Smoke (TV series)
| Smoke | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Release poster | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Dennis Lehane |
| Inspired by | Firebug by Truth Podcasting Corp. |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans |
| Opening theme | "Dialing In" by Thom Yorke |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 42–65 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | June 27 – August 15, 2025 |
Smoke is an American crime drama television miniseries created by Dennis Lehane, inspired by Firebug, a podcast about the crimes of arsonist John Leonard Orr. It premiered on Apple TV+ on June 27, 2025.
Premise
A detective and an arson investigator work together to stop two serial arsonists in the Pacific Northwest.
Cast
Main
- Taron Egerton as Dave Gudsen, an arson investigator and former firefighter with the Umberland Fire Department
- Jurnee Smollett as Detective Michelle Calderone, a Columbia Metro Police Department detective assigned to assist Dave investigating the arsons in Umberland
- Rafe Spall as Captain Steven Burke, Michelle's married superior who she has an affair with
- Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Freddy Fasano, a worker at Coop's Fried Chicken in the Trolley Town neighborhood who is a suspected arsonist
- Hannah Emily Anderson as Ashley Gudsen, a librarian and Dave's second wife
- Greg Kinnear as Commander Harvey Englehart, the chief of the Umberland Fire Department
- John Leguizamo as Ezra Esposito, a sufferer of alcohol addiction and former Columbia Metro Police Department detective who used to work with Dave
Recurring
- Luke Roessler as Emmett, Ashley's teenage son and Dave's stepson
- Dakota Daulby as Lee, Freddy's colleague at Coop's Fried Chicken
- Adina Porter as Brenda Cephus, a hairdresser and friend of Freddy
- Mishka Thébaud as Benji, Michelle's brother
- Erin Karpluk as Reba Daniels, an insurance adjuster and Gudsen's ex-wife
- Anna Chlumsky as Special Agent Dawn Hudson, an ATF agent assisting with the arson investigations
Guest
- David James Lewis as Arch Stanton, an Umberland firefighter and suspected arsonist
- Nozipho Mclean as Rose, Benji's wife and Michelle's sister-in-law
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Kari Skogland | Dennis Lehane | June 27, 2025[a] |
| 2 | "Your Happy Makes Me Sad" | Joe Chappelle | Dennis Lehane & Adriane McCray | June 27, 2025[a] |
| 3 | "Weird Milk" | Joe Chappelle | Molly Miller | July 4, 2025 |
| 4 | "Strawberry" | Joe Chappelle | Molly Miller and Kary Antholis | July 11, 2025 |
| 5 | "Size Matters" | Jim McKay | Steven Hanna and Steve Harris | July 18, 2025 |
| 6 | "Manhood" | Jim McKay | Dennis Lehane | July 25, 2025 |
| 7 | "Whitewashed Tombs" | Joe Chappelle | Teleplay by : Dennis Lehane & Molly Miller Story by : Steven Hanna & Adriane McCray | August 1, 2025 |
| 8 | "Mercy" | Jim McKay | Molly Miller | August 8, 2025 |
| 9 | "Mirror, Mirror" | Joe Chappelle | Dennis Lehane | August 15, 2025 |
Production
It was announced in December 2022 that Dennis Lehane and Taron Egerton, who had worked together on Apple TV+'s miniseries Black Bird, would reteam for Firebug, a new miniseries at Apple TV+, inspired by the crimes of arsonist John Leonard Orr.[4] In March 2024, Jurnee Smollett and John Leguizamo joined the cast, with Kari Skogland set to direct and executive produce the series. In addition to starring, Egerton serves as executive producer alongside Richard Plepler through Eden Productions, Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas through Imperative Entertainment, Joe Chappelle, Marc Smerling for Truth Podcasting Corp, Jane Bartelme and Kary Antholis for Crime Story Media, LLC.[5][6][1] Chappelle and Jim McKay also directed the episodes.[1] Rafe Spall, Greg Kinnear, Ntare Mwine and Hannah Emily Anderson would be added to the cast in May.[7]
Filming began in Vancouver in March 2024.[8]
Release
The first two episodes of the series were shown at the 2025 Tribeca Festival on June 12, 2025.[2][3] The series was retitled from Firebug to Smoke, and it premiered on June 27, 2025.[9]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 74% approval rating based on 53 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Smoke obscures its appeal with coy plotting until it eventually lights a fire under its story, but commanding turns from Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett keep this drama watchable throughout."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 60 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable".[11]
Notes
- ^ a b This episode was first shown at the 2025 Tribeca Festival on June 12, 2025.[2][3]
References
- ^ a b c "Apple TV+ unveils first look at gripping crime drama "Smoke," starring and executive produced by Taron Egerton and created by Dennis Lehane, premiering globally Friday, June 27, 2025". Apple TV+ Press. April 15, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ a b "Smoke". Tribeca Festival. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