History Series / DawsonsCreek

* HotterAndSexier: as mentioned above, the show had a reputation for being preoccupied with sex: in addition to the WillTheyOrWontThey between Dawson and Joey, Jen explicitly lost her virginity at 14, Pacey was HotForTeacher, Bessie was pregnant out of wedlock from an interracial relationship, and Dawson's parents were recovering from Gail [[YourCheatingHeart cheating on Mitch]]. And that's just the first season! Having said that, the show, for all intents and purposes, {{deconstructed}} these things: Dawson's waffling between Jen and Joey causes him no end of trouble, Jen's use of SexForSolace shows her insecirities, Pacey's relationship with Tamara Jacobs led to [[RealityEnsues completely predictable repercussions]], Bessie and Bodie face scorn, and Mr. and Mrs. Leery spend more than a season wrestling with their marriage. Besides, high-schoolers caring about sex is merely TruthInTelevision. The public objection to ''Dawson's Creek'' wasn't so much that it admitted to teen sexuality, but rather that it refused to ''glamorize'' it.

* SuddenlySexuality: Jack was presumably straight and interested in Joey in the first half of Season 2 before coming out. While such a thing is not impossible in real life, it's believed that his [[ComingOutStory coming out story]] was due to creator Kevin Williamson wanting one of the main characters to be gay like himself. Williamson said he wanted to make Jack gay from the beginning, but he waited until he was sure fans liked the character before falling through with it.
** There is something close to foreshadowing in the episode "Sex, She Wrote" a few episodes before the coming out story starts. He wants to have sex with Joey but while making out with her he can't get it up, so he settles for just making out. Might have been foreshadowing, might not.

The eponymous Dawson Leery (Creator/JamesVanDerBeek) is TheIdealist and TheMovieBuff with a long-standing [[JustFriends platonic]] friendship with TheCynic Josephine "Joey" Potter (Creator/KatieHolmes), the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, whose DisappearedDad and MissingMom have left her and her older sister Bessie (Creator/NinaRepeta) running a restaurant by themelves. When not attending high school, Dawson works in a video-rental store with BookDumb BromanticFoil Pacey Witter (Creator/JoshuaJackson). When the elderly Evelyn Ryan (Creator/MaryBethPeil) ends up hosting her granddaughter, Jen Lindley (Creator/MichelleWilliams), a New York HardDrinkingPartyGirl who ReallyGetsAround and was sent away to break her of her habits, Dawson's life gets thrown for a spin. Add to this the shaky marriage between his parents Mitch (Creator/JohnWesleyShipp) and Gail (Creator/MaryMargaretHumes), and we have all the ingredients for a ComingOfAgeStory. Later additions to the starring cast include TallDarkAndHandsome NaiveNewcomer Jack [=McPhee]=] (Creator/KerrSmith), his {{Adorkable}} sister Andie (Creator/MeredithMonroe), and GenkiGirl Audrey Liddell (Creator/BusyPhilipps).

* SixStudentClique:
** During seasons 2 to 4, Dawson is the Head, Pacey is the Muscle, Joey is the Smart One, A Jen is the wild one, Jack is the quirky one and Andy the pretty one.
** During the two last seasons, Dawson is the Head, Pacey the Muscle, Joey the Smart one, Jen the Wild one, Jack the Quirky one and Audrey the pretty one.

Also has the distinction of being the final thing to ever be aired on Creator/TheWB before the launch of Creator/TheCW. The studio credits for the show, in particular, were literally the last thing to be seen on The WB, not even a promo or The WB's standard CreditsPushback.

Also has the distinction of being the final thing to ever be aired on Creator/TheWB before the launch of Creator/TheCW. The studio credits, in particular, were literally the last things to be seen on The WB, not even a promo or The WB's standard CreditsPushback.

The eponymous Dawson Leery (Creator/JamesVanDerBeek) is TheIdealist and TheMovieBuff with a long-standing [[JustFriends platonic]] friendship with TheCynic Josephine "Joey" Potter (Creator/KatieHolmes), the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, whose DisappearedDad and MissingMom have left her and her older sister Bessie (Nina Repeta) running a restaurant by themelves. When not attending high school, Dawson works in a video-rental store with BookDumb BromanticFoil Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson). When the elderly Evelyn Ryan (Mary Beth Peil) ends up hosting her granddaughter, Jen Lindley (Creator/MichelleWilliams), a New York HardDrinkingPartyGirl who ReallyGetsAround and was sent away to break her of her habits, Dawson's life gets thrown for a spin. Add to this the shaky marriage between his parents Mitch (Creator/JohnWesleyShipp) and Gail (Mary-Margaret Humes), and we have all the ingredients for a ComingOfAgeStory. Later additions to the starring cast include TallDarkAndHandsome NaiveNewcomer Jack [=McPhee]=] (Kerr Smith), his {{Adorkable}} sister Andie (Meredith Monroe), and GenkiGirl Audrey Liddell (Creator/BusyPhilipps).

