'Dave' Season 2 Featurette: Getting A Record Deal Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be

FXX's comedy series Dave is telling the story of rapper Lil Dicky, or at least the fictionalized version of himself that Dave Burd playing on the show as he finds his footing in the hip-hop world. The first season became the network's biggest comedy last year at the start of the pandemic, and now the pressure is on to take the show to the next level in season two.

Not only is creator and star Dave Burd getting more involved behind the camera for the second season of Dave, but Lil Dicky has to deliver an album after landing a record deal in the first season. A new Dave season 2 featurette takes a look behind the scenes and reveals what's in store for the guy who wants to become the greatest rapper in the world.

The second season of FXX's stellar comedy series Dave premiered last week with two episodes back-to-back. Don't worry if you missed it because the show is available to stream on Hulu the day after it premieres, and the entire first season is there too. You'll be pleasantly surprised to find one of the best new comedies on cable.

This season, Dave Burd still telling his story in a comedic, albeit fictionalized fashion. But he's taking more initiative behind the camera to make it look less like a typical comedy. Burd explained to Entertainment Weekly:

"Now I'm so focused on like cinematography – it's like all I care about. If a scene doesn't look good, I'm like, oh my god, what are we going to do? Whereas last year, I cared about it more than maybe a standard comedian would, but it didn't drive the ship like it did this year. So I look at last year and I'm like, "Why do these scenes look like a comedy right now?" Now, I'm like, if this looks like a comedy, we're failing. This should look like a really great naturalistic foreign movie."

In the Dave season 2 featurette, writer and supervising producer Vanessa McGee says the show will dig into the darker side of the dream that Lil Dicky is chasing. On top of that, the crew is trying to surpass what they did in the first season. For Dave Burd's part, he's putting even more of himself into the story. Burd told EW:

"This season actually has a lot of the artistic journey of my past 5 years, trying to make this album that I'm making in reality. I put my first album out in 2015 and it's 2021, and we're not even talking release dates yet, because it's not done. On the one hand, I'm totally ashamed of that, I don't understand how it's possible. I also think it's more possible when you're spending two years focusing on a television show, but even without a television show it still would have taken me four solid years. And I wanted to show what that's like for my character this season, like there is a lot of pressure."

It's crazy to think that five years have passed since Lil Dicky released his first album. But it's convenient that he's able to channel the real-life pressure into the fictionalized version of himself in Dave. However, when you listen to Burd talk about his rap career, you get the feeling that much of what we see of Lil Dicky on the series is only ever-so-slightly exaggerated. Burd added:

"I feel like people see me the way I want to be seen as a comedian, but, as a rapper, I don't think I've proven much of anything yet. I know I'm capable, and I know that because of me focusing on television people might think that I'll never be interested in proving that. So I'm hungry as a rapper."

We're likely to see that shine through during the show's second season as well. Here's the official synopsis:

Dave knows he's destined for rap superstardom – but at what cost? With the pressure mounting as he records his debut album, he has to decide if he'll sacrifice friendships, love, and his own sense of self in order to make his dream come true

The second season of Dave premiered last week, and new episodes air on Wednesdays, only on FXX.