18 Dawson's Creek Behind-The-Scenes Facts To Know For Your Next Rewatch

There's no better portal to the '90s than a rewatch of your favorite teen drama, and Dawson's Creek is one of the best at capturing all the fashion and lingo that defined the iconic era. The beloved WB series ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003 and launched the careers of James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams. The whole series is available to stream on Netflix, but before you start your rewatch, here are some Dawson's Creek behind-the-scenes facts that will add some new layers of enjoyment to the creekside classic.

In the late '90s and early 2000s, TV fans were caught up in the ever-evolving love triangle of Dawson Leery, Joey Potter, and Pacey Witter, and the dramatic twists and turns of their high school and college lives still hold up for anyone looking for a great teen show. But there is much more to the series than meets the eye; there are a ton of behind-the-scenes decisions and tiny details that could have made Dawson's Creek a completely different show.

Here are some of the best lesser-known Dawson's Creek facts and details to keep in mind the next time you’re devouring all the drama.

1. James Van Der Beek’s last name was perfect.

By some cosmic coincidence, Van Der Beek had the perfect name for his most iconic role. Van Der Beek is a Dutch name that translates to "from the creek." As for him playing the character, series creator Kevin Williamson imagined Dawson originally as a nerd, but the producers wanted a handsome leading man. Van Der Beek's audition convinced Williamson the actor was perfect because he looked like a leading man on the outside but personally was a complete geek. That his last name fit the show’s title was an added bonus.

2. Joshua Jackson almost played Dawson.

Jackson auditioned for Pacey first, but the casting agents preferred him for the lead role of Dawson, as did Williamson. But the network objected, as they wanted someone who looked more like a high school jock-type. So Williamson decided right then and there to cast him as Pacey, because he knew he wanted the actor on the show, no matter what.

3. Dawson’s necklace has a personal connection.

Dawson's signature accessory has a special meaning for Van Der Beek, because his mom made the necklace for him. Because of the pendant's importance, the show's wardrobe team made sure to feature it in all of Dawson's outfits.

4. The theme song was changed twice.

Arguably the most iconic thing about Dawson's Creek is its instantly recognizable theme song. The Paula Cole track is now synonymous with Dawson, Joey, Pacey, and Jen, but initially, showrunner Kevin Williamson wanted Alanis Morissette's "Hand in My Pocket" to be the show's theme. Because Williamson couldn't secure the rights to that song, "I Don't Want to Wait" was chosen instead as an alternative. Ironically, when the show moved to DVD, the series no longer had the rights to the Cole song, so it became Jann Arden's "Run Like Mad."

5. Tom Cruise is referenced a lot.

Katie Holmes' high-profile relationship with Tom Cruise dominated the tabloids throughout the 2000s. However, years before she met the action star, her character of Joey was familiar with his work. In a few scenes, Joey, Dawson, and Pacey watched Cruise's movie Jerry Maguire, and Dawson even threw a Risky Business-themed party in Season 3.

6. Jack and Ethan’s kiss was a TV first.

The character of Jack McPhee broke a lot of ground for LGBTQ+ representation on mainstream television. His most significant impact came in the Season 3 finale, which featured Jack passionately kissing his boyfriend, Ethan, after taking him to prom. The moment marked the first romantic kiss between two men on primetime TV.

7. “Dawson crying” was improvised.

One short scene has kept Dawson's Creek alive on social media for decades. In the Season 3 finale, Dawson contorted his face in anguish as Joey left him to pursue Pacey. The dramatic reaction has become one of the most widely used memes on the internet, and it's all thanks to a bit of improv from Van Der Beek. The actor told HuffPost that Dawson's breakdown wasn't scripted: "I wasn't supposed to cry; it was just one of those things that happens when you're playing a character for so long. It wasn't scripted, I don't think. I mean, it was appropriate for the scene. You know, it was just high drama; you've been living with this character for a while, and a scene like that just kind of drops in your lap, and you just lose it."

8. Joshua Jackson referenced The Mighty Ducks.

Pacey isn't Joshua Jackson's only iconic role — his big break came when he was a kid starring in the Mighty Ducks movies. In Season 1, he got to give a winking shoutout to his first significant movie after Dawson quipped that all of the Breakfast Club cast had fallen into obscurity. Pacey was quick to defend Emilio Estevez, though, noting, "He was in those duck movies, remember? God, those were classics. So funny."