** Dawson and Joey as childhood friends were this before their RelationshipUpgrade.

* DistantFinale : The finale took place five years after the previous episode.
* DoggedNiceGuy : Dawson perceives himself to be this.

The eponymous Dawson Leery (Creator/JamesVanDerBeek) is TheIdealist and TheMovieBuff with a long-standing [[JustFriends platonic]] friendship with TheCynic Josephine "Joey" Potter (Creator/KatieHolmes), the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, whose DisappearedDad and MissingMom have left her and her older sister Bessie (Nina Repeta) running a restaurant by themelves. When not attending high school, Dawson works in a video-rental store with BookDumb BromanticFoil Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson). When the elderly Evelyn Ryan (Mary Beth Peil) ends up hosting her granddaughter, Jen Lindley (Creator/MichelleWilliams), a HardDrinkingPartyGirl from New York sent away to break her of her habits, Dawson's life gets thrown for a spin. Add to this the shaky marriage between his parents Mitch (Creator/JohnWesleyShipp) and Gail (Mary-Margaret Humes), and we have all the ingredients for a ComingOfAgeStory. Later additions to the starring cast include TallDarkAndHandsome NaiveNewcomer Jack [=McPhee]=] (Kerr Smith), his {{Adorkable}} sister Andie (Meredith Monroe), and GenkiGirl Audrey Liddell (Creator/BusyPhilipps).

* HotterAndSexier: as mentioned above, the show had a reputation for being preoccupied with sex: in addition to the LoveTriangle between Dawson, Jen and Joey, Pacey was HotForTeacher, Bessie was pregnant out of wedlock from an interracial relationship, and Dawson's parents were recovering from Gail [[YourCheatingHeart cheating on Mitch]]. Having said that, the show did not glamorize any of these things and indeed {{deconstructed}} them: Dawson's waffling between the two girls continued through the show's run, Pacey's relationship with Tamara Jacobs led to [[RealityEnsues completely natural repercussions]], Bessie and Bodie face scorn, and Mr. and Mrs. Leery spend more than a season wrestling with their marriage. (Besides, anyone who has actually been a teenager can tell you that high-schoolers caring about sex is merely TruthInTelevision.)

The eponymous Dawson Leery (Creator/JamesVanDerBeek) is TheIdealist and TheMovieBuff with a long-standing [[JustFriends platonic]] friendship with TheCynic Josephine "Joey" Potter (Creator/KatieHolmes), the girl from the wrong side of the tracks; when not attending high school, he works in a video-rental store with BromanticFoil BookDumb Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson). When the elderly Evelyn Ryan (Mary Beth Peil) ends up hosting her granddaughter, Jen Lindley (Creator/MichelleWilliams), a HardDrinkingPartyGirl from New York sent away to break her of her habits, Dawson's life gets thrown for a spin. Add to this the shaky marriage between his parents Mitch (Creator/JohnWesleyShipp) and Gail (Mary-Margaret Humes), and we have all the ingredients for a ComingOfAgeStory. Later additions to the cast include TallDarkAndHandsome NaiveNewcomer Jack [=McPhee]=] (Kerr Smith), his {{Adorkable}} sister Andie (Meredith Monroe), and GenkiGirl Audrey Liddell (Creator/BusyPhilipps).

* EnterStageWindow

* GenkiGirl : Andie, and in later seasons Audrey.

* GirlNextDoor: Joey.

** Joey's mom, who died of cancer before the series began.

The eponymous Dawson Leery (Creator/JamesVanDerBeek) is TheIdealist and TheMovieBuff with a long-standing [[JustFriends platonic]] friendship with TheCynic Josephine "Joey" Potter (Creator/KatieHolmes), the girl from the wrong side of the tracks; when not attending high school, he works in a video-rental store with BromanticFoil BookDumb Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson). When the elderly Evelyn Ryan (Mary Beth Peil) ends up hosting her granddaughter, Jen Lindley (Creator/MichelleWilliams), a HardDrinkingPartyGirl from New York sent away to break her of her habits, Dawson's life gets thrown for a spin. Add to this the shaky marriage between his parents Mitch (Creator/JohnWesleyShipp) and Gail (Mary-Margaret Humes), and we have all the ingredients for a ComingOfAgeStory. Later additions to the cast include TallDarkAndHandsome NaiveNewcomer Jack [=McPhee]=] (Kerr Smith), his {{Adorkable}} sister Andie (Meredith Monroe), and GenkiGirl Audrey Liddell (Creator/BusyPhillipps).

