There has been no small amount of criticism of the WB's "Dawson's Creek" because, the show's detractors feel, the teenagers on the show don't act or speak like real teens.
Well, duh!We are, after all, talking about a network TV series. And it's a medium in which the animated "Simpsons" are about as realistic as a family gets.
The lawyers on "The Practice" aren't like real lawyers. The lawyers on "Ally McBeal" certainly aren't.
Neither are the doctors on "Chicago Hope," "L.A. Doctors" or even "ER" like real doctors. And the advertising business doesn't bear much resemblance to how it's portrayed on "Melrose Place."
If you want to see real life, look out the window. A certain heightened drama or comedy is necessary in entertainment -- and prime-time series are supposed to entertain people.
"Dawson's Creek" is sort of a teenage hyper-reality. The characters on the show act and speak the way teens wish they did. The way they want to see themselves.
And "Dawson's Creek" is becoming increasingly entertaining as its second season progresses. Not to mention both thought-provoking and compelling.
Tonight's episode (8 p.m., Ch. 30), the first of a two-parter, is an excellent example of just how far the show has come. This is not just a show about kids with overactive hormones, it's a show about people dealing with real issues in ways that could sometimes be seen as noble.
The episode opens with Pacey (Jeremy Jackson) -- long considered the town slacker -- reveling in his recent academic success. But his joy is short-lived when he runs up against an arrogant jerk of an English teacher (guest star Edmund J. Kearney).
This guy may be a bit of an exaggeration, but we've all had teachers like him. The kind who live to belittle their students and who are far more concerned about maintaining a power trip than actually teaching anything.
This teacher forces Jack (Kerr Smith) to read what was supposed to be a private poetry assignment out loud in class. And the result is that Jack is instantly branded as something he insists he's not -- although the question is not resolved by the end of Part 1.
(Is it realistic to think that Jack would have handed in an assignment that would lead to such a predicament? No -- but it's a plot device that leads to some excellent drama.)
Pacey goes out of his way to stand up for his friend and stand up against this teacher. He's speaking far beyond his years, but what he has to say is food for thought, not only for teenagers, but for adults as well.
And "Dawson's Creek" demonstrates once again why it's fresh, watchable TV.
NEW SERIES: The WB has announced that the midseason replacement series "Rescue 77" will premiere Monday, March 15, at 8 p.m. ("Hyperion Bay" will go on hiatus.)
"Rescue 77" is produced by the prolific Aaron Spelling and former firefighter (and "Backdraft" screenwriter) Gregory Widen, and follows the adventures of a team of paramedics in Los Angeles. The most recognizable face in the ensemble cast is Richard Roundtree ("Shaft").
The addition of "Rescue 77" continues to Spelling-ification of the WB. Spelling's production company is already responsible for "7th Heaven" (which airs twice a week on the network), "Dawson's Creek" and "Charmed."
The addition of "Rescue 77" means that Spelling's series will constitute more than a third of the WB's prime-time schedule.