Dave: this rap comedy is one of the funniest, most nuanced TV shows around
For British viewers, the big television debut of the week is undoubtedly The Bear; a beautifully crafted, critically acclaimed series that has effortlessly vaulted into the ranks of the best shows ever made. Last month, it was announced that The Bear was the most-watched single season of a comedy series in FX history, and that US viewership for the second season had increased by 70%. In other words, all eyes on The Bear.
But while all this (justified) hype whirls and loops around The Bear, spare a thought for Dave. Dave is another FX show that also debuts a new season on Disney+ today. And to make matters worse, it was FX’s most-watched comedy series until The Bear came along. Thanks to a genuinely weird scheduling quirk, Dave has found itself relegated to underdog status. This is a shame, because I haven’t been looking forward to a new season of anything this much for ages. You know, except for the obvious.
If you’re new to it, Dave is a semiautobiographical sitcom about Dave Burd, a gangly, bearded white rapper who performs under the name Lil Dicky. It charts his ascent from bedroom hobbyist to internet sensation to actual celebrity, much in the vein of Burd’s real life. There’s an avalanche of celebrity cameos, from Justin Bieber to a smattering of Kardashians. There are times – and I realise that I’m going to lose about 80% of you here – when it verges into Entourage territory.
But wait, come back! Because the gravitational force that binds Dave together, the thing that keeps it knotty and compelling, is Burd himself. This sort of format can usually double as a way for performers to smooth out their public personas. Louis CK used Louie, to increasingly tedious effect, to paint himself as the one sane man living in a world gone mad, always knowing the right thing to say in any situation. Pete Davidson is currently going through something similar on his show Bupkis, a show that struggles to know what sort of conflict it can give a rich, handsome celebrity with a long line of famous beautiful girlfriends.
Burd, however, doesn’t give himself an inch of protection from the spotlight. At the start of the first season, the main selling point was his genitals. His rap name is Lil Dicky, you see, because he lives with a condition called hypospadias, which has left the opening of his urethra on the underside of his penis. The first clutch of episodes, starting with the very first scene, concerned Burd trying to come to terms with this. One episode dealt with the matter with startling frankness. Promotional material for the first season included an image of Burd poking out of a pair of boxer shorts.
As the show has progressed, however, this has become more and more of a background note as Burd discovers new sticks with which to beat himself. If season one was all about the ascent – his first concert, his first viral video, a record label – then season two was all about how badly equipped he is to deal with fame.
In episode after episode, Burd depicts himself as simultaneously narcissistic and insecure; a naturally charismatic man whose vaulting ambition and sense of destiny refuses to be backed up by his level of creativity. He bitches. He argues. His closest circle of friends begin to drift away from him. It’s one of the most self-lacerating autobiographical portrayals you will have ever seen.
And, just to confuse things even further, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of fresh air between the performer and character, either. “I feel like I’m the comedic voice of my generation,” Burd stated upfront during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in April, helpfully adding, “I don’t mean it arrogantly”.
I feel like I’ve probably lost the remaining 20% of you now. After all, with all the limitless choice currently available to viewers, who would willingly choose to watch an Entourage knockoff starring someone who holds himself in such ridiculously high regard? But stick with it, please. Dave’s pursuit of selfexamination at any cost makes this one of the most nuanced, not to mention one of the funniest, shows around. It’s about a man who blunders into scrape after scrape of his own making, then rails at the world when he finds himself stuck. At times, it touches perfection.
This week’s third season promises even more of this, with a loose on-tour setting working as a framework to allow the show to work on an even higher level than before. Honestly, I’m thrilled to have Dave back. I can’t wait to watch it, just as soon as I’m done with The Bear.