The Capeside teens get most of the screen time, but parents, older siblings and one-season flames earned their own loyal fans. Some here are easy to root for, and a couple are characters viewers loved to resent.
1Doug WitterPacey's older brother, a Capeside sheriff's deputy played by Dylan Neal, whose long-teased sexuality pays off with Jack in the 2003 finale.1000pts
2Evelyn "Grams" RyanMary Beth Peil's devout grandmother of Jen, a main character in all six seasons who also takes Jack into her home.898pts
3Pacey WitterJoshua Jackson's wisecracking son of the town sheriff, whose season 3 romance with Joey started the Dawson–Joey–Pacey love triangle.800pts
4Gretchen WitterPacey's older sister, played by Sasha Alexander, who returns to Capeside in season 4 and dates Dawson.762pts
5Professor David WilderKen Marino's Worthington literature professor who becomes the object of Joey's affections in season 5.659pts
6Bodie WellsBessie's boyfriend and the father of her son Alexander, a chef played by Obi Ndefo.659pts
7Eddie DolingOliver Hudson's working-class bartender and aspiring writer who falls for Joey in season 6.659pts
8Abby MorganMonica Keena's sharp-tongued, scheming classmate who dies after falling off a pier while drunk in season 2.659pts- 9Bessie PotterJoey's older sister, played by Nina Repeta, who raises her son Alexander and runs the Potter Bed and Breakfast.571pts
10Jack McPheeKerr Smith's character joined in season 2, came out as gay, and shared a kiss with Ethan in the 2000 season 3 finale, widely cited as the first romantic kiss between two men on US prime-time network TV.571pts
11Dawson LeeryThe show's title character, an aspiring filmmaker from Capeside played by James Van Der Beek across all six seasons (1998–2003).467pts
12Mitch LeeryDawson's father, played by John Wesley Shipp, who dies in a car accident in the season 5 episode "Capeside Revisited" (2001).467pts- 13Gail LeeryDawson's mother, a local TV news anchor played by Mary-Margaret Humes, whose affair with her co-anchor shook the Leery family in season 1.467pts
14Charlie ToddChad Michael Murray's Boston college charmer who dates Jen and pursues Joey in season 5.467pts
15Jen LindleyMichelle Williams's New Yorker sent to live with her grandmother in Capeside in the pilot; she dies of a heart condition in the 2003 series finale.343pts
16Henry ParkerMichael Pitt's freshman football player who pursues and dates Jen in season 3.343pts
17Audrey LiddellBusy Philipps's outspoken Californian who becomes Joey's roommate at Worthington University in season 5 and dates Pacey.343pts
18Joey PotterKatie Holmes's tomboyish Capeside girl who rows over to Dawson's house, works at her sister's bed and breakfast and ends the 2003 finale with Pacey.0pts- 19Andie McPheeMeredith Monroe's driven overachiever and Jack's sister, who dates Pacey from season 2 and struggles with mental illness after her brother Tim's death before leaving early in season 4.0pts
20Tamara JacobsPacey's English teacher, played by Leann Hunley, whose affair with the 15-year-old student was a major season 1 storyline.0pts
Photo credits
- Doug Witter — Work for hire owned by Dylan Neal, CC BY 3.0
- Evelyn "Grams" Ryan — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0
- Pacey Witter — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Gretchen Witter — Mingle MediaTV, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Professor David Wilder — Dominick D, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bodie Wells — CelebHeights.com, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eddie Doling — watchwithkristin, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Abby Morgan — pop culture geek from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Jack McPhee — John Manard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dawson Leery — gdcgraphics, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Mitch Leery — Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0
- Charlie Todd — Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0
- Jen Lindley — PhilipRomanoPhoto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Henry Parker — inthesitymad, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Audrey Liddell — PhilipRomanoPhoto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Joey Potter — Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tamara Jacobs — Darlingdiva, CC BY 3.0
