Dave (TV series)


Dave is an American comedy television series that premiered on FXX on March 4, 2020, co-created by rapper/comedian Lil Dicky, who plays the titular character, and Jeff Schaffer. Kevin Hart and Greg Mottola form part of the production team for the series. Mottola also directed several episodes of the first season. On May 11, 2020, the series was renewed for second season. The first season was released in the UK on BBC Two and in full on the BBC iPlayer on May 10, 2020.

Premise

The series stars a fictionalized version of Lil Dicky, a suburban neurotic man in his late twenties who has convinced himself that he's destined to be one of the best rappers of all time.

Cast

Main

Reception

Dave has received positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 64 out of 100 based on 10 reviews indicating "generally positive reviews." On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 72% with an average score of 6.78 out of 10 based on 18 reviews. The website's critical consensus is, "Though Lil Dicky fans will find much to like, Daves superficial plotting and juvenile sense of humor is unlikely to garner any new love."
After mixed reviews for the first few episodes that were previewed by media outlets, the second half of the season was positively received by The Guardian, IndieWire, Financial Times, Rolling Stone, and more. Reviewers noted the expansion of the series' sources of humor, its dedication to character development, and improved emotional depth. At the end of its first season, Dave averaged 5.32 million viewers per episode, making it the most popular comedy in FX's history. It was renewed for a second season in May 2020.
While most of the characters and actors have been praised, the "Lil Dicky" character in the show has been negatively received. Many reviewers have noted that while the character's success is the center of the show, his poor treatment of his friends makes him difficult to root for. Additionally, the first season has been criticized for exploring and idealizing fame over art. Daniel D'Addario of Variety unfavorably compared the show to Atlanta, another entry from FX. D'Addario states "When Donald Glover made an FX show about characters trying to break into the music industry, it was “Atlanta,” among the most expansive, richly imaginative shows of the century so far. When Lil Dicky does it, it’s a show whose breaks from flatly telling us about his character’s private parts tend to follow a linear trajectory: Lil Dicky, a ditherer with more zeal for fame than true creative ambition, ends up trying something, it goes viral, everyone loves it."