Reruns of the show are often seen in Australia on TV1, in Canada on TVtropolis, in Norway on TV3, in Denmark on TV2 Zulu, in the UK on Sony Entertainment Television, in France on TMC, in Macedonia on Macedonia TV, in Romania on Digi Film, in India on Zee Café, in Indonesia on TPI and Global TV, in Italy on Italia 1, in Spain on LaOtra, in Lithuania on TV3, in Latin America on Liv, and in the Middle East on MBC4 and on the Orbit - Showtime Network (OSN).
Premise
Aimed at a teenage audience, the semi-autobiographical show is based on the small-town childhood of its creator Kevin Williamson. The lead character, Dawson Leery, mirrors Williamson's interests and background. Filmed in Wilmington, Durham, and Southport, North Carolina, the show was set in a small fictional seaside town called Capeside, Massachusetts. It focused on four friends who were in the early part of their sophomore and first year of high school when the series began. The program, part of a new craze for teen-themed movies and television shows in America in the late 1990s, catapulted its leads to stardom and became a defining show for The WB.
Dawson's Creek generated a high 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 even drove one of the original production companies away from the project, but numerous critics praised it for its realism and intelligent dialogue that included allusions to American television icons such as The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. By the end of its run, the show, its crew, and its young cast had been nominated for numerous awards, winning four of them. The series is known for the verbosity and complexity of the dialogue between its teenage characters—who commonly demonstrate vocabulary and cultural awareness that was criticized as being beyond the scope of the average high school student, yet that is combined with an emotional immaturity and self-absorption reflecting actual teens. This precociousness has been a staple of a number of teenage-themed shows since, notably including One Tree Hill (also filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina), The O.C. and Gossip Girl.
Origins and reception
Kevin Williamson, a native of the small coastal town of Oriental, North Carolina, was approached in 1995 by producer Paul Stupin to write a pilot for a television series. Stupin, who as a Fox Network executive had brought Beverly Hills, 90210 to the air, sought out Williamson after having read his script for the slasher film Scream—a knowing, witty work about high school students. Initially offered to Fox, the network turned it down. The WB, however, was eagerly looking for programming to fill its new Tuesday night lineup. Williamson said "I pitched it as Some Kind of Wonderful, meets Pump Up the Volume, meets James at 15, meets My So-Called Life, meets Little House on the Prairie". The show's lead character and main protagonist, Dawson Leery, was based on Williamson himself: obsessed with movies and platonically sharing his bed with the girl down the creek.
Procter & Gamble Productions (the company behind such daytime dramas as Guiding Light and As the World Turns) was an original co-producer of the series. The company, however, sold its interest in the show three months before the premiere when printed stories surfaced about the racy dialogue and risqué plot lines. John Kiesewetter, television columnist for The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote, "As much as I want to love the show—the cool kids, charming New England setting, and stunning cinematography—I can't get past the consuming preoccupation with sex, sex, sex." Syndicated columnist John Leo said the show should be called "When 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." 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." In his defense, Williamson denied this was his intention, stating that "I never set out to make something provocative and racy".
The Parents Television Council proclaimed the show the single worst program of the 1997–1998 season, a title the Council would also award it for the 1998–1999 season. The Council also cited it the fourth worst show in 2000–2001. However, on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum, the National Organization for Women offered an endorsement, deeming it one of the least sexually exploitive shows on the air. For every scathing review there was a glowing one: Variety wrote that it was "an addictive drama with considerable heart...the teenage equivalent of a Woody Allen movie—a kind of 'Deconstructing Puberty'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called it "a teen's dream". The Dayton Daily News listed Capeside as a television town they'd most like to live in. The Seattle Times declared it the best show of the 1997–1998 season. The New York Times headlined its review: "Young, Handsome, and Clueless in Peyton Place". That was precisely the sort of allusion real teenagers weren't likely to get, let alone make, but the show's punchy dialogue was full of them. Dawson calls his mother's co-anchor "Ted Baxter" and refers to his parents as "Rob and Laura Petrie". He responds to his principal's request for a film glorifying the football team as belonging to "the Leni Riefenstahl approach to filmmaking." Jen says her parents followed "the Ho Chi Minh school of parenting." The verbiage was high-flying too: star Michelle Williams confessed in interviews that she had to consult her dictionary when she read the scripts.
