‘Dave’ Season 3 Review: Lil Dicky’s Show Is Masterful, Genital Jokes and All

Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd returns to television with season 3 of his FXX/Hulu series Dave. This season, Lil Dicky is on tour a quest for love and gets into plenty of genital-joke-filled shenanigans along the way. Featuring an incredibly talented cast and team of creatives behind the scenes who give the storytelling dimension, Dave Season 3 gets a 4.5 star review. Here’s what made the third season of the rapper’s FXX series excellent. 

‘Dave’ cast reverts back to the basics in season 3 

Season 1 of Dave was about Burd’s initial viral success and his quest to achieve long-lasting fame. In season 2, that fame quickly went to the rapper’s head. As a result, fame compromised some of the most important relationships in his life, especially his girlfriend Ally (Taylor Misiak).

Dave Season 3 strikes a balance between the versions of Lil Dicky we saw in the first two seasons. This time, he has succeeded and taken his friends along for the ride. Throughout the third season, there are moments where Dave will make a lowbrow comment that feels like an insensitive dig. But these usually come across as the alternative comedy Lil Dicky fans know and love.

Aside from Burd’s portrayal of himself, which is as authentic as it gets, the rest of the Dave cast is incredible. Each character brings a certain level of fun-loving energy and charm that makes this show appealing.

‘Dave’ relies on heavy-hitting off-screen talent, too 

One of the best parts of Dave Season 3 is the separate yet together energy of it all. Each episode was written and directed by different talents. This includes the likes of Luvh Rakhe (New Girl), Randall Valdez Castillo, Jordan Mendoza (Kalediscope), Biniam Bizuneh (How to be Broke), Brian Lannin, Kitao Sakurai, and Tony Yacenda (American Vandal). Still, there’s a cohesiveness to the season that aligns with Burd’s artistic style and it’s beautiful to watch.  

Season 3 doesn’t ignore Lil Dicky’s quest for love

At its core, Dave Season 3 is a love story. Really, the entire series has been an homage to Lil Dicky’s love life.

This season, Dave is struggling with an inner turmoil. He’s looking for love, but in all the wrong places. That quest for a female companion is juxtaposed with the undertone of frivolity and comedy. Telling those deep stories on comedic beats makes Dave easier to digest — yet another reason the series is so appealing. 

The storytelling is hilariously relevant and culturally eye-opening 

Episode 1, “Texas,” feels like your best friend regaling you with a story about their drunken night out that’s almost too wild to believe, scroguard and all. Then, “Harrison Ave” gives the die-hard Lil Dicky fans something to chew on, revealing Burd as the kind of man looking for a woman willing to straighten his abnormally curved genitals.

Then, episode 3 puts GaTa (GaTa), Burd’s real-life hype man and best friend, at the forefront again, much like the season 2 finale did for the rapper. Lil Dicky’s tour continues in Atlanta, where an encounter with Rick Ross causes a chain reaction — literally.

“Hearsay” demonstrates the impact of GaTa’s fame, making it super evident to Lil Dicky. GaTa’s success means something vastly different In the Black community. Episode 3 touches on the cultural differences between Black and white Jewish rappers, something the show has done from day one.

From the beginning, Dave has made audiences think about the impact race has on the bigger picture of success. That trend continues in season 3, but in the most engaging of ways.

New episodes of Dave Season 3 air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FXX. Stream them the next day on Hulu.