A Dawson’s Creek reboot may be closer than fans think. Katie Holmes, who starred in the late 1990s/early 2000s teen drama series as Joey Potter, confirmed to Variety in an interview released on Thursday, May 18, that there have been “many discussions over the years” about a reboot. However, she noted that the show may not be as welcome in today’s political and social climate.
“We all loved the experience. There’s a protection that comes along with the discussion. The show was a time capsule,” the 44-year-old actress explained. “To put it into today’s world might tarnish it a little bit. It was right before everyone had a phone and social media and all of that, so there was an innocence that was there between the characters that was one of the things I think people liked about the show. To put it into the setting of today’s world, I’m not sure.”
For now, Katie said the show’s creators are waiting for the right time or idea to come along. “We kind of just keeping saying that until there is a real reason to do it, it hasn’t been something where people have said, ‘This is the take on it,'” she stated.
Dawson’s Creek debuted in 1998 and skyrocketed the now mother of one and her co-stars into fame. Her co-stars included James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams, Joshua Jackson, and more. The show centered around the love between Katie’s character of Joey and James Van Der Beek’s Dawson Leery, plus the things high schoolers go through with their friends.
James himself has said he doesn’t think the show would work in today’s world, either. “It would be a tricky thing to do. It was a tricky show to make even back then,” he told Insider on Tuesday, May 2. “It was a very, very specific tone, a very specific time. I don’t know what would be replicable or be doable. It was Kevin Williamson‘s creation that came from his heart and he is a brilliant writer who was able to be self-aware and yet sincere all at the same time.”
James also revealed he has banned his kids from watching it until he decides they’re old enough. He currently shares six kids with his wife, Kimberly: Olivia, 12, Joshua, 11, Annabel, 9, Emilia, 7, Gwendolyn, 4, and Jeremiah, 1. “I haven’t watched the show in so long, so I’ll need to go back and probably investigate at what age [is best],” he noted.”I’ve just kind of put it off-limits for now.”
Furthermore, Joshua Jackson shared the same sentiment as his former co-stars while speaking to The Guardian in Sept. 2021. “I think because the Friends cast were already adults when they were doing the show, it’s less jarring to see them now. If you put our mid-40s selves together on a couch now, with our creaking backs, it might shock people,” he hypothesized. “Nobody needs to hear Pacey grunting when he gets out of a chair,” he added.
It doesn’t sound like fans will get a Dawson’s Creek reboot anytime soon, but you never know!