While never a huge ratings success among the general television population, Dawson's Creek did very well with the younger demographic it targeted and became a defining show for the WB Network. (The first season's highest ranked episode was the finale, which was fifty-ninth, while the second highest rated was the second episode, scoring so well only because there was no programming on the other networks, which were carrying President Clinton's State of the Union address in the midst of the Lewinsky scandal.)
The show was especially popular in Australia where it rated #1 in its timeslot for every episode covering seasons one to four. Both of its soundtrack albums, Songs From Dawson's Creek (1999) and Songs From Dawson's Creek — Volume 2 (2001), reached #1 on the Australian Album Chart and were certified Platinum.
Season overview
Episodes
Cast and characters
Regular cast
Actor Character Regular Seasons Recurring Seasons
James Van Der Beek Dawson Leery 1–6 –
Katie Holmes Joey Potter 1–6 –
Michelle Williams Jen Lindley 1–6 –
Joshua Jackson Pacey Witter 1–6 –
Kerr Smith Jack McPhee 2–6 2
Meredith Monroe Andie McPhee 2–4 2
Busy Philipps Audrey Liddell 6 5
Mary-Margaret Humes Gail Leery 1–4 5 – 6
John Wesley Shipp Mitch Leery 1–4 5
Mary Beth Peil Evelyn "Grams" Ryan 1–6 –
Nina Repeta Bessie Potter 1–4 5 – 6
Despite the title being named after James Van Der Beek's character, Katie Holmes is the only cast member who appeared in all 128 episodes. Van Der Beek's character, along with Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams, did not appear in a handful of episodes during the show's final two seasons.
Kerr Smith and Meredith Monroe were added to the cast during the show's second season in recurring capacities until they were promoted to full-time series regulars during the show's third season. Monroe later left the series mid-way through the fourth season while Smith remained with the series for the remainder of its run. Monroe made a guest appearance in the Season 6 finale.
At the beginning of the show's fifth season, only Mary Beth Peil remained a regular character out of the show's four "adult" characters whereas Mary-Margaret Humes, John Wesley Shipp and Nina Repeta were scaled back to recurring roles.
Busy Philipps joined the show's cast during the fifth season as a recurring role and was a series regular character during the show's sixth and final season on the air.
Supporting cast (in alphabetical order)
Actor Character (season which they appeared)
Jensen Ackles C.J. (Season 6)
Sasha Alexander Gretchen Witter (Season 4)
Mädchen Amick Nicole Kennedy (Season 2)
Dana Ashbrook Rich Rinaldi (Season 6)
Eion Bailey Billy Conrad (Season 1)
Obba Babatundé Principal Howard Green (Season 3)
Jason Behr Chris Wolfe (Season 2)
Lourdes Benedicto Karen Torres (Season 5)
Jaime Bergman Denise (Season 6)
Nicole Bilderback Heather Tracy (Season 5 & 6)
Ryan Bittle Eric (Season 5)
Mika Boorem Harley Hetson (Season 6)
Jordan Bridges Oliver Chirckirk (Seasons 5 & 6)
Hilarie Burton Herself
Adam Carolla Himself (Season 6)
Brittany Daniel Eve Whitman (Season 3)
Dr. Drew Himself (Season 6)
David Dukes Will/Joseph McPhee (Seasons 2–4)
Sherilyn Fenn Alex Pearl (Season 5)
John Finn John Witter (Seasons 2, 4, & 6)
Jane Lynch Mrs Witter
Scott Foley Cliff Elliot (Season 1)
Megan Gray Emma Jones (Season 6)
Marla Gibbs Mrs. Fran Boyd (Season 1)
Andy Griffith Mr. Brooks' Friend (Season 4)
Paul Gleason Larry Newman (Season 6)
Tony Hale Dr. Bronin (Season 3)
Mel Harris Helen Lindley (Season 2)
Carolyn Hennesy Mrs. Valentine (Season 4)
Roger Howarth Professor Greg Hetson (Season 6)
Oliver Hudson Eddie Doling (Season 6)
Leann Hunley Tamara Jacobs (Seasons 1 & 2)
