• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, Today

James Van Der Beek became one of the biggest TV stars of the 1990s as the title character on “Dawson’s Creek” starting in 1998.

When the beloved actor died of colorectal cancer this past February at age 48, an entire generation mourned.

So it’s fitting that his last TV role would be in a series that takes place in the 1990s. The show, called “Elle,” is the new prequel series to the “Legally Blonde” movies that premieres Wednesday on Amazon Prime.

In the show, Van Der Beek is seen in the recurring role of Dean Wilson (above photo), the superintendent of the Seattle school district who throws his hat into the ring as a candidate for Seattle mayor.

“This is exciting,” he announced on Instagram in May 2025. “I’m going back to work for a bit. Super excited to join this awesome cast in such a fun project.”

“Elle” has the character from the three “Legally Blonde” movies -- Elle Woods (originally played by Reese Witherspoon) -- trying to fit in at a new high school in Seattle in 1995.

Elle, then an 11th grader, suddenly ends up in the 1990s capital of grunge when her plastic-surgeon father hits a rough patch in his Beverly Hills practice and the family moves to the great Northwest.

As a result, Elle is a fish out of water in a rainy land of sullen, hoodie-wearing teens who are decidedly unwelcoming.

The first “Legally Blonde” movie, released in 2001, told the story of what happened after high school to plucky Elle as she entered Harvard Law School.

The TV series comes from Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine, and the actress turned-TV mogul is one of the executive producers of “Elle.”

The Witherspoon company’s TV shows include “Big Little Lies” for HBO, “The Morning Show” for Apple TV+ and “Little Fires Everywhere” for Hulu.

In “Elle,” the title role of the high school-aged Elle Woods is played by 25-year-old Lexi Minetree.

Van Der Beek was first diagnosed with stage III colorectal cancer in August 2023, but he did not make his diagnosis public until November 2024, according to Wikipedia.

Filming for “Elle” started in April 2025, a month before the news broke that Van Der Beek would be playing a major part in the show. 

He had been undergoing various treatments for his cancer ever since its diagnosis, and the cast and crew of “Elle” knew that his role in the show would likely be his last.

“James told me that acting allowed him to be someone [else] and forget the pain he was in,” co-showrunner Caroline Dries told People magazine last week. “But even off-camera, James appeared to be buoyant and happy.”

“This would be James’ last role,” she said. “Our cast gave him the space to feel that joy.”