Thanks to the X-Files reboot news and the return of Scrubs last week, I’ve been thinking a lot about this current Reboot Era of film and television that we’re in. Every time I think I’ve had enough, a new franchise whispers, “but just give us one more try!” We recently learned about a reboot that could have been, Dawson’s Creek.
It’s been almost a month since James Van Der Beek passed away from colorectal cancer. Since then, his Dawson’s Creek co-workers have been very vocal about their loss and James’ legacy. DC creator Kevin Williamson is currently promoting Scream 7, which he directed. He did a big profile with Esquire. The interview was conducted after James’ passing and Kevin spoke a lot about his late friend. He revealed that 10 years ago, in 2016, James wanted to explore a Dawson’s reboot. He even had a whole plan for it.
Dawson’s Creek creator Kevin Williamson recently revealed that the late James Van Der Beek once had plans to write a reboot of the beloved ’90s series, though the project never moved forward.
Speaking with Esquire, published on March 2, Williamson shared that the actor first came up with the idea around 2016, saying, “He wanted to do it. And, in fact, there was a moment where he was going to write it — and he had a really great idea for it. He had a beautiful plan. Then I think he got on a show and everybody got busy. It never happened. But there was a lot of talk about it.”
Williamson noted that he did not remember the specifics of Van Der Beek’s proposed plan to revive the series, but does recall it being “funny” and “along the lines of This Is Us.”
However, Williamson said he wasn’t sure how a reboot would work, especially considering how the series wrapped up.
“I always felt like, ‘Well, we did that. We finished it.’ In the last episode, we jumped five years. We went to the future. The last episode of that show was the remake. So I feel very okay with that. And I don’t feel the need to go back to that world, as much as I love them and would love to,” he added.
Dawson’s Creek aired for six seasons from 1998 to 2003, with Van Der Beek starring as the titular character, Dawson Leery.
In 2016, we had the first The X-Files revival, as well as reboots of Full House, Gilmore Girls, and Boy Meets World. I can understand why James would want to explore one of his own, but I’m with Williamson on this one. I’m sure James’ idea was fine, but there are some series that serve as perfect encapsulations of the time period in which they came out, and Dawson’s Creek is one of them. I don’t think you could recreate its magic because it happened organically and spoke to the generation coming-of-age. I put My So-Called Life in that same category. That’s why (in my opinion), the 90210 reboot didn’t capture hearts the same way as the original series did. There’s also the risk of ruining your beloved show’s legacy, like the X-Files almost did. Fuller House got by on nostalgia for a little while, but trips down memory lane only last so long. While I loved Dawson’s, I’m glad it didn’t get the reboot treatment.
Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson are shown filming Happy Hours in late July and early August in New York City. Credit: Jose Perez/MediaPunch/Diamond/Backgrid. Photos from the Scream 7 premiere credit: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon