Synopsis:
It’s the end of something simple, and the beginning of everything else.
Kevin Williamson (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, TV’s The Vampire Diaries) created this engaging drama, which chronicles a group of young friends’ passage from adolescence to young adulthood in the small coastal town of Capeside, Massachusetts. Based on Williamson’s own experiences growing up, Dawson’s Creek focuses on fifteen-year-olds Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and Joey (Katie Holmes), who have been friends since they were five and are trying to cope with the way their friendship is changing now that their hormones are raging. Add to the mix their friend Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and the new girl in town, Jen (Michelle Williams), and you can count on extra twists to the drama and their already turbulent lives.
Filmed on location in Wilmington, Durham and Raleigh, North Carolina, enjoy all 6 seasons of an unforgettable journey that explores the agony and ecstasy of teenage life. Can the kids of Dawson’s Creek really grow up without growing apart? Watch and find out!
What We Thought:
Dawson’s Creek was the last teen drama I watched. It came out right at the time in my life that these characters still made sense. I’m from Massachusetts and it was about a fictional town in Massachusetts (the Cape Cod area) with characters about my age with its lead all about movies. It introduced the world to James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson and was something I watched every week during its run.
It also introduced the world to Kevin Williamson who would give us Scream, The Vampire Diaries and more. Van Der Beek became a star during the time with hits like Varsity Blues, but it’s Williams, Holmes and Jackson that have had bigger post Dawson’s careers. Williams is considered one of the best actresses of her generation with Katie Holmes marrying Tom Cruise. Jackson became popular again with shows like The Affair later on in life. But there is something to be said for this ensemble in the show.
It may have been called Dawson’s Creek, but the show was very much about Pacey, Joey and Jen as well. These four characters became must watch every week. I 100% had a crush on Katie Holmes as most boys did my age then. It was dramatic, but not like in today’s TV. Everything nowadays is hot button topics, but this never felt fake or forced. These kids talked about feelings and their lives, but they came across as realistic. You understood why they would be friends, why they would be attracted to each other and everything that goes along in teen lives. It’s the last show to me that felt realistic. Now everything is timely and important. This felt like people you knew.
Don’t get me wrong, the show tackled issues. Kerr Smith’s character was gay in a time shows didn’t have many gay characters. The show dealt with first time sex, college, and life in general. Maybe because it came out when I was dealing with these things it didn’t feel as in your face as other shows.
Mill Creek Entertainment has out both DVD and Blu-ray complete series box sets with some great bonus features as well. Dawson’s Creek was pretty groundbreaking at the time and overall the cast has done well in their careers. It captured a pre-internet life that I greatly miss. It felt honest and realistic with characters you could relate to. If you were a fan of the show, these box sets are a nice trip down memory lane. Both are recommended.
Bonus Features:
- Entertainment Weekly’s 20th Anniversary Reunion
- New Interviews and Crew Featurettes
- Audio Commentaries on Select Episodes
- Retrospective Featurette
- Alternate Scenes & Ending to Original Pilot Presentation
Starring:
James Van Der Beek; Katie Holmes; Michelle Williams; Joshua Jackson; Kerr Smith
The Nerds Templar 