Ian Kahn Danny Brecher (Season 5)
Bianca Kajlich Natasha Kelly (Season 6)
Edmund J. Kearney Mr. Peterson (Seasons 1 & 2)
Monica Keena Abby Morgan (Seasons 1 & 2)
Ali Larter Kristy Livingstone (Season 2)
Bianca Lawson Nikki Green (Season 3)
Rachael Leigh Cook Devon (Season 2)
Jonathan Lipnicki Buzz (Season 3)
Virginia Madsen Maddy (Season 6)
Ken Marino Professor David Wilder (Season 5)
Mark Matkevich Drue Valentine (Season 4)
Mercedes McNab Grace (Season 5)
David Monahan Tobey Barret (Season 4 & 5)
Jennifer Morrison Melanie Shea Thompson (Season 5)
Chad Michael Murray Charlie Todd (Season 5)
Obi Ndefo Bodie Wells (Seasons 1, 3, 4, & 6)
Dylan Neal Doug Witter (Seasons 1, 3-6)
Jack Osbourne Himself (Season 6)
Hal Ozsan Todd Carr (Season 5-6)
Michael Pitt Henry Parker (Season 3)
Harve Presnell Arthur "A.I." Brooks (Season 4)
Danny Roberts French Exchange Student (Season 4)
Mimi Rogers Helen Lindley (Season 6)
Seth Rogen Bob (Season 6)
Sarah Shahi Sadia Shaw (Season 6)
Harry Shearer Principal Peskin (Season 4)
Rodney Scott Will Krudski (Season 3)
Gareth Williams Mike Potter (Seasons 1, 2, & 6)
Main crew
Dawson's Creek was, mostly and in part, run by Kevin Williamson, Deborah Joy Levine, Paul Stupin, Alex Gansa, Jeffrey Stepakoff and Tammy Ader.
Filming locations
Filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, at EUE/Screen Gems studios and on location around Wilmington, Southport and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. College scenes in the fifth and sixth seasons shot at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, and additional shooting was done in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1999 some scenes were shot on the University of Richmond campus. The fourth season episode "Eastern Standard Time" also did location shooting in New York City, including at Grand Central Terminal.
The Wilmington area benefited greatly from the show. While a number of films, commercials and music videos had been shot at the studios, the show was the first to occupy numerous soundstages for many years. One Tree Hill later occupied some of those same soundstages for several years and uses some of the same locations in Wilmington.
In addition to business brought into the community by the project, it attracted attention to the city as a filming location and boosted tourism. The visitors' bureau distributed a special guide to filming locations used in the show. When the program was cancelled in 2003, the news was reported on the front-page of Wilmington's daily newspaper, the DailyStar.
Dawson's Creek and home
Sunset shots of Dawson standing on his dock among the marsh grass were filmed along Hewlett's Creek on Pine Grove Road between Masonboro Loop Road and Holly Tree Drive in Masonboro, North Carolina. The private residences used as homes for Dawson, Jen and Joey are all located along the shores of Hewlett's Creek.
Capeside
Capeside is a fictional town in Massachusetts where Dawson's Creek takes place. It is located on Cape Cod, possibly somewhere mid-Cape between Falmouth and Yarmouth, as an early episodes includes these real towns in a "snow day" announcement. Incorporated in 1815, the town has a population of 35,000 and is located between the cities of Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts. Capeside exteriors were shot in and around Wilmington, North Carolina. Its bays and coastlines are similar to those found along the coast of Massachusetts.
A Dawson Creek actually exists in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is named for the river of the same name that runs through it. Another exists in Oriental, NC, which flows into the Neuse River. This served as the inspiration for the show's name.
