Revisiting ‘Dawson’s Creek’ – “Pilot”

“Pilot”

Though The WB’s current incarnation, The CW, is often looked down upon as being the red-headed stepchild of the adopted second cousin at the family reunion, The WB is fondly remembered as the network that gave birth to the teen soap. But the difference between The WB and The CW is that The WB existed at a time when primetime TV was aimed almost completely at adults, not teens, and when the only choices were the regular networks and a few pay cable dramas on HBO (and if you want to read more about how the world of television has changed over the last decade and a half, I suggest you read Alan Sepinwall’s The Revolution was Televised). Today our TV sets are overrun with original programming on nearly every channel, but back in the mid-1990s this was not the case.

‘Dawson’s Creek’ premiered on the WB (itself born in 1995) on January 20, 1998, at which time The WB was attempting to corner the fresh teen market. Fox, which had been the home of ‘Beverly Hills, 90210′ (1990-2000) and ‘Party of Five’ (1994-2000), was beginning to lean toward more adult fare with shows like ‘Ally McBeal’ (1997-2002). In August 1996 the WB premiered the conservative family drama ’7th Heaven’ (1996-2007) and in March 1997 Buffy staked her first vampire (‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, 1997-2003).

Nine months after Dawson and Joey became household names, ‘Felicity’ (1998-2002) and ‘Charmed’ (1998-2006) premiered on the same network. A few years later ‘Gilmore Girls’ (2000-2007) and ‘Smallville’ (2001-2011) would follow suit and The WB would become known as the network for teen drama. But it never would have happened without ‘Dawson’s Creek’ as the show became the breakout hit for the network. It was paired with ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ on Tuesday nights and together they propelled The WB’s popularity to new heights.

But as for the pilot episode itself, there’s not much to say. It’s not a groundbreaking pilot. It’s not in real time, there’s no plane crash, there’s nothing truly extraordinary about it. If it were a pilot script in today’s current television landscape, I highly doubt it would ever see the light of day let alone be ordered to series. But because the teen soap was a new concept in the mid-to-late 90s, it was fresh and new and the world gobbled it up.

Click here for the rest of the article which reviews and analyzes the full episode.

My newest project: A Return to Capeside

It recently came to my attention there are still women out there who haven’t seen ‘Dawson’s Creek’. There are women going about their daily lives who have not experienced the likes and greatness of one Pacey Witter (who do they measure potential boyfriends against?). THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE WHO DON’T FULLY GRASP THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DAWSON CRYING GIF.

It’s terribly tragic, but I’ve decided to take it upon myself to right this wrong.

My goal for 2013 is to introduce these poor lost souls to the glory of one of the greatest teen soaps the world has ever known by revisiting the show that paved the way for much of what came after. For without Dawson and Pacey, we might never have known Ryan and Seth. The love triangle as we know it would be dramatically altered if Dawson, Joey and Pacey didn’t pave the way all those years ago. And Michelle Williams and Busy Phillips might not be best friends in a ‘Dawson’-less world. I shudder at the thought.

I take this project on because I care. My burden is my own, but I will do this for my fellow woman (and man), because no one, I repeat, no one should have to live without experiencing this important piece of popular culture.

But I will not stop with Dawson and company. I will attempt to bring to the light all those lost to the darkness that was the late 90s and early 00s. In addition to revisiting ‘Dawson’s Creek’, I will be making a list of the TV shows everyone needs to see in order to properly understand the current scope of popular culture. I do this alone and all I ask is that you watch with me. Because there are few things in life more exciting than watching a friend experience great TV for the first time.

Cue the iconic theme music.