( CNN ) -- Now would be an appropriate time to cue up that GIF of Dawson bawling his eyes out . The last few years have been a nostalgic whirlwind with Angela Chase on `` Homeland , '' Zack Morris on `` Franklin and Bash , '' and Felicity Porter on the new FX drama `` The Americans . '' Even Cory and Topanga are coming back to us . But for fans of `` Dawson 's Creek , '' there 's now a glaring hole in the TV landscape . ABC has pulled James Van Der Beek 's `` Do n't Trust the B -- -- in Apartment 23 '' from the schedule , leaving eight episodes of the acerbic comedy unaired . ( Not to mention that Pacey 's , er , Joshua Jackson 's `` Fringe '' just came to an end after five seasons on Fox . ) This just is n't how it 's supposed to work out for The Beek . Having made a name for himself as Dawson Leery on the WB drama , fans came to know -- and love -- Van Der Beek as the sensitive guy next door . Later , a slew of guest appearances in various series , `` Funny or Die '' sketches and the hilarious Van Der Memes Tumblr introduced the world to a different side of the actor . If it 's even possible , our feelings for him grew stronger . So in April 2011 , when Van Der Beek began starring as a single , self-obsessed version of himself on `` Do n't Trust the B -- -- in Apartment 23 , '' it felt like the universe finally got it right . Here 's why old and new fans , alike , ca n't bear to part with James Van Der Beek on TV : . - On `` Apartment 23 , '' Van Der Beek is in on the joke , poking fun at himself in the most charming way . He 's up for anything , be it learning a choreographed routine for his character 's turn on `` Dancing with the Stars '' or riding a horse sans pants as People 's ( pseudo ) Sexiest Man Alive . - He even announced the sitcom 's cancellation with grace via Twitter , followed by , `` And please , no bashing ABC . While I 'm sure no one there would say they think they nailed it when it came to programming # Apt23 this year ... You 've got to give ABC props for ever picking us up in the first place . They took a shot at something original & edgy . I respect them for it . '' Same old sensitive Dawson . - `` Apartment 23 '' takes advantage of Van Der Beek 's roots , and reminds fans of how obsessed they were with `` Dawson 's Creek , '' which is hilarious in and of itself . The show toyed with the idea of organizing a `` Creek '' reunion in an October episode aptly titled `` A Reunion ... '' Busy Philipps , Frankie Muniz and Mark Paul-Gosselaar all guest-starred as fictional versions of themselves . What other show can do that ? And it 's all because of The Beek . - He 'll next reprise his role as Simon , Robin 's loser ex-boyfriend , in an episode of CBS ' `` How I Met Your Mother . '' He does n't consider himself to be above cameo appearances that require him to sport a bald cap and gut . - Like a fine wine , James Van Der Beek has only improved with age . Amen .
ABC has pulled Simon ` `` How I Met Your Mother '' from the schedule . On `` Apartment 23 , '' Van Der Beek is in on the joke , poking fun at himself . The show takes advantage of his roots , reminding fans of how obsessed they were . He 'll next reprise his role as James Van Der Beek 's in an episode of ` Apartment 23 ''