Actor James Van Der Beek was just 48 years old when he passed away earlier this month. And while most fans know him for his role in Dawson’s Creek, the WB drama that premiered in 1998 and turned him into the poster boy for teen angst, for a lot of fans, his sharpest and funniest work actually came many years later on Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23, a 2012 sitcom where James Van Der Beek played a character named James Van Der Beek.
In the very short-lived ABC comedy, which ran from 2012 to 2013, Van Der Beek played a strange version of himself, introduced as “the Beek from the Creek.” In the show, he openly poked fun at his time on Dawson’s Creek. But he wasn’t the lead. That honor belonged to Krysten Ritter (best known for Marvel’s Jessica Jones), who played a scheming party girl who cycled through roommates and chaos after moving to New York.
The premise for Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23 was really simple. Ritter’s character scams new roommates out of rent money, hoping they’ll flee once her behavior turns bizarre. Until one person doesn’t and, despite her best efforts, decides to stay. The two settle into a strange friendship. Floating around them is Van Der Beek, cynical, needy, and hilarious. Here, he’s not the brooding Dawson Leery we know. And he’s certainly not the generic leading man he was often boxed into during the 2000s. This was James Van Der Beek, the dwindling actor trying to save his career.
What caught most viewers off guard was just how good Van Der Beek actually was at comedy. He was genuinely sharp. He had the rhythm for comedy down and stretched awkward pauses into huge laughs. And even when he wasn’t the focus, he hijacked scenes with a glance or a clever line or two. Of course, there’s something very freeing about watching an actor mock the role that made him famous. On this show, he didn’t cling to the nostalgia of Dawson’s Creek. He tore it apart in every episode. Just watch this highlights reel.
If you’re revisiting his work now, skip the tearful, sad trips back to Capeside. Instead, track down Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23. It honestly feels like the right way to remember James Van Der Beek.
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