"Dawson's Creek," one of the pioneer coming-of-age TV series, ended 10 years ago, but writers reunited at the ATX Festival in Austin on June 6 and talked about why Joey (Katie Holmes) and Dawson (James van de Beek) did not end up together, the coming out story of Jack (Kerr Smith)and other behind-the-scene highlights.
Moderated by "Vampire Diaries" showrunner Julie Plec, the panel was attended by "Dawson's Creek" creator Kevin Williamson and writers Paul Stupin of "Switched at Birth," Anna Fricke of "Being Human," Rob Thomas of "Veronica Mars," Jenny Bicks of "Sex and the City" and Gina Fattore of "Gilmore Girls."
According to the writers, the ending was a realistic twist, which they did not intend from the beginning. They gave fans some insight on the scriptwriting process and ultimately, the love triangle between Dawson, Joey and Pacey (Joshua Jackson).
First, Williamson admitted that he changed his mind halfway through because the characters "evolved" and he wanted to show the viewers that "soul mates" like Joey and Dawson do not necessarily end up together.
Williamson wanted a twist that is honest and surprising, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. In addition, the chemistry between Joey and Pacey called for a romantic relationship. From there, the pairing gained good ground.
However, everyone became happy and content in the grand finale, which depicted the main characters five years later. In this episode, Plec got Andie (Meredith Monroe) to appear again and make peace with Pacey. However, the scene was only shown on DVD.
As for Jen's (Michelle Williams) death, Williamson argued it was necessary in the coming-of-age concept. He said, "Until you deal with death, that's one more way of coming of age."
Another important coming-of-age concept was the revelation of Jack's sexuality in season two and the first-ever gay kiss scene on TV. The writers took inspiration from another Creek writer, Greg Berlanti (Arrow), and his own coming out story, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Finally, the iconic theme song "I Don't Want to Wait" by Paula Cole was not the song the producers originally planned to use. It was "Hand in My Pocket" by Alanis Morissette. But, when they used Cole's song in promoting the series, it became a hit before the series started, Stupin said.
"Dawson's Creek" was a popular coming-of-age teen drama series that aired on the WB Network from 1998 to 2003 with a total of 6 seasons.