The show had, in the words of television experts Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, a "semi-spinoff" – "Young Americans". The protagonist of "Young Americans", Will Krudski (Rodney Scott), was introduced in three episodes at the end of the show's third season, as a former classmate of Dawson, Joey, and Pacey, who had moved away some years before and had returned for a visit. He was never referred to before or seen again. "Young Americans" was made by the same company as "Dawson's Creek", Columbia TriStar Television, and appeared in "Dawson's Creek's" timeslot when it went on hiatus during the summer of 2000. The show had 8 episodes. The reason the show is considered a semi-spinoff instead of a true spinoff is that Will was not originally created for "Dawson's Creek". He was added to "Dawson's" solely to set up and promote the series "Young Americans".