Emmys update: Third time looks like the charm for ‘Dave’

There’s no character on television right now like vulgarian poet Dave Burd. The third season of “Dave” begins with the real-life rapper, also known as Lil Dicky, traveling the country in search of a soulmate. Will his Looking for Love tour also win him Emmy voters’ hearts? 

If its sustained 84 average on Metacritic proves anything, the subversive FXX comedy is “basking in the confidence earned from its exceptional prior entry but…not resting on its laurels” (Ben Travers, IndieWire). That being said, the pool of surveyed critics remains small and male, something that, judging by the second half of Season 3’s two-episode premiere, “Harrison Ave,” seems to be on the creative team’s radar.

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While we shouldn’t infer how he actually feels about the matter based on his fictionalized persona, it’s fair to say Burd, who’s made his genitalia “Dave’s” running joke, once again uses a liability as a springboard toward unique, introspective humor. The episode, “a ballet of stress and uncertainty” (Clint Worthington, Consequence) that deserves a slot in Best Comedy Directing, unfolds across a chaotic day of shooting what’s supposed to double as a “female demographic video” and Lil Dicky’s origin story. Jane Levy makes a surprise appearance as a childhood crush and sorta-girlfriend whose vapidity doesn’t blunt the truths she eventually lays on Dave.

Comedies that grant “creative voices the freedom to express themselves in ways that feel deeply personal and ambitious” are an FX hallmark, Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert.com) argues while calling the three episodes made available to press “a sharp, funny start” to the season. “[What’s] so wonderful about [the show] is how the writers and razor-sharp ensemble can thread a needle of broad, physical, ridiculous humor and deeper philosophical themes about sexuality, masculinity, and culture.” The Best Comedy Actor race will remain incomplete until Burd is given a contending shot. Currently in 37th place, the multi-hyphenate “can create comedy – and naturalism — through cadence,” Travers writes. “His long, lyrical spiels sound song-like even when he’s off-mic, yet they always find the right pitch for the punch-line and are never off-beat.”

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Examples of shows that broke through with nominations in Best Comedy Series for third seasons include “Designing Women” (1989), “Seinfeld” (1992), “Two and a Half Men” (2006), “Entourage” (2007), “Parks and Recreation” (2011), “Louie” (2013), “The Good Place” (2019) and “Cobra Kai” (2021). However, those all appeared in other categories prior to competing for the top prize. If “Dave,” a longshot ranked 48th by our odds, crashes the race in its third season despite its freshman and sophomore runs having gone entirely unnoticed, it’ll be the first series to do so since “Everybody Loves Raymond” (1999). 

Catch new episodes of “Dave” every Wednesday on FXX and Thursday on Hulu. 

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