Feature Story

For the better part of a decade, Lil Dicky (“Lil Dicky: Earth,” 2019) has sat comfortably among the ranks of comedy music royalty. His neurotic and selfeffacing parody videos have made him a standout star of the internet comedy scene, and his devout cult following has steadily ballooned into a level of mainstream success to rival fellow musical humorists The Lonely Island and Tenacious D.

With his own dedicated FXX series, “Dave,” its name taken from Dicky’s real name, David Burd, the rapper has found a new vehicle with which to deliver his unique brand of relatable and self-aware comedy. With the critic and viewerapproved first season now complete, Season 2 of “Dave” premieres Wednesday, June 16, on FXX.

Season 1 of “Dave” saw Lil Dicky playing a fictionalized version of himself, though the dramatized apple didn’t fall far from the very real tree that is David Burd.

Like the real Dicky, the version in “Dave” is a talented but self-shaming rapper attempting to make it big in the music scene. He makes sure to show off his intricate and clever rap lyrics throughout the season, with both the pilot and finale featuring truly dazzling freestyles. The pair of raps bookend the season with expansive displays of Dicky’s self-confidence and highlight, by contrast, the very lack of confidence Dicky carries for the eight episodes in between.

For example, the rapper is quick to point out to nearly everyone he meets that his “nom de hip-hop” is, in fact, an honest reference to the size of his proverbial manhood. Throughout the series, Dicky is all too happy to showcase his clumsiness, awkwardness, neurosis and lack of social awareness, making the character — and by very little extension the real David Burd — seem like a charming and sincere underdog.

To develop this contrast of confidence, the show features a number of characters close to Dicky who are quick to help him rise and even quicker to laugh when he falls.

Dicky’s girlfriend, Ally (Taylor Misiak, “American Vandal,” 2018), is a seemingly endless fountain of support for Dicky, even though her schoolteacher lifestyle doesn’t exactly jive with Dicky’s hip-hop world and lofty aspirations. Her insistent but naive support of Dicky often leads to laughs, such as when she lands him his first live performance. It’s a stepping stone for Dicky and, as she puts it to him, “the kick in the butt you need,” despite the fact that it happens to be at the funeral of a young fan.

Dicky’s best friend, Mike (Andrew Santino, “I’m Dying Up Here,” 2017), is also his roommate and manager. Like Ally, Mike is a major source of upward mobility for Dicky in his career but is quick to tease him for his constant, passive insanity. One burst of audible laughter comes when Mike has to work through total disbelief to convince Dicky that rhinoceroses are, in fact, real animals.

Rounding out Dicky’s crew is his hype man, Davionte “GaTa” Ganter (“Foodies,” 2021), played by himself — Dickey’s reallife hype man. The role is a first for GaTa, whose focus has been performing with the real Lil Dicky. Playing himself earnestly and with an impressive amount of nuance, GaTa shines in the role. Many of his surprisingly candid scenes steal the show, such as his open, honest and loving admission of his bipolar disorder (also a real-life struggle for GaTa). His voice trembling as he opens up about the disorder, a tear falls down his face. It is a strong testament to the emotionality behind “Dave” that a character who would be comedic relief in any other show is this show’s beating heart.