'Elle', which is streaming on Prime Video, held a special tribute to the late James Van Der Beek in its first season. The actor passed away in February after battling colon cancer. Van Der Beek died at the age of 48, months before the premiere of his series, which was set to debut in July before 'Legally Blonde'.

In the series 'Elle', Van Der Beek portrayed the character Dean Wilson, the school district superintendent. Wilson was also running for mayor. As the series progresses, Elle Woods (Lexi Minetree) uncovers a blackmail scheme orchestrated by Wilson and Principal Anderson (Matt Oberg) after forming a friendship with Elle’s mother, Eva Woods (June Diane Raphael), who helps Wilson in his campaign. This situation ultimately leads to Wilson's arrest at the end of the season.

In the third episode titled "You’re Not the Girl I Thought You Were", a title card was displayed in honor of Van Der Beek. The card read, "In loving memory of James Van Der Beek." After announcing his death in February, Van Der Beek's wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, received condolences from 'Elle' producer Reese Witherspoon on her Instagram story.

Among Van Der Beek's recent film projects are 'The Gates', released in March, and 'Sidelined 2: Intercepted', which is set to come out in November 2025. Noah Beck, who plays Van Der Beek's on-screen son in 'Sidelined 2', praised his experience working with Van Der Beek in an interview with Hollywood Reporter last year. Beck said, "Being with James, it was impossible not to exist alongside him on stage. I learned so much from him, and it was like attending an acting masterclass from the front row."