Capeside High School
Capeside High School is the high school in Capeside, Massachusetts attended by several characters during the first four seasons of the show. Exteriors were filmed at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. In early episodes, Capeside High School's mascot was the Wildcats, but soon after it was changed to the Minutemen.
Worthington University
Worthington University is a fictional university from Dawson's Creek. Joey (played by Katie Holmes) and Audrey (played by Busy Philipps), characters from the series, attended this school. It is supposed to be located in Boston, Massachusetts and to have been founded in 1787 by Josiah Worthington. It is sometimes said to be an "Ivy League college".
Producers had not planned for the show to extend beyond the characters' high school years. The architectural uniformity of UNC Wilmington prevented it from being used for Worthington University exteriors. The scenes at Worthington were filmed over two hours away at Duke University, and a number of its students served as extras. Some filming was also done on Franklin Street adjacent to nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Restaurants and bars in the show
Interiors for The Icehouse were filmed at The Icehouse bar in downtown Wilmington several blocks from less picturesque water so exteriors were filmed at the Dockside Restaurant at 1308 Airlie Road in Wrightsville Beach, NC. Nearby constructions at the real IceHouse forced producers to eliminate the bar from the storyline by burning it down.
The Hells 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 converted it into a real restaurant and bar. It retains the name as well.
Leery's Fresh Fish, exteriors were filmed at Water Street Restaurant at 5 South Water Street in Wilmington.
Dawson's Creek DVDs
Style
Dawson's Creek was shot like a motion picture using a single camera and often filmed on location, rather than being largely studio bound. The series used soothing colors, similar to Party of Five, rather than the cold, harsh look of shows such as The Practice. While most of the episodes were conventional, there were two Rashomon-like episodes exploring a story from differing perspectives, and the somber fifth season episode "Downtown Crossing" featured only one regular, Joey, and her interaction with a mugger. The fourth season episode "The Unusual Suspects," was filmed as a film noir detective story—complete with camera work and music appropriate to the genre. At times, Dawson's Creek was deliberately self-conscious, as when Eve tells Dawson he is Felicity, beginning a discussion of why Dawson doesn't like television shows, which concludes with his observation that they cut away when the best part comes—immediately demonstrated when Eve, about to kiss him, is interrupted by the main titles. It also made fun of itself on other episodes besides that one, especially the finale, when Dawson is the creator of a TV show called "the Creek."
Awards
Dawson's Creek was nominated for fourteen awards, including ALMA Awards, Casting Society of America Awards, Golden Satellite Awards, TV Guide Awards, and YoungStar Awards. Joshua Jackson won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Actor three times and the show won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Drama once. The series also won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Drama Series.
Spinoff
The show had, in the words of television experts Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, a "semi-spinoff", Young Americans. The protagonist of Young Americans, Will Krudski (Rodney Scott), was introduced in three episodes at the end of the show's third season, as a former classmate of Dawson, Joey, and Pacey, who had moved away some years before and had returned for a visit. He was never referred to or seen before or since. Young Americans was made by the same company as Dawson's Creek, Columbia TriStar Television, and appeared in Dawson's Creek's timeslot when it went on hiatus during the summer of 2000. The show had 8 episodes. The reason the show is considered a semi-spinoff instead of a true spinoff is that Will was not originally created for Dawson's Creek. He was added to Dawson's solely to set up and promote the series Young Americans.
Simon & Schuster published a series of fifteen mass-market paperback novelizations of the series.
The Amanda Show featured a skit entitled "Moody's Point" to parody the show, but was discontinued when the show was cancelled
Broadcast history
International
The show also aired in numerous international markets, listed here with the premiere dates:
The show originally aired in the UK on Channel 4 but later moved to Five for the last two seasons. In 2007 Five's sister channel FiveLife began airing reruns on weekdays at 7pm. In early 2008 with its evening showings having reached the final season it restarted the show in an early morning slot. From April 2011, it now airs on Sony Entertainment Television on the Sky digital platform.
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