50 Fun Facts About Dawson's Creek

In which fictional Massachusetts town is the series set?

The series is set in Capeside, a fictional small coastal town in Massachusetts, though the creator modelled it on the North Carolina creek town where he grew up.

Who created Dawson's Creek?

Kevin Williamson created Dawson's Creek, drawing on his own adolescence in coastal North Carolina; he later co-created The Vampire Diaries with Julie Plec.

On which network did the show originally air?

Dawson's Creek premiered on The WB on 20 January 1998 and ran there for all six seasons, ending in May 2003.

Who plays Dawson Leery?

James Van Der Beek plays Dawson Leery for all six seasons; his character's open-mouthed crying face became an enduring internet meme.

Which actress plays Joey Potter?

Katie Holmes plays Joey Potter across all six seasons; committed to a school play in her hometown of Toledo, Ohio, she won the part with an audition tape filmed in her basement.

Which character arrives from New York City to live with her grandparents next door to Dawson?

Jen Lindley, played by Michelle Williams, is sent from New York to live with her grandparents next door to Dawson; her worldly past unsettles his small-town circle.

How does Joey usually get into Dawson's bedroom?

Joey climbs up a ladder to his window for their platonic movie-night sleepovers, and the shot of her on the ladder became the show's signature image.

What is the name of the restaurant run by Joey's sister Bessie?

Bessie runs The Icehouse, the waterfront restaurant where Joey also waits tables; after it burns down, the Potter sisters turn their home into a bed and breakfast.

Which director is Dawson's hero?

Steven Spielberg is Dawson's hero; his bedroom walls are covered in Spielberg posters and he dreams of becoming the next Spielberg, making amateur films with his friends.

Where do Dawson and Pacey work in the first season?

Dawson and Pacey work at a video rental store, Screenplay Video, which suits Dawson's film obsession; Pacey meanwhile pursues an affair with his English teacher, Tamara Jacobs.

Which actor was first considered for Dawson but cast as Pacey instead?

Joshua Jackson read for Dawson but was cast as Pacey Witter; already known as Charlie Conway from The Mighty Ducks films, he became the show's breakout star.

What is the name of the McPhee sibling who comes out as gay?

Jack McPhee, played by Kerr Smith, comes out in season two after a teacher forces him to read his poem aloud in English class; Andie is his sister.

What is Jen's grandmother's nickname on the show?

Grams, Jen's grandmother Evelyn Ryan, is played by Mary Beth Peil; the devout churchgoer later takes in a friend of Jen's who needs a home.

What is the name of Pacey's boat, on which he and Joey sail away at the end of season three?

Pacey's boat is the True Love; the third-season finale, also titled 'True Love', ends with Joey choosing to sail away with him for the summer.

What job does Dawson's mother Gail hold in the early seasons?

Gail is a TV news anchorwoman at a local station in the early seasons; she later leaves journalism and opens the restaurant Leery's Fresh Fish with Mitch.

Which older sister of Pacey's does Dawson date in season four?

Gretchen Witter, played by Sasha Alexander, is Pacey's older sister; she returns to town in season four and dates Dawson before leaving again at the season's end.

At which real university's film school does Dawson enrol in season five?

Dawson enrols at USC film school in Los Angeles in season five but quickly has second thoughts, and his father dies after they argue about him dropping out.

What is the name of the fictional Boston university Joey attends?

Joey attends Worthington, a fictional elite Boston university, from season five, sharing a dorm room with the boisterous Audrey Liddell.

Who plays Audrey Liddell, Joey's college roommate?

Busy Philipps plays Audrey Liddell, joining the cast in season five; Audrey dates Pacey and her drinking spirals in the final season.

What surprising career does Pacey take up in the final season?

Pacey becomes a stockbroker in season six, swapping his cook's job at a Boston restaurant for a suit at a small brokerage firm, and loses the money Dawson entrusted to him.

In what year is the two-part series finale set?

The finale jumps five years ahead to 2008, when the gang reunites for Gail's wedding; the episode itself aired in May 2003.

Which character dies in the series finale?

Jen dies in the finale from a congenital heart condition diagnosed after she collapses at the wedding, leaving her baby daughter Amy to be raised by her best friend.

What is Joey's job when the finale catches up with her in New York?

Joey is a junior editor at a New York publishing house in the finale, living with a writer boyfriend, Christopher (Jeremy Sisto), before choosing Pacey.

What is the name of the TV show-within-the-show that Dawson creates, seen in the finale?

Dawson's semi-autobiographical series is called The Creek; in the final scene Joey and Pacey watch its season finale together in her New York apartment.

In which North Carolina city was the show primarily filmed?

The show was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, at EUE/Screen Gems Studios and along the Cape Fear River; One Tree Hill later used the same city and soundstages.

How does Dawson's father Mitch die in season five?

Mitch dies in a car crash in season five: distracted by an ice cream cone he drops while driving, he veers off the road, and Dawson comes home for the funeral.

Which Massachusetts island supplied some of the scenery in the opening credits?

