Jerry D

I think what happens on shows like this is that initially, everyone involved with the show is excited about it and the writing and acting is fresh. In Season One, I was really impressed with Katie Holmes' acting, but in the later seasons, she more relied on "cutesy" mannerisms and mugging for the camera than doing any real acting, especially in her scenes with Pacey. I think that as the series wore on the actors became jaded and they started viewing the show as something that was holding them back. This was particularly true with James Van Der Beek, who requested less screen time in Season Six and I feel his contempt for the show was evident in some of his performances in the later seasons. The thing is though that on shows like this, you often never hear of the stars again once the show ends, and although a few of them have gone on to other shows, most of them peaked with this show, with the exception of Michelle Williams, who's gone on to be an award winning actress. Katie Holmes has achieved a type of fame by becoming Tom Cruise's beard, err, I mean Tom Cruise's wife, but she's mostly tabloid fodder now and she doesn't really act anymore. James has done a few shows, but he'll probably always be known as Dawson, much to his chagrin, and Josh did Fringe, but I think he'll always be known as Pacey in some circles.