Lil Dicky a.k.a. Dave Burd’s foray into television is a huge hit for FX Networks. The comedic rapper’s Dave series is now the company’s most-watched comedy series, surpassing a viewership record previously held by Donald Glover’s Atlanta.
Dave, which finished airing its first season in April, has attracted an average episodic audience 5.32 million viewers. Atlanta averaged 5.2 million viewers in its debut season, which premiered in 2016.
“Co-creators Dave Burd and Jeff Schaffer, along with their entire creative team have delivered one television’s best comedies series while becoming FX’s most-watched comedy ever,” FX Entertainments’s President Original Programming Nick Grad said in a press statement. “That is an extraordinary achievement for Dave, the cast and crew as they teamed to make a memorable and brilliant season television.”
Dave’s viewership numbers account for people watching on linear television, video on demand and streaming. As Deadline notes, Dicky’s show has benefited from being available on a major streaming platform as part the FX on Hulu initiative.
When Atlanta was originally airing, the only option for streaming it was the now-defunct FX Now. But Glover’s show did have a higher prile on cable TV, airing on FX’s flagship channel as opposed to Dave’s home FXX.
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Dave has been renewed for a second season, which should come as no surprise considering its initial success. The show is scheduled to return in 2021.
“We set out to make something special and it’s so gratifying to see the response this show has gotten,” Dicky said. “This was my first rodeo, so I’m super excited to take another crack at it now that I’ve got some experience making television. It really feels like the sky is the limit with this show. I look forward to raising the bar even higher next year.”
Watch all 10 episodes Dave’s first season here.