The Leery, Lindley and Potter homes were actually private houses along Hewletts Creek in New Hanover County, North Carolina.

Who sings the theme song "I Don't Want to Wait"?

Paula Cole sings 'I Don't Want to Wait', a 1996 track from her album This Fire that became the theme after the pilot's original song fell through.

Which Alanis Morissette song was the theme in the unaired pilot before she declined to let it be used?

The unaired pilot used Alanis Morissette's 'Hand in My Pocket', a 1995 single from Jagged Little Pill, until she declined to license it for the series.

On DVD from season three, the theme was replaced by "Run Like Mad" by which Canadian artist?

Jann Arden's 'Run Like Mad' replaced the theme on later DVD sets and some international and streaming versions because the original song was not cleared for home video.

What did the theme song's singer do in 2021 so that Netflix could use the song?

The singer re-recorded it to dodge licensing issues: her 2021 re-recording of 'I Don't Want to Wait' let Netflix restore the familiar opening in place of the substitute theme.

Which clothing retailer provided the show's wardrobe and put the unknown cast in its catalog?

J.Crew supplied the wardrobe and put the then-unknown cast on the cover of its 1998 catalog, a cross-promotion that launched the show's preppy look.

What was the show's pioneering website, where fans read characters' emails and rifled their trash, called?

Dawson's Desktop, launched with the show in 1998, let fans read the characters' emails, journals and chats between episodes, an early example of transmedia storytelling.

Which company sold its co-producer stake three months before the premiere over reports of racy dialogue?

Procter & Gamble Productions, a long-time soap-opera producer, pulled out as co-producer in late 1997 after early scripts' frank talk about teenage sex drew press attention.

Who replaced Alex Gansa as showrunner during the troubled start of season three?

Greg Berlanti took over as showrunner early in the third season after Alex Gansa's departure, steering the Joey and Pacey romance; he later built the Arrowverse for The CW.

What was the eight-episode 2000 "semi-spinoff" that took over the show's summer time slot?

Young Americans, starring Rodney Scott as Will Krudski, ran for eight episodes in summer 2000 after Will was introduced in several late third-season episodes; Kate Bosworth co-starred.

How many U.S. viewers watched the series finale, its largest audience since season two?

The pilot had drawn 6.8 million, quickly making it the young network's highest-ranked show.

How many Teen Choice Awards for Choice Actor did the actor playing Pacey win for the show?

The show itself won Choice Drama twice and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Drama Series.

The 1999 album Songs from Dawson's Creek topped the albums chart in which country?

Songs from Dawson's Creek went to number one on Australia's ARIA albums chart in 1999; the series itself aired there on Network Ten.

In which 2000 spoof film does the actor who plays Dawson cameo, in a scene parodying the show?

In Scary Movie (2000) Dawson's actor turns up as Dawson in a scene spoofing the show; he later played a fictionalised version of himself on Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23.

The 2007 Turkish series Kavak Yelleri is what, in relation to Dawson's Creek?

Kavak Yelleri is an official remake: a licensed Turkish adaptation that premiered on Kanal D in 2007, while the Argentine soap Verano del '98 had earlier been criticised as an unlicensed copy.

For the 20th anniversary in 2018, the cast reunited on the cover of which magazine?

Entertainment Weekly reunited the main cast for its March 2018 issue, marking the show's 20th anniversary with a set of collectible covers and a joint interview.

Which hit slasher script had the show's creator just sold when he pitched Dawson's Creek?

Scream, released in 1996 and directed by Wes Craven, revived the slasher genre and made its screenwriter hot enough to get a teen drama pitch heard.

Which network first commissioned Dawson's Creek but passed on it, worried it had enough teen drama?

Fox developed the show first but passed, reasoning that Party of Five already filled its teen-drama slot; the scripts then moved to a younger rival network.

Which actress was nearly cast as Joey before a basement audition tape changed the producers' minds?

Selma Blair was the front-runner for Joey until a late self-taped audition won the part; Blair went on to Cruel Intentions (1999) and Legally Blonde (2001).

Which future Modern Family star auditioned for the role of Dawson?

Charlie Hunnam, Adrian Grenier and Scott Speedman also read for Dawson, and Adam Brody tried out for Pacey.

Which watchdog group named the show the single worst network programme in its first two seasons?

The Parents Television Council ranked it the worst network show for family viewing in both its first and second seasons, citing its frank treatment of teen sex.

Why was a McPhee sibling's scene with Ethan considered a US primetime milestone?

Two gay men shared a romantic kiss: the May 2000 scene between the McPhee character and Ethan was billed as the first passionate same-sex male kiss on US network primetime.

Which show did Kristen Baldwin note was pitched as 'the anti-Dawson's Creek'?

Freaks and Geeks, Paul Feig and Judd Apatow's 1999 high-school comedy, was pitched as 'the anti-Dawson's Creek' for its unglamorous, awkward teenagers.

Which actress plays Andie McPhee?

Meredith Monroe plays Andie McPhee, the high-achieving newcomer who arrives in season two and dates Pacey before her struggles with mental illness lead her to a treatment facility.