9. Joey appears in every episode.

Dawson's name may be in the show's title, but Joey got a perfect attendance record in the series. Though all four main actors remained with the series for all six seasons, most of them missed a few installments here and there due to scheduling conflicts. Katie Holmes is the only actor to appear in all 128 episodes of Dawson's Creek.

10. The series finale was altered to a Happily Ever After.

Dawson's Creek was supposed to end with what later became its penultimate episode. In that original finale, Jen set off for New York, and Joey didn’t end up with either guy, instead choosing to follow her dream of visiting Paris. However, the network convinced creator Kevin Williamson (who had departed from the show years prior) to write his own version of the finale, which was set five years after the original ending and gave Joey and Pacey their happily ever after.

11. Andie was cut from the finale.

Andie McPhee was one of the main characters in the early seasons of Dawson's Creek, but she surprisingly disappeared after a couple of episodes in Season 4. After her scary overdose, Andie moved to Italy to finish high school, only briefly returning at the end of the season to graduate alongside the rest of her class. Andie returned in the series finale to let everyone know what she had been up to all those years and get some closure with Pacey. However, all of Andie's scenes were cut from the episode due to timing, though superfans can still see them on the Season 6 DVD.

12. Dawson and Pacey’s rivalry was real.

The love triangle between Joey, Pacey, and Dawson was always at the heart of Dawson's Creek, and it went into overdrive in Season 3 when Joey began dating Pacey. Years later, the writers revealed that Holmes and Jackson's natural chemistry influenced them to pair their characters (the actors were dating IRL). However, some off-screen tension between Jackson and Van Der Beek also helped color the dynamic. Writer Gina Fattore revealed that the two male leads weren't getting along at the time, so the writers avoided putting Dawson and Pacey in scenes together.

13. Katie Holmes didn’t audition in L.A.

Holmes was still attending high school when she found out a new teen series was looking for its female lead. Rather than jump at the chance and fly out to Los Angeles to audition, Holmes was adamant about remaining in her hometown of Toledo, Ohio, and playing her role as Lola in her high school's production of Damn Yankees. Instead of auditioning in person, Holmes sent in a video reading Joey's lines while her mom played Dawson. Obviously, it worked.

14. Brad Pitt inspired Dawson's haircut.

Dawson's obsession with film goes so deep, it even influenced his iconic hairdo. When contemplating his character's look ahead of Dawson's Creek's debut, Van Der Beek revealed a chance encounter with a Brad Pitt movie made all the difference. "I was rocking the pubescent Jesus look at the time ... We started looking through Entertainment Weekly, which was on the counter. We found an ad for The Devil's Own, the movie with Brad Pitt. [The crew] said, 'What about Brad Pitt's haircut?' And that's how I got my Season 1 haircut."

15. Monica Keena asked for Abby to be written out.

Abby Morgan was the snarky party girl who never failed to stir up some drama among the core characters throughout the first two seasons. But her most memorable moment was a scene that shocked the entire fandom. After spilling her soul to Jen on the docks, Abby suddenly hit her head and fell, drowning in the water. Many fans were confused and upset by the abrupt end, but it turns out, it’s what actor Monica Keena wanted. The actor had grown tired of flying out to North Carolina to film her recurring role, so she asked to leave the show.

16. The cast isn't interested in a reboot.

When Entertainment Weekly staged a reunion among the principal characters from Dawson's Creek, the main cast seemed to agree the story is over and there is no desire to return to these characters either as a "Next Generation" or as a reboot. Holmes noted that it felt like the story was complete when the series ended, and it's best to leave it that way.

17. Dawson-Pacey-Joey changed teen romance.

Before Dawson's Creek, teen romance was one guy-one girl, or two girls fighting over one guy. The popularity of the Dawson-Pacey-Joey love triangle on the series gave rise to a new formula, with one person torn between two different kinds of people, both of whom could be their one true love. Post-Dawson shows from Veronica Mars to Riverdale have followed the same template.

18. Dawson's Creek changed how TV is viewed altogether.

Dawson's Creek's premiere coincided with the rise of the internet and was one of the first teen soaps to have a fansite dedicated to it: DawsonsWrap. That site then morphed into Mighty Big TV and then Television Without Pity, which became the incubator for a new form of TV criticism, the recap. It also mainstreamed the process of creating gifs of memorable TV moments (like Dawson crying), giving rise to the internet meme. If it weren't for Dawson's, the internet might talk about TV very differently today.

All six seasons of Dawson's Creek are available to stream on Netflix.