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I just think our burgeoning hormones are destined to alter our relationship and I'm trying to limit the fallout
—Joey to Dawson[src]

Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama series which debuted 20 January 1998 on the WB television network.

About[]

A seminal one-hour drama series, Dawson's Creek chronicles with wry humor the undeniably intense period of awakening known as the teenage years. A startlingly fresh and realistic portrayal of this passage from adolescence to young adulthood, Dawson's Creek takes a dramatic turn in its fifth season as the teens embark on their post-high school lives. At this crossroads, expectations are turned on their heads as the friends surprise each other with the people they grow into being, how well they thrive in this new world and who steals their hearts.

Starring[]

James Van Der Beek as Dawson Leery
Katie Holmes as Joey Potter
Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley
Joshua Jackson as Pacey Witter
Meredith Monroe as Andie McPhee (2—4, guest 6)
Kerr Smith as Jack McPhee (2—6)
Mary-Margaret Humes as Gale Leery (1—4, guest 5—6)
John Wesley Shipp as Mitch Leery (1—4, guest 5)
Mary Beth Peil as Grams
Nina Repeta as Bessie Potter (1—4, recurring 5—6)
Busy Philipps as Audrey Liddell (6; recurring 5)
Special Guest Stars
Dylan Neal as Doug Witter (1, 3—6)
Obi Ndefo as Bodie Wells (1, 3, 4, 6)
Monica Keena as Abby Morgan (1—2)
Rachael Leigh Cook as Devon (Season 2)
Mädchen Amick as Nicole Kennedy (Season 2)
Michael Pitt as Henry Parker (Season 3)
Bianca Lawson as Nikki Green (Season 3)
Adam Kaufman as Ethan Brody (Season 3)
Harve Presnell as Arthur Brooks (Season 4)
Sasha Alexander as Gretchen Witter (Season 4)
Mark Matkevich as Drue Valentine (Season 4)
Sherilyn Fenn as Alex Pearl (Season 5)
Ken Marino as David Wilder (Season 5)
Chad Michael Murray as Charlie Todd (Season 5)
Lourdes Benedicto as Karen Torres (Season 5)
Ian Kahn as Danny Brecher (Season 5)
Oliver Hudson as Eddie Doling (Season 6)
Jensen Ackles as C.J. Braxton (Season 6)
Recurring cast
Hal Ozsan as Todd Carr (5—6)
Leann Hunley as Tamara Jacobs (recurring 1; guest 2)
Scott Foley as Cliff Elliot (Season 1)
Obba Babatundé as Howard Green (Season 3)
Carolyn Hennesy as Mrs. Valentine (Season 4)
Jordan Bridges as Oliver Chirchick (Season 5)
Megan Gray as Emma Jones (Season 6)
Bianca Kajlich as Natasha Kelly (Season 6)
Guest starring
Gareth Williams as Mike Potter (1—2, 6)
Ed Grady as Gramps (Season 1)
Eion Bailey as Billy Konrad (Season 1)
Ian Bohen as Anderson Crawford (Season 1)
Nicole Nieth as Nellie Oleson (Season 1)
Eric Balfour as Warren Goering (Season 1)
David Dukes as Joseph McPhee (2-4)
Jason Behr as Chris Wolfe (Season 2)
Ali Larter as Kristy Livingstone (Season 2)
Eddie Mills as Ty Hicks (Season 2)
Brittany Daniel as Eve Whitman (Season 3)
Rodney Scott as Will Krudski (Season 3)
Niklaus Lange as Rob Logan (Season 3)
Michael Hagerty as Matt Caufield (Season 3)
Rob Nagle as Tom Frost (Season 4)
Rachel True as Kira (Season 4)

Production[]

The show was produced by Columbia TriStar Television (now Sony Pictures Television) and takes place in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts. It moved to Boston, Massachusetts during the college seasons - however, was not filmed there. The city of Wilmington and nearby Southport, North Carolina served as the primary in-studio and on location filming destination for Capeside and more throughout all six seasons. However, filming during Season 5 and Season 6 had to incorporate new areas of North Carolina for Worthington University and other new locales, while still utilizing Wilmington.

