Dawson’s Creek and Jessica Jones writer-producer Dana Baratta dies at 59 after battle with cancer

Illustrious writer and producer Dana Baratta has passed away at the age of 59, it was announced on Monday.

Baratta was most known for her involvement in pivotal television projects such as Dawson’s Creek, Jessica Jones and Good Behavior.

According to her family, Dana passed away Sunday after a years-long battle with ovarian cancer, via Deadline.

A Maine native, Baratta got her start in 1994 on a film called Andre, for which she served in various capacities including writer, co-producer and montage designer.

Four years later, she began work on Dawson’s Creek, for which she both produced and wrote seven episodes. 

That WB series, of course, became a monster hit lasting six seasons and launching the careers of James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and Joshua Jackson. 

Later, Dana went on to work on the NBC show Providence, before continuing on to projects such as Pasadena, Life Is Wild, and Cracking Up, among others. 

In 2009, Baratta began work on Private Practice for ABC, the medical drama and Grey’s Anatomy spinoff starring Kate Walsh, Taye Diggs and Amy Brenneman.

For that show, Dana co-executive produced 23 episodes, and wrote two as well.

More recently, she often worked with Melissa Rosenberg, a three-time Primetime Emmy-nominated producer for Showtime’s Dexter.

In 2015, the pair began co-executive producing Netflix’s Marvel series Jessica Jones starring Krysten Ritter, and Baratta penned three of the early episodes.

Dana’s most recent TV series gig was TNT’s Good Behavior, starring Michelle Dockery.

For that show, she acted as exec producer for 19 episodes, and as writer for two.  

She is survived by her sister Lise Baratta and her brothers Mark and David Baratta, as well as her husband David Smith along with her stepsons Mathew and Michael Smith.