/dont-trust-b-apartment-23-james-van-der-beek-other-actors-played-themselves/|title=Don't Trust The B---- in Apartment 23: James Van Der Beek & 9 Other Actors Who Played Themselves|website=[[Screen Rant]] |date=25 October 2020}}</ref> 

Van Der Beek appeared alongside [[Jason Biggs]] in the 2001 film ''[[Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back]]'' as the cinematic versions of the titular characters [[Jay and Silent Bob]]'s alter-egos 'Bluntman & Chronic". Wherein during an argument; Biggs confuses Van Der Beek's character of Dawson with that of Joshua Jackson's character Pacey.

The scene of Dawson's crying face became a [[Internet meme|meme]] that Van Der Beek has acknowledged.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grady |first=Constance |date=May 1, 2021 |title=An oral history of the Dawson crying GIF and its outsized legacy |url=https://www.vox.com/culture/22364676/dawson-crying-gif-secret-history-dawsons-creek-legend |access-date=May 9, 2022 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |language=en}}</ref>

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==References==
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite thesis |last=Hodge |first=Amber R.J.P. |date=2012 |title=The Rise and Fall of the WB: ''Dawson's Creek'', Intertextuality, and Legitimation |type= MA thesis |url=https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5970&context=etd |publisher=[[College of William & Mary]] |doi=10.21220/s2-00v5-f567}}

== Further reading ==

* {{cite book |last=Crosdale |first=Darren |title=Dawson's Creek: The Official Companion |url=https://archive.org/details/dawsonscreekoffi0000cros |location=Kansas City |publisher=Andrew McMeel Pub. |year=1999 |isbn=978-0740707254}}
* {{cite book |last1=Daniels |first1=Susanne |last2=Littleton |first2=Cynthia |date=2007 |author-link=Susanne Daniels |title=Season Finale: The Unexpected Rise and Fall of the WB and UPN |url=https://archive.org/details/seasonfinaleunex00dani |location=New York |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=978-0061340994}}
* {{cite book |last=Mangels |first=Andy |author-link=Andy Mangels |title=From Scream to Dawson's Creek to Wasteland: The Phenomenal Career of Kevin Williamson |url=https://archive.org/details/fromscreamtodaws00mang |location= |publisher=Renaissance Books |year=2000 |isbn=978-1580631228}}
* {{cite book |last=Stepakoff |first=Jeffrey |author-link=Jeffrey Stepakoff |date=2007 |title=Billion-Dollar Kiss: The Kiss That Saved Dawson's Creek and Other Adventures in TV Writing |url=https://archive.org/details/billiondollarkis0000step |location=New York |publisher=Gotham |isbn=978-1592402953}}

==External links==
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