--THE CASTING Abrams and Reeves make a pact in fall of '97: If they don't find the perfect Felicity, the show's off. And after auditioning more than 100 girls, that's looking like a distinct possibility. Then they meet Keri Russell, 22, the star of NBC's failed Spelling babe-orama Malibu Shores. ''My first reaction was 'Damn, she's beautiful! There's no way in hell she can work!''' recalls Abrams. ''But she was incredibly accessible and had an amazing sense of humor--a thing most people missed from the script.''
While the search for Felicity's best friend, Julie, ends quickly (Amy Jo Johnson, 26, of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers franchise), there's trouble finding the two male leads: the Stud and Noel, Felicity's dorm-mate admirer. Dawson guest star Scott Foley, 26, comes in for the role of Noel, but the producers also read him for the Stud, the rationale being that the Noel role will be easier to cast. It isn't. Three days before the pilot shoots, and there's still no Noel. In a last-ditch effort, Marsha Schulman, the WB casting whiz responsible for turning Dawson and 7th Heaven into a Seventeen editor's dream, hands the panicked producers a tape of Canadian Scott Speedman, a Matthew McConaughey-ish 22-year-old. They realize he's perfect for...the Stud. Oops. Foley is summoned to the L.A. production office. ''They sit me down and I'm thinking 'Oh, man, I'm getting fired,''' remembers Foley. ''And then they say, 'We found a guy to play [the Stud]. We can't find another guy to play Noel. We know you can do both. So would you play him?' At that point, I'm just happy I still have a job, I'm like, 'Yes...of course! Anything! Can I empty your garbage?'''
--THE PILOT Early March. A Glendale, Calif., soundstage. It's the last few days before wrapping the pilot shoot. Everyone's a bit slaphappy, and Abrams and Reeves are buzzing around like overcaffeinated teens. To save costs, a $1.8 million, 38-minute ''presentation'' is being filmed; The WB pays two-thirds, while Touchstone's Imagine antes up the rest. (If The WB picks up the show, the producers will finish the script's remaining 10 minutes.) Though the net is high on Felicity, it has no commitment to air it; a cruddy pilot could mean The End. Consequently, the producers are extra picky about everything. Like, they cannot decide on the Stud's name. First it was Billy, then Ben, then Miles, then Dylan. Russell, about to film a scene with Speedman, tells them, ''I need to know his name now, in case I want to use it.'' Abrams turns to Reeves: ''What should we do?'' Reeves: ''I dunno--should we use Ben? How about Ben?'' Ben it is. While the scene shoots, Reeves says to Abrams: ''It's so weird. If this show gets picked up, suddenly he will forever be 'Ben,' just because of a random decision.''
--THE TINKERING Late April. After Krantz screens the pilot for the cast and top WB execs, the producers meet with said execs to talk story lines and character. Before the session, Krantz strolls over to a schedule board filled with movable placards for every show on the six broadcast nets, peels Dawson from its choice Tuesday-at-9 home--following The WB's cult hit, Buffy the Vampire Slayer--and moves in Felicity. ''I'm down with that,'' offers Abrams. ''We'll just add a little karate.'' WB CEO Jamie Kellner smiles...cautiously.
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