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Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this series is all about teens who have a mature/adult vocabulary and general worldview (and quite the knack for pop culture references). As it follows them through high school and into college, the show deals with "typical" teen issues like sex, first loves, drinking, sexual orientation, depression, cheating in school, and parents' divorce. Of those, sex is probably one of the biggest themes; it's a frequent topic of discussion -- as well as action. Teens will likely find the characters' vocabulary, critical analysis, and maturity either inspiring or alienating.

Families can talk about how teens feel this series relates to more current teen programming. Are the experiences the characters go through still accurate or relatable? Can teens describe how they might handle one of the situations dealt with in the series? Do they feel like the characters on the show are realistic reflections of other teens they know? Do any of their friends talk like Dawson, Pacey, Joey, and Jen?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Jill Hipps

DAWSON'S CREEK follows four teens from the small, fictional town of Capeside, Mass. -- where even the largest adolescent issues lurk in the waters.

Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek), Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson) and Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams) are at the heart of the teen angst that originally blossomed on the small screen from 1998 to 2003 (the show still airs in syndication and is available on DVD).

The series aims to portray Smalltown, USA, but it brings progressive issues into the mix as well. All in all,Dawson's Creek is far from the average teen drama. The characters are articulate -- more so than the average adult -- and don't use "like" and "you know" to complete their thoughts. They're introspective and create critical dialogue to question their own relationships, their peers, and the world around them.

That said, as in most high school dramas, love triangles, rumors, and sexual encounters definitely abound. In a role reversal, here it's the girls who come from the wrong side of the "creek" -- Joey lives with her sister, who's married to an African-American man (gasp!) she had a child with out of wedlock, and Jen is sent from New York to live with her religious Grams (Mary Beth Piel) in Capeside after her parents discover her having sex.

Not that the boys are all that squeaky clean, either (at least, those besides Dawson): Pacey is the typical bad boy around town. His father and brother are police officers, but he's busy having an affair with his math teacher, struggling with his grades, and falling for his best friend's girl.

Which brings us to Dawson and Joey. Joey is the girl next door who captivates innocent, wide-eyed Dawson, a naive movie-lover who has a happily-ever-after vision of relationships and a hard time dealing with their harsh reality. Through both high school and college, Joey and Dawson have an on-again, off-again romance that's interrupted by other serious relationships along the way -- including a very serious (and ratings-grabbing) tryst between Joey and Pacey.

Other characters make their way down the creek over the show's six seasons, including siblings Andie (Meredith Monroe) and Jack (Kerr Smith) McPhee. Jack was the show's first openly gay character on the show, which also dealt with serious issues like questioning religion, the death of a classmate, sleeping with a teacher, drug overdoses, sex, first loves, college, an unstable mother, depression, divorce, lust, and infidelity. The characters' ability to explain (at length) how to navigate situations like these made the series a learning tool as well as a guilty pleasure.

Teen fans of Dawson's Creek might also want to check out Gilmore Girls, My So-Called Life, and South of Nowhere.

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Content
		CS	adults	kids
Sexual Content Sex is an ongoing, central issue throughout the series, and in its original run, the show had a bit of a racy reputation. Jen has a promiscuous past, and sex is taken seriously by all of the characters. Some episodes deal with teens losing their virginity. Both heterosexual and homosexual relationships are dealt with.
Violence The rare fist-fght or car crash is used to teach an overall lesson.
Language Relatively mild on the swearing front: "damn," "hell," "bitch," "ass," etc. More significant is the constant dialogue among the characters to work out issues or express feelings in a mature, articulate manner.
Message
	Social Behavior Responsible, conscientious teens strive to have good relationships. Rebellion and teen angst is left to specific characters. Pacey has an affair with his teacher; occasional teen partying is featured. Deals with a gay teen coming out.
	Commercialism
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Occasional teen drinking, but consequences and/or discipline is usually the result.

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