We are a proud generation of Gossip Girl lovers. But before there was GG, another soapy drama dominated the airwaves. If you were looking for love triangles, slightly unrealistic plot lines and more teen angst than you could even begin to handle, Dawson’s Creek was your TV obsession in the late ’90s. And though we were but wee tots when the show debuted, we’ve since come to appreciate its endless charms. Come to think of it, there’s quite a few major things GG stole from Dawson’s Creek. Don’t believe us? We thought you might not, so we’ve compiled 19 pieces of evidence below.
1. Stereotypical teen plot lines were everywhere.
Pregnancy scares, drug overdoses, school dances that led to unbearably awkward instances of sexual tension. You can’t have a teen soap without these necessities.
2. Guys and girls could not be friends.
If there’s anything these two shows taught us, it’s that guys and girls can’t be friends without wanting to hook up at some point. The near incestuous ways of these casts made for amazingly complicated interactions at times; but at others, it made us just plain uncomfortable. Like, Dan + Blair = Pacey + Audrey… Ew, on both counts.
3. Those drawn-out love triangles had such clear winners.
Was there ever any question that Joey belonged with Pacey while Blair belonged with Chuck? We think not! No matter the guy they tried to pair these two leading ladies with, no one compared to their lobsters. We rest our case.
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4. Everybody loved Joey/Blair.
On that note, every guy in existence had a thing for Joey Potter, and the same can be said for Blair Waldorf. Dan, Chuck, Nate, Louis and any other man on the face of the planet seemed to be interested in B. And Joey had crazy amounts of guys—Eddie, Pacey, Dawson and Jack, to name a few—fighting over her. Like, we get it—you’re trying to confuse us and them. But it’s not working. (See lobster reference in item #3.)
5. Viewers cared less and less about the gorgeous blonde starlet as the show went on.
Blake Lively and Michelle Williams were both destined for great things when they began their runs on Gossip Girl and Dawson’s Creek, respectively. But to say Serena and Jen were underused would be a vast understatement. What could have been captivating, boundary-pushing characters became mere participants in lame B-storylines that didn’t do them justice.
6. Said characters also blamed themselves for bizarre deaths.
Two of the more interesting arcs Jen and Serena were involved in centered around bizarre deaths they just so happened to witness and blame themselves for. Remember when Serena “killed” Pete in that murky overdose situation? Jen also watched a drunk Abby Morgan fall to her death from a boat dock. Cue downward spiral of both characters, though they really weren’t at fault.
7. Misunderstood yet troubled girls went to rehab.
If a young lady was acting anything other than perfect and her parents found out about it, it was off to rehab. Audrey and Andie’s stints in institutions were for far worse problems than Serena’s stay at the Ostroff Center. But while these girls may not have been able to rely on the adults in their lives for support, there was always professional help.
8. The main cast became ultra-famous.
You can thank Dawson’s Creek for giving us Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams just as you can attribute the fame of Blake Lively and Leighton Meester to Gossip Girl. These GG gals may not have married Tom Cruise, but we’ll take Ryan Reynolds and Adam Brody over Katie’s ex any day.
9. These TV parents had even more dramatic lives than their kids.
Every time we thought these shows couldn’t top the drama going on in the main characters’ lives, their parents proved us wrong. Whether it was shocking affairs, drug-dealing or a one-hit-wonder dad’s attempt to give his rock music career another try, the ‘rents had their fair share of tumultuous goings-on, too.
10. Secret illnesses abounded.
If you’re suffering from a life-threatening disease, hide it at all costs. That’s what Jen and even Lily Rhodes van der Woodsen Bass Humphrey (whatever her last name is these days) did. And while it hurt their relationships in the long run, these moments made for fabulously dramatic reveals.
11. Dads died for the stupidest reasons.
Bart Bass, we will hate for all time, and we really could care less about his suspicious death and resurrection. But Mitch Leery is an entirely different story. If only he hadn’t tried to eat an ice cream cone and drive simultaneously, he might have lived to see Dawson’s film-making dreams come true. We’ll never look at ice cream the same way again.
12. Supporting characters faded out of the series.
Jenny and Vanessa’s departures from the Gossip Girl universe were pretty much expected. And while we were sad to see Andie leave Dawson’s Creek, her character development seemed moot once Pacey’s relationship with Joey became such a focal point. What we’ll never understand is how Dawson, the titular character, took on a supporting role in his own show. Sure, he wasn’t the most interesting guy, but for crying out loud, the creek is DAWSON’s.
13. These people loved to have wildly inappropriate relationships with their teachers.
How do you spice up a teen drama? Add an unrealistically attractive teacher into the mix as a love interest for one of your main characters. This happened not once, not twice, but three times on Dawson’s Creek—some cases were more outlandish than others. At least Gossip Girl only attempted to pull it off twice. Hey, it’s better than three times!
14. The transition from high school to college was bumpy, to say the least.
Here’s the predicament: these shows are set in high school, but the students have to graduate eventually. Insert college, and they’ve completely lost their way. Whereas GG decided everyone should just drop out, Dawson’s finally got a handle on the collegiate world in its final season.
15. Dan and Dawson were those nauseating “nice guys” you’d never actually want to end up with.
Can you say boring? Dan and Dawson each had their shot with women who were way out of their league, and in the process, we grew to dislike them more and more. Dawson may not have gotten the girl, but he’s got one thing going for him: he’s not Gossip Girl.
16. Bad boys with hearts of gold reign supreme.
Chuck Bass is Pacey Witter. Pacey Witter is Chuck Bass. Well, not exactly but you know what we mean. We never knew our love of fictional characters could be this powerful. Chuck and Pacey were always willing to go to battle if need be, and their sweet gestures far surpassed their sometimes unbecoming actions.
17. You stuck with these shows through good times and bad.
Creative lows couldn’t stop you from getting your fix. You didn’t care if Chad Michael Murray’s ubiquitous Charlie was standing in the way of Joey’s chance at true love. So what if you thought for a second that Dan kind of had a baby with Georgina? You were willing to forgive and forget these sins for the greater good of the show.
Related: Which Gossip Girl Character Are You?
18. No one was ever really happy.
There can be no joy in Capeside or the Upper East Side—oh look, they both come from places that end in “side”—unless the other shoe is about to drop. You wait and wait for happiness, yet it doesn’t come. Until…
19. The five-year flash forward finale tied up loose ends.
As both shows wound down in their sixth and final seasons, it was time for series finales that gave us satisfying peeks five years into the future. You could finally sleep easy knowing your favorite characters got everything you ever wanted for them, but you’re still secretly envisioning the turmoil that surfaced the second your TV screen faded to black. Oh well, it’s how we who find ourselves obsessed with teen soaps deal. What’s a girl to do?
The similarities are spooky, collegiettes! GG fans, will you check out Dawson’s Creek?