Columbia/TriStar International Television/Getty Dawson's Creekmay have come to an end 22 years ago, but fans old and new still love catching up with the gang from thefictional small town of Capeside. The popular WB teen drama aired its season finale on May 13, 2003, concluding the journeys of acore group of friendsas they experienced the ups and downs of friendship and romance in high school and college.Dawson's Creekwas also known for covering heavy issues like mental health, death and homophobia among typical teenage fare like prom dates, new friends and first love. James Van Der Beekled the ensemble cast as Dawson Leery, a wannabe filmmaker who has his heart set on his own happily ever after with one of his best friends, Joey Potter (Katie Holmes). Dawson's other best friend, Pacey Whitter (Joshua Jackson), and Capeside newbie Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams) put a crinkle in Dawson's carefully plotted-out future. With Paula Cole's "I Don't Want to Wait" as the theme song probably still stuck in your head,Dawson's Creekhelped launch its young stars into the spotlight. Twenty-two years after the finale ofDawson's Creekaired, here's what the cast is up to now. James Van Der Beek, who played the titular role of Dawson Leery, has filled most of his time since with TV pursuits, including ABC's comedyDon't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23,on which he played a version of himself — and scored a Teen Choice Award nomination, hearkening back to hisDawson'sdays. ThePoseactor now lives in Texas with his wife Kimberly and theirsix young kids: Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah. In November 2024, he announced he had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer,though told PEOPLE, "There's reason for optimism, and I'm feeling good." Van Der Beek's costar Jackson said onThe Jennifer Hudson Showin April 2025 that his friend's diagnosis "brought the whole gang back together." He said theDawson's Creekcast is now in a group chat together. Fittingly for the woman who portrayed Capeside High valedictorian Joey Potter, Katie Holmes went back to school for a time, even attending the entertainment, media and sports program at Harvard University to further her skills for her production company, Noelle Productions Inc. Aside fromraising Suri(her daughter with ex-husbandTom Cruise), Holmes has devoted much of her time to film and TV, including multiple stintsportraying Jackie Kennedyand directing and co-writing the 2023 filmRare Objects. Holmes has harbored fondDawson'smemories, previously saying it was a "special show, and I loved every minute of it." Joshua Jackson, theFatal AttractionandDoctor Odysseystar, previously expressed that aDawson'sreboot would be "shocking" to fans. "We are not cute kids anymore," he joked onThe Ellen DeGeneres Showin 2016,perEW. "It's been a long time. I mean, we're holding up okay, but I think if you put the four of us now next to the four of us them, it might be a little shocking." In early 2023, he returned to Wilmington, N.C. — whereDawson's Creekwas filmed — to shoot a new series fromAva DuVernay. He also appeared inKarate Kid: Legendsin May 2025. Jackson, who played Pacey Witter in the series,wed Jodie Turner-Smithin 2019,though the pair split in 2023. Together they haveone child. Once Capeside's resident occasional bad girl, Michelle Williams has "made good" with a serious career on the big screen, earning several Oscar nominations, including a Best Actress nod in 2023 forSteven Spielberg'sThe Fabelmans. Williams is mom to daughterMatilda Rose, with late actorHeath Ledger,as well asthree childrenwith husband Thomas Kail. Hopes for aDawson'sreboot are also lost on the star, whose character, Jen Lindley, didn't make it to the series finale alive. "I would have to come back as a ghost — or put a lot of filters on the camera, and I'll do flashback scenes," she previously said. Columbia TriStar Television/courtesy Everett Collection; David Livingston/Getty Since her days playing high-strung Andie McPhee, Meredith Monroe has built her TV-acting résumé with recurring roles onCriminal Minds,Hart of Dixieand13 Reasons Why, and guest spots on a crop of other popular series. During a cast reunion interview, shetoldEntertainment Weeklyin 2018 that shooting the series in Wilmington "was like growing up together. I felt like I was so grateful that it was shooting in Wilmington. We all got to really connect in a way that I don't think we would have had we been in New York or