Here’s What The ‘Dawson’s Creek’ Cast Looks Like Now, 20 Years Later

It was 20 years ago today that The WB (now The CW) premiered “Dawson’s Creek,” which aired for six seasons and has become one of the network’s most beloved series.

On that fateful day of Jan. 20, 1998, viewers were introduced to Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek) and his three friends and watched as they grew up together through high school and college in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts.

Though it’s been years since the series first premiered and quite a long time since it ended in 2003, fans of the hour-long drama keep the show and its characters close to their hearts.

To celebrate “Dawson’s Creek” and all that it gave its viewers, take a look at what the actors who helped bring the series to life are doing now.

James Van Der Beek (Dawson Leery)

After playing the leading man on the hit WB series for six years, Van Der Beek laid low for a while, only starring in a few movies and guest-starring in some shows until he had a 10-episode arc on the medical drama “Mercy” in 2010. After that, he continued with a few small roles before landing a main gig on “Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23” in 2012. From there, he was on the short-lived “Friends with Better Lives” in 2014 and then “CSI: Cyber” for two seasons from 2015 to 2016.

Most recently, he starred in and wrote the short series “What Would Diplo Do?” and voiced a character in the animated show “Vampirina.” Next up, he’ll be on the new Ryan Murphy drama “Pose.”

Katie Holmes (Joey Potter)

Upon wrapping the teen series, Holmes immediately went on to do the teen movie “First Daughter.” After that, she left the genre behind and took on roles in movies like “Batman Begins,” “Thank You for Smoking,” “Mad Money” with Queen Latifah and Diane Keaton, “The Romantics” and “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.”

Once she’d done a few movies, Holmes went back to TV for a bit and starred in the eight-episode mini-series “The Kennedys” in 2011. A slew of movie roles later, she was back on TV, this time on “Ray Donovan” in 2015 before starring in the 2016 drama “All We Had.” She currently has four movies in the works, including “Ocean’s 8” and “Dear Dictator.”

Joshua Jackson (Pacey Witter)

After finishing “Dawson’s Creek,” Jackson didn’t return to TV until 2008, with those five years in between filled with movies like “Racing Stripes,” “Shadows in the Sun,” and “Battle in Seattle.” His return to TV came in the form of “Fringe,” which he starred on until 2013. One year later, he landed a lead role on Showtime’s “The Affair,” which he’s still on.

Michelle Williams (Jen Lindley)

The year 2003 not only marked the end of Williams’ time as Jen on this WB drama, but also the last time she’d star on a TV show, at least for the foreseeable future. In the 15 years since the show finished, she’s only had one television gig and that was the uncredited role of Laurie’s Foster Sister on “Cougar Town” in 2013. Instead, she’s been focused on her movie career, with big hitters like “Brokeback Mountain,” “Deception” with Hugh Jackman, “Blue Valentine” with Ryan Gosling, “Shutter Island” and “Manchester by the Sea” under her belt.

Recently, she added “The Greatest Showman” and “All the Money in the World” to that list. Coming up, she has six new movies in various forms of production, including the Marvel movie “Venom” and the comedy “I Feel Pretty.”