After the recent and untimely death of James Van Der Beek at age 48 due to colorectal cancer, I—and probably a lot of women my age—was sent into a nostalgic tailspin. It seems just yesterday that the weekly show rotation featured Dawson, Pacey, Joey, and Jen, teens coming into their complicated social dynamics, their sexual renaissance, their angsty and misunderstood lives.
DAWSON’S CREEK
What’s it rated? TV-14
When? 1998 to 2003
Where’s it showing? Netflix, Hulu, Disney+
Cuddled up and cozy, my cousin and I spent a weekend rewatching Dawson’s Creek, and what a wildly different watch it is as a seasoned adult. What was once so romantic turns out to be so cringe in moments, the problems of teens so dwarfed by the experience of age once life has kicked your ass a few times. Yet nostalgia rules, and we soon found ourselves reciting monologues and remembering plotlines that somehow still reside in our brains.
If you want a trip down memory lane (and a great reminder of how truly dramatic being a teen can feel), give this WB classic another watch and honor the legacy of Van Der Beek and the absolute icon of a teen star he was as Dawson. (128 approximately 45 min. episodes) ∆
This article appears in March 12-19, 2026.