L.A." Monroe married Steven Kavovit in 1999, and the pair have at least two kids. After playing Jack McPhee, Andie's older brother who comes to terms with his homosexuality throughout the series,Kerr Smithlanded roles onThe Fosters,LifeUnexpected,CharmedandRiverdale. Smith's favorite memory fromDawson'scomes from the actors' group trips to the beach. "In the summer, we as a cast would go to Masonboro Island [North Carolina]. We'd get out the grill and go Jet Skiing and swimming. It was the most fun I ever had in my life," he previously told PEOPLE. Off-screen, Smith was married to actress Harmoni Everett from 2003 to 2009. Courtesy Everett Collection; Allen Berezovsky/FilmMagic Busy Philipps, who played Joey Potter's college roommate, has stayed booked and busy on series likeCougar TownandGirls5eva. She also played Regina George's mom in the 2024 musical remake ofMean Girls. The actress has two children,Cricket and Birdie, withex-husband Marc Silverstein. Off-screen, she has remained close toDawson'sbestie, Williams; the pair havefrequented red carpets togetherand reunited for girls' hangouts. Columbia TriStar Television/courtesy Everett Collection; Bobby Bank/WireImage John Wesley Shippplayed Mitch Leery onDawson's Creek. During the cast's 2018 reunion,he recalled how the series' dialogue was groundbreaking for the times: "I remember a big star who shall remain nameless said to Kevin [Williamson, the show's creator], 'Young people don't talk like that,' " ShipptoldEntertainment Weekly. "Kevin said, 'Well, maybe not, but they'd like to.' We had a feeling that we were pioneering a different way of telling stories about young people." The actor, who was known for playing The Flash in the '90s, came back to the story for The CW series by the same name from 2014 to 2023. Courtesy Everett Collection; Araya Diaz/Getty Following her days playing Dawson's anchorwoman mom,Mary-Margaret Humeshas acted in several Hallmark and Lifetime TV movies. She toldEWshe happened to be with star Van Der Beek the first time he was ever asked for an autograph afterDawson's Creekpremiered. "He signed it and said, 'Oh my God, Mary-Margaret, that was my first!' And, of course, my thought was, 'Oh, honey, hang on,' " she said. Off-screen, Humes married Raul A. Bruce in 1992. Columbia TriStar Television/courtesy Everett Collection; Gregory Pace/Shutterstock Since playing big sis to Holmes' Joey,Nina Repetahas continued to act in various films and has sparked amusic career, singing everything from the blues to jazz. She is also involved in music therapy, singing jazz in local memory care units. "[It] has allowed me to have a front-row seat to the miraculous power of music," Repeta told PEOPLE. "Patients who have been unresponsive for weeks will light up and even sing along to tunes they recognize and love. It is, by far, one of the most fulfilling moments for me as an artist to use music therapy and see its results instantly." Repeta's son Banks Repeta, who she shares with husband Mike Repeta, has also followed in her footsteps by forging his own acting career with roles in 2021'sThe Black Phoneand 2022'sArmageddon Time, the latter of which earned him a Critics' Choice Awards nomination in 2023. "I do feel like I have passed the acting torch to our son Banks," Repeta told PEOPLE. "[At the Critics' Choice Awards], we got to hang out briefly with [Michelle] Williams and [Busy] Philipps at the ceremony. As long as he continues to enjoy it, I feel like he will continue his journey as a film actor." Courtesy Everett Collection; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty I Jen's "Grams" has worked steadily in post-Dawson'syears: Mary Beth Peil had recurring roles onThe Good WifeandKaty Keeneand many turns on Broadway, including the Dowager Empress inAnastasia. When Williams was honored at the 2022 Gotham Awards, she used her time tothank Peil for influencing herand taking her under her wing. "Mary Beth Peil was the first artist that I had ever met in my life. She didn't call herself that, but there was something different about her," Williams said. "It was the way she asked questions, the way that she leaned into conversations, and how excited she seemed for every moment of every day on our TV set. And I didn't know what this ineffable quality was, but I knew I wanted to pull my chair closer to hers." In her personal life, Peil was married to Jerry Kirkbride, with whom she raised two children. The pair divorced in 1993, perThe New York Times. Read the original article onPeople