The eponymous Dawson Leery (Creator/JamesVanDerBeek) is TheIdealist and TheMovieBuff with a long-standing [[JustFriends platonic]] friendship with TheCynic Josephine "Joey" Potter (Creator/KatieHolmes), the girl from the wrong side of the tracks; when not attending high school, he works in a video-rental store with BromanticFoil BookDumb Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson). When the elderly Evelyn Ryan (Mary Beth Peil) ends up hosting her granddaughter, Jen Lindley (Creator/MichelleWilliams), a HardDrinkingPartyGirl from New York sent away to break her of her habits, Dawson's life gets thrown for a spin. Add to this the shaky marriage between his parents Mitch (Creator/JohnWesleyShipp) and Gail (Mary-Margaret Humes), and we have all the ingredients for a ComingOfAgeStory. Later additions to the cast include TallDarkAndHandsome NaiveNewcomer Jack McPhee (Kerr Smith), his {{Adorkable}} sister Andie (Meredith Monroe), and GenkiGirl Audrey Liddell (Creator/BusyPhillips).

The eponymous Dawson Leery (Creator/JamesVanDerBeek) is TheFilmBuff with a long-standing [[WereJustFriends platonic]] friendship with Josephine "Joey" Potter (Creator/KatieHolmes), the girl from the wrong side of the tracks; when not attending high school, he works in a video-rental store with BromanticFoil BookDumb Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson, just off his breakout role in the ''Mighty Ducks'' franchise). When the elderly Evelyn Ryan (Mary Beth Peil) ends up hosting her granddaughter, Jen Lindley (Creator/MichelleWilliams), a HardDrinkingPartyGirl from TheBigApple sent away to break her of her habits, Dawson's life gets thrown for a spin. Add to this the shaky marriage between his parents Mitch (Creator/JohnWesleyShipp) and Gail (Mary-Margaret Humes), and we have all the ingredients for a ComingOfAgeStory.

The reigning TeenDrama of the late 90's/early 00's. Revolved around a bunch of teenagers who live in the small fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts. Particular focus on lead character Dawson Leery (James Van der Beek) and his 'girl-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-creek' best friend Joey Potter (Katie Holmes)

Its gimmick was to show teenagers as well-spoken individuals with [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness vocabularies]] that would make [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes Calvin]] dizzy, rather than resort to the usual TV [[TotallyRadical teenspeak]]. Fans of the show praised its respectful portrayal of how teens talk and think. Others were less enthralled by the characters' habit of twisting every minor thing into [[ContemplateOurNavels a soliloquy on life's mysteries]].

Famous both for its actors being [[DawsonCasting much older than their on-screen counterparts]] and the infamous Dawson/Joey [[WillTheyOrWontThey will-they-won't-they]] storyline.

Also a notable example of the [[FanPreferredCouple fan preferred couple]] getting together in the end.

* AbortedArc: The entire first half of Season 3 was disregarded,[[LampshadeHanging getting only a passing mention]] in the finale.

* MonochromeCasting: Aside from a few minority extras, the one of the only important black characters was the High School principal.

%% * TakeThat: in one episode, a textbook [[BrattyHalfPint Bratty And]] AnnoyingYoungerSibling keeps asking Pacey to get him some ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' cards. By the end of the episode, Pacey has already told him off. Keep in mind the show was produced by Sony. Yeah, the same company behind the UsefulNotes/PlayStation. In another episode, one character was playing - end enjoying - a ''Franchise/CrashBandicoot'' game. So... UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars, much? %%

* HotScoop: Gale Leary.

%% * TakeThat: in one episode, a textbook [[BrattyHalfPint Bratty And]] AnnoyingYoungerSibling keeps asking Pacey to get him some ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' cards. By the end of the episode, Pacey has already told him off. Keep in mind the show was produced by Sony. Yeah, the same company behind the UsefulNotes/PlayStation. In another episode, one character was playing - end enjoying - a ''Franchise/CrashBandicoot'' game. So... ConsoleWars, much? %%

Everybody can agree on one thing, though. No other works of man, past or present, can ever top the [[{{Melodrama}} maudlin madness]] of ''Dawson's Creek''. The show inspired such passionate feelings that it indirectly spawned TelevisionWithoutPity (originally called "Dawson's Wrap").

* BrokenStreak

** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]: Abby Morgan acts like a stereotypical Libby...except she isn't popular at all and has no friends whatsoever aside from her on-again, off-again friendship with Jen. Ironically enough she's briefly seen with a GirlPosse in "Be Careful What You Wish For" but later in the same episode Abby herself admits being an outcast and that no one likes her.