fans have been left shocked after special effects trickery was exposed on .
The , which starred the likes of Oliver Hudson and Joshua Jackson and followed the lives of a close-knit group of students, between 1998 to 2003.
And now, 25 years since the beloved programme premiered, viewers have declared their ‘days ruined’ after noticing the artificial snow in Christmas episode Merry Mayhem appeared to be a white blanket.
Fans who watched the instalment when it originally aired in 2002 had initially believed it was fake snow, blaming 4k television screens two decades later for revealing the truth behind the special effects.
They commented in their droves under a close-up clip of the scene in season 6 episode 10 shared on the Instagram account 90skid4lyfe under the caption: ‘Dawson’s Creek really had no budget for snow.’
‘Watching a show in the 90s on a standard definition 19 inch TV allowed networks to get away with being cheap’ one viewer joked, while another added: ‘Daaaamn, they fooled me.’
A third remarked: ‘Omg. They just threw a blanket on the ground and called it a day.’
Remarking on the use of the slippery material, an Instagram user shared concern there would have been ‘several rolled ankles’ during production.
It comes after Dawson’s Creek star Katie Holmes, who played Joey Potter, .
Alongside several throwback photos of the cast, which also included James Van Der Beek , she wrote: ‘Happy 25th. I loved growing up with everyone and experiencing some really beautiful times. Thank you to all of the fans of Dawson’s Creek.
Also marking the occasion, James, 46, shared an old character portrait and a heartfelt message about the show’s impact on him.
He started by writing: ‘25 years ago today… my life changed. Not gradually, not day-by-day… instantly.’
‘It was the culmination of 5 years of auditioning, hundreds of hours on stage, thousands of hours traveling, preparing, dreaming, hoping, hearing “no”, and making up reasons to keep going. But the shift was overnight.’
The former Dancing With The Stars contestant went on to share how fame was not all it was cracked up to be but that he did have ‘pinch myself’ moments nonetheless.
Picking up 14 award nominations, with the majority being Teen Choice Awards, Dawson’s Creek picked up an average of six million viewers for its first season and concluded with around seven million for its last.
Dawson’s Creek is available to stream on ITVX in the UK.
