“Dawson’s Creek” is regarded as one of the best teen dramas of all time, but its spin-off, “Young Americans,” has yet to receive similar plaudits. The Steven Antin-created series is one of television history’s great one-season wonders, as it was canceled by The WB after eight episodes.
Airing in the year 2000, “Young Americans” tells the story of Will Krudski (Rodney Scott), who appears in “Dawson’s Creek” for a handful of Season 3 episodes. He’s a working-class teenager who cheats on an exam to get into a prestigious boarding school. Life among the elites isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, as Will struggles to fit in with his new privileged classmates. The show also features “Vampire Diaries” star Ian Somerhalder in a supporting role as Hamilton Fleming, the son of the boarding school’s dean.
Kate Bosworth (“Superman Returns”) and Kate Moenning (“The L Word,” “Ray Donovan”) were also in the main cast. Charlie Hunnam (“Sons of Anarchy”) and Michelle Monaghan (“The White Lotus”) had recurring roles.
Fans have fond memories of Young Americans
“Young Americans” didn’t amass a wide audience during its run, otherwise it might have stayed on the air for longer. However, it clearly had some fans, and they were not pleased when The WB binned it.
“This. Show. Was. Great. Its cancelation was my first true TV heartbreak,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
Another reason why “Young Americans” is relatively obscure is due to its lack of availability. According to one Redditor, this is a big fail on Warner Bros.’ part.
“Every day, I wish that [show] would come on a streaming service. I don’t know why they don’t put those old shows up, esp on the free CW app since it was a WB show.”
As of this writing, “Young Americans” isn’t readily available on home media.
This story originally appeared on TVLine
