2020 Is Awful, But At Least It Gave Us FX's 'Dave'

I just finished FX's Dave on Hulu and it is great. You should watch it. Go do that now and then come back here and we can talk about it. OK? Cool, see you in five hours (give or take bathroom breaks, meals, other obligations, etc.)

OK. You're back? Great. Dave is great. I missed it when it originally aired earlier this year because I have kids and the ads didn't really do it for me, even though I'm old enough to remember when Lil Dicky started putting things on YouTube way back in 2013. (NSFW) Dave came (ha) and went and I moved on until one of my good internet friends told me how good it was. After a few gentle prods I gave it a try. I was expecting it to be funny and it is funny, but I was not prepared for how good it would be. I mean, how legitimately good it was. Not as a comedy, but just as a television show.

I want to embed clips, but if you haven't seen it, I don't want to step on a single cameo, line, scene... Also, it's very inappropriate. Like, you don't want to watch this with your parents. Even if your parents are as cool as Lil Dicky's parents. And if you're a parent? Can you imagine your kids watching this? I mean, they have great taste, but you also should probably have a talk.

Dave features a diverse cast that deals with some uncomfortable topics in a myriad of ways. Funny, silly, serious. Whatever direction the story needs to feel and keep it real, they go there and they go hard. (Sorry) Within a few episodes, you have real attachments to the characters who all turn out to be grounded in reality for a show that is based on a white guy making a rap career out of dick jokes. All the main characters get to show multiple sides of themselves in a way you don't see in most other shows. And yes, it's all mixed with some incredible cameos.

While Dave Burd / Lil Dicky is the driving force behind the show about Dave / Lil Dicky, the other people involved are also pretty impressive. Kevin Hart and Greg Mottolo produced with Mottola directing the first three episodes. Tony Yacenda directed three others, including the finale. Andre DeYoung and Ben Sinclair directed the other four very good episodes, but Mottola is a made man from Superbad and a bunch of other stuff. As for Yacenda, he created American Vandal and needs to be celebrated on a daily basis.

Obviously, this doesn't count as a hidden gem. It's FX's highest-rated show ever. They're going to make a second season if the world is still around next year. Seriously, the federal government should be paying people to stay home and watch Dave. Anyone who has seen Dave should be rewarded with an extra $50 an episode for being responsible and the people who make Dave should get a bunch of money so they can go make more. This is how we can heal.