James Van Der Beek says a 'Dawson's Creek' reunion would be 'tricky,' and explains why the show is 'off-limits' to his children

• James Van Der Beek spoke to Insider about why he thinks a "Dawson's Creek" revival wouldn't work.
• He said he doesn't think the show is "replicable" while promoting his partnership with Quaker Chewy.

James Van Der Beek said that he doesn't think a "Dawson's Creek" revival would work because of its "very specific" tone.

For similar reasons, he also doesn't plan to introduce his children to life in the cozy town of Capeside just yet.

"They're a little bit too young, I think, and so they have not watched the show," Van Der Beek told Insider while promoting his partnership with Quaker Chewy on their Take Your Child to Play campaign.

The 46-year-old actor and dad-of-six said that his eldest daughter Olivia, 12, has instead been discovering another classic teen drama for the first time.

"My daughter watches 'Gilmore Girls' with my wife," he said.

As for "Dawson's Creek," the show that made him a household name and teenage heartthrob, Van Der Beek said that he plans to give it a rewatch to make sure it's age-appropriate before letting Olivia and her younger siblings check it out.

"I haven't watched the show in so long, so I'll need to go back and probably investigate at what age" it would be appropriate, he said. "I've just kind of put it off-limits for now."

Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly are also parents to Joshua, 11, Annabel, 9, Emilia, 7, Gwendolyn, 4, and Jeremiah, 1.

Although the Van Der Beek brood hasn't discovered the show yet, some of them are well aware of one moment from the show that has taken on a life of its own: the famous meme of Dawson crying.

Van Der Beek recalled how his eldest sent him a GIF of the scene, which comes from the season three finale of The WB drama, in a recent text exchange and said that now his children "have an ace up their sleeve whenever we get into a meme war."

Nevertheless, the actor — whose more recent credits have included "Pose" and "Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23" — can see the funny side of being immortalized as a meme.

"You can never predict or control what the internet will make of six years of work," he said, laughing. "Six years of work boiled down to three seconds with a clip of me crying. That's just the way it goes. I do find it hilarious."

The series aired between 1998 and 2003 and also made stars of Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, and Michelle Williams.

In light of the recent reboots and revivals of other 1990s television staples such as "Frasier" and "Nash Bridges," does Van Der Beek think that viewers could ever see "Dawson's Creek" return?

"I don't know," he said. "It would be a tricky thing to do. It was a tricky show to make even back then."

"It was a very, very specific tone, a very specific time. I don't know what would be replicable or be doable," he explained. "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."

"It would have to come from the same creator, I think, in order for it to work," he added. "There's nothing in the works. I don't think anybody's really expressed an interest."

Speaking in 2019, Williamson — who is also credited with creating the "Scream" franchise and "The Vampire Diaries" — said that while he had discussed the possibility of reviving the series, and even come up with a few ideas, he has ultimately decided against it.

Meanwhile, Van Der Beek confirmed to Insider that he has officially boarded the Netflix film "Rock the Boat," which comes from veteran comedy director Luke Greenfield. He said shooting on the film, which also stars Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann, is set to begin after the summer.

For now, though, the actor is happy just to spend some time with his family and put into action Quaker Chewy's pledge to commit to an hour of uninterrupted play in a fun twist on the idea of "Take Your Child to Work Day."

Instead, parents and guardians are encouraged to take a break from their everyday routines and make time to "Take Your Child to Play." Those who make the pledge can enter a nationwide competition for a chance to win 100 boxes of Quaker Chewy to help fuel play.

Speaking on the importance of carving out dedicated playtime with his children, Van Der Beek said: "You never know what experiences are going to stick with a kid in their memory, but spending time, playing with them, putting down your phone, and connecting with them, it's just so important."