  • The Pilot was shot in six days.[1]
  • Katherine Heigl, who went on to star in another WB show, Roswell, auditioned for and was a contender to portray Jen Lindley[2][3]
  • Selma Blair was the first choice for Joey Potter until the production received Holmes' audition tape[4]
  • Jesse Tyler Ferguson auditioned for Dawson[5], as did Adrian Grenier[6]
  • Charlie Hunnam auditioned for the show and wasn't cast, but later recurred as Ryder in its spin-off Young Americans.[7] Others include Adam Brody and Scott Speedman[8]
  • Executive Producer Paul Stupin, co-producer Drew Matich and music supervisor John McCollough curated the music used for the episodes.[1]
    • Stupin asked McCollough to find some musicians to write a theme song for the series. One of the songs to come out of this was 'Run Like Mad' by Jann Arden, which has been used for the DVD releases of the series (save for seasons 1 and 2 in some countries)[1]
  • Joshua Jackson (Pacey Witter) was seriously considered to portray Dawson Leery before James Van Der Beek was cast![9]
  • "Hand In My Pocket" by Alanis Morissette was producer Paul Stupin and Kevin Williamson's original choice for the intro song[9]

Trivia[]

  • Of the Dawson's Creek alumni, Holmes[10], Van Der Beek,[11] and Philipps[12] have all guested How I Met Your Mother; Van Der Beek in a recurring role over the course of the series.[13]
  • Both Van Der Beek and Jackson have done work with Funny or Die.[14][15]

BEHIND THE SCENES

PRODUCTION

  • The title card font type is Fontageous Rendition
  • A special font was created specifically for the show called Lanny's Hand. This font was not made available to the public but was widely used on all official Dawson's Creek websites, merchandise and the series opening and closing credits.[20]

Accolades[]

  • 2000 GLAAD Award for 'Outstanding Drama Series'[21]

International titles[]

  • Bulgaria: Кръгът на Доусън (Dawson’s Circle)
  • Catalonia: En Dawson creix - Catalan (Dawson Grows Up)
  • China: 恋爱时代 (Love Era)
  • Cuba: Amigos y amantes (Friends and Lovers)
  • Czech Republic: Dawsonův svět (Dawson’s World)
  • Ecuador: Amores juveniles (Youthful Loves)
  • France: Dawson
  • Hungary: Dawson és a haverok (Dawson and Friends)
  • Israel: דוסון קריק (Dawson's Creek)
  • Japan: ドーソンズ・クリーク (Dawson's Creek)
  • Korea: 도슨의 청춘일기 (Dawson’s Youth Diary)
  • Persia: داوسونز کریک (Dawson's Creek)
  • Poland: Jezioro marzeń (The Lake of Dreams)
  • Russia: Бухта Доусона (Dawson’s Bay)
  • Spain: Dawson Crece (Dawson Grows)
  • Ukraine: Зато́ка До́усона (Dawson’s Bay)

Seasons[]

Photos[]

Photos

Videos[]

Links[]

Media[]

25 Years Later, ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Creator Kevin Williamson Revisits Controversial Storylines, Love Triangles and Surprise Exits (VARIETY • JANUARY 2023)
Paula Cole's 'I Don't Want to Wait' is back as the Dawson's Creek theme song (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY • SEPTEMBER 2021)
Throwback Thursday: Looking Back at ‘Dawson’s Creek,’ Connected Content Pioneer (LOST REMOTE • NOVEMBER 2014)

Contemporary[]

Visiting "Dawson's Creek" (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY • JUNE 1999)
Dawson’s Creek review (VARIETY • JANUARY 1998)

Notes and references[]

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