Image Credit: COLLIN ERIE for EW

The Beek from the Creek is back! James Van Der Beek, who for six seasons played the wavy-haired Dawson Leary on The WB’s phenom Dawson’s Creek, is back on television and playing a role perfect for him: himself. Following a series of self-spoofing spots on the comedy website Funny or Die and in Ke$ha’s “Blow” music video, the 35-year-old actor has a new scene-stealing role as James Van Der Beek — ­albeit a smarmy, douche-bag version of James Van Der Beek — on ABC’s slightly twisted sitcom Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 (debuting April 11 at 9:30 p.m.). The ­comedy focuses on naive New York newcomer June (Dreama Walker), who moves in with the possibly sociopathic Chloe (Krysten ­Ritter), whose ex-boyfriend/best pal just happens to be James Van Der Beek. The Apartment 23 incarnation of the Beek is a womanizer who ­seduces fans to the strains of Creek’s “I Don’t Want to Wait” theme song and launches his own line of jeans with the slogan “Put your cheeks in a Beek.”

“I love doing it,” says the actor. “I love the ego assassination that comes with it. It’s just so healthy and so good for me.” EW talked to Van Der Beek about his Creek castmates, whether he would do a Creek reunion, and what it was like working with Ke$ha and some very unlucky unicorns. READ FULL STORY »