‘Dawson’s Creek’ is a frustrating show that’s barely about Dawson or his creek

About 20 years too late, I’ve finally watched “Dawson’s Creek,” the WB teen drama that made Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams stars. My wife and brother-in-law loved The Creek and referenced it frequently over the years. My brother-in-law also lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, aka Capeside, Massachusetts, where the show was filmed, and often pointed out landmarks when we visited that only she understood.

Thanks to isolation and unemployment, we have nothing but time in the evenings and plowed through the six seasons available on Hulu. And let me tell you: talk about a love/hate relationship with a show I haven’t had since “How I Met Your Mother.”

First off, being a teen drama, everything is absolutely stupid. Every problem they have is not a real problem anyone ever had ever. Their relationships are ridiculous. Their witty repartee is cringeworthy (though at the time was the height of cultural chic). Created by Kevin Williamson, who also created “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” everyone is clever and hip and has all the movie references. And I wanted to punch all of them in the face.

Had I watched this in its prime, it would have been my JAM. I loved “Clerks” and anything Kevin Smith, and this is that without all the stoner jokes and swearing. But man, as a 35-year-old man, SHUT UP, CHILDREN.

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