{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Farewell James Van Der Beek","description":" Today\u2019s episode is one we truly, deeply hoped we\u2019d never have to record. But\u2026 here we are. James Van Der Beek passed away on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, after a two\u2011year battle with colon cancer. And listen\u2026 even after spending nearly a decade watching Dawson\u2019s Creek, we still weren\u2019t prepared for the gut punch of this news. Yes \u2014 we really have been doing this podcast that long, and no, we don\u2019t want to talk about it. As the hosts of Basic Teen TV, we never expected this actor \u2014 someone who first entered our lives through a \u201990s teen drama \u2014 to become such a constant presence that he essentially set up camp in our lives. So we wanted to record a short episode to honor him. Something small, something honest. A way to process what his loss means \u2014 not just for us, but for the generation that grew up watching him navigate heartbreaks far bigger than the creek he stood beside. James wasn\u2019t just a familiar face from TV; he shaped a generation\u2019s emotional vocabulary. He was a cultural touchstone for millennials \u2014 a man whose single tear could launch a thousand memes and still somehow make us feel something real. His passing hit us harder than expected. But here\u2019s the thing: while James may be gone, what he gave us isn\u2019t. The warmth, the vulnerability, the sincerity he brought to every role \u2014 it stays. His legacy, especially his unforgettable portrayal of Dawson Leery, will stay with us forever. Because if there\u2019s anything James taught us, it\u2019s that you can cry dramatically and still keep going. Support for James Van Der Beek's Family Colorectal Cancer Alliance American Cancer Society Susan G. Komen The V Foundation for Cancer Research   ","author_name":"Basic Teen TV: Dawson's Creek Rewatch","author_url":"https:\/\/www.basicteentvpodcast.com\/","html":"