“It’s the end of everything simple, and the beginning of everything else.”
There may be no better quote to describe the transitions into adulthood that Dawson’s Creek embodied, and this tag line that was used in the show’s debut 25 years ago TODAY, STILL rings true. The iconic moments, the iconic love triangles, and the iconic meme (#dawsoncry) have stood the test of time, becoming JUST AS MUCH a part of the pop culture lexicon for ’90s kids as “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty In Pink” are for the ’80s generation.
The concept of the show started a few years BEFORE it actually debuted, as creator Kevin Williamson filmed the first “Scream” movie in 1995. Kevin described the concept of “Dawson’s Creek” as semi-autobiographical of his time growing up near the water in North Carolina, and the rest, as they say, was history. The brand new WB network loved the concept, greenlit the show, and it debuted with THIS song as the theme on January 20, 1998.
Instant hit. Instant classic. Instant connection. WHY? Simply put, as someone who was a couple years older than the characters in the show at the time, we could see ourselves in these people. We understood their feelings; they weren’t trite, dumbed-down, or overdramatic. Dawson’s Creek is probably the REAL-est of the teen dramas of the ’90s with the feelings that so many of us experienced at the time. (Without having a creek right in our backyard.)
Six years later, a HUGE success, this defining show of the WB Network wrapped up its run in 2003 with continued fanfare. In 2018, the cast reunited for “People,” and explained WHY the show has been so iconic for them. And yes, this is an hour, but if you love this show as much as I did – you’ll watch the whole darn thing and love it.
So today, on the 25th anniversary, take just a minute and soak in some Dawson-y nostalgia. Whether it’s looking longingly at a body of water near your home, popping in a Steven Spielberg movie, or doing THE UGLY DAWSON CRY, celebrate the friendships of “Dawson’s Creek” today. And celebrate the friendships of YOUR childhood too.
