Dawson’s Creek may have started out with Joey Potter being hopelessly in love with her best friend Dawson Leery, but fans know that by the end of the series, it was clear that she was meant to be with Pacey Witter. Well, that’s what some fans think, at least, as the question of Joey’s real true love is a bit of a contested one.
What if Joey and Pacey hadn’t ended up together? What if she had dated some of the other characters on the popular show, or had continued some romances that seemed promising? Read on to find out 10 people that Joey should have been with other than Pacey on Dawson’s Creek.
10. Cliff Elliot
Scott Foley’s Dawson’s Creek character, Cliff Elliot, has a crush on Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams) at the beginning of the show. His happy-go-lucky attitude isn’t a great match for how cynical she is, particularly at that point in her life.
Joey and Cliff would have been a better match as their energies would complement one another. While Cliff is a popular jock and doesn’t seem like Joey’s type, that could actually work because Joey should be with someone who makes her question her pessimistic beliefs. Cliff’s got a softer side than people might think at first.
9. Chris Wolfe
Jason Behr played Chris Wolfe, and he hangs around the gang at Capeside High in the second season. He only appears in a few episodes and he has a crush on Jen. He’s a total troublemaker and spends a lot of time with Abby Morgan (Monica Keena).
What if Joey and Chris had dated? Chris seems like someone that Joey should have been with as she would have been able to inspire him to stop getting in trouble and start living a more honest life. Since Joey is cynical and charming, she can verbally spar with a lot of people, and fans would have enjoyed watching these two characters flirt (similar to the way that she and Pacey argued before falling in love).
8. Drue Valentine
Drue Valentine (Mark Matkevich) kisses Joey in the fourth season episode called “The Tao of Dawson” but she freaks out (and actually physically hurts him). It’s a super brief moment and they never actually date… but what if they did?
Like Chris and Pacey, Joey could be attracted to Drue because he’s an intelligent person who challenges her. She shouldn’t have a cookie-cutter love interest who seems like they have no problems because she’ll find that super dull.
7. C.J.
Jensen Ackles plays C.J. in the last season of Dawson’s Creek and he and Jen are in a pretty strange relationship. They don’t seem right for each other and lack chemistry, so what if he and Joey had dated instead?
C.J. and Joey would make a cute pair who could figure out this whole adulthood thing together. He’s a truly nice person and that could be a good thing in Joey’s world when she’s had such complicated romances with Dawson and Pacey.
6. Todd Carr
Todd (Hal Ozsan) is the typical stereotype of a director who yells a lot, thinks super highly of himself, and could probably stand to learn to meditate or at least calm down a little bit.
Not only would fans have found a lot of entertainment value in Todd and Joey dating, but it’s possible that she could turn his permanent bad mood around and make him a nice person. It would be an “opposites attract” kind of romance and it just might work. After all, Joey can be pretty moody herself.
5. Henry Parker
Michael Pitt’s Dawson’s Creek character, Henry, was in a serious relationship with Jen. He was a sweet guy (except when he dumped Jen… that wasn’t so great) and she couldn’t believe that a nice, regular person wanted to be with her. She has definitely been through the ringer.
What if Henry and Joey had tried dating? Maybe they would have gotten along and Joey could have had a drama-free time in high school. (Not likely on a teen drama like Dawson’s Creek, but she might have had a bit of a happier time.)
4. Professor David Wilder
Joey and Prof. David Wilder (Ken Marino) are so close to starting a relationship and they have an almost affair, but when Joey gets mugged, she isn’t able to come over to his place like she had planned. He doesn’t realize that this is why and thinks that she simply came to her senses.
These two characters seem totally perfect for one another. They’re both fans of sarcasm, books, reading, and writing, and the age difference doesn’t seem like a problem since Joey is so witty and mature for her age. By the time she graduated from Worthington, it wouldn’t be an issue, anyway.
3. A.J. Moller
Joey and A.J. have a brief relationship in the third season of Dawson’s Creek, but what if they had stayed together? They’re both pretty studious and hardworking, and it might be nice for Joey to be with someone who seems pretty normal after the chaos of her relationship with Dawson.
It often seemed like Joey didn’t take any love interest who wasn’t Dawson or Pacey seriously, but if those two weren’t in the picture or if she had open to finding love elsewhere, perhaps she would have ended up with someone else.
2. Charlie Todd
Chad Micheal Murray is famous for his role as Charlie Todd on Dawson’s Creek since he cheats on Jen and is an all-around conceited jerk. He and Joey try dating, but it doesn’t work out since she can never really trust him and then she wants him to commit to his music instead of her.
Although he doesn’t have a ton of redeeming qualities, there’s something charming about him and it seems like if he was given more screen time and Joey got to know him more, there might be a nice person hiding underneath. It would have been interesting to see them explore a real relationship, at least.
1. Eddie Doling
Eddie (Oliver Hudson) and Joey are pretty serious about each other when she’s at Worthington, but she ultimately thinks that it’s best if they break up.
Joey wants Eddie to pursue his dreams but why can’t they stay together and support each other instead? Their break-up can be interpreted as a way to keep Joey single so she can end up with Pacey as those two characters do seem like end game throughout the series. Eddie and Joey connect over their love of books and they do seem like a great couple. She could definitely have ended up with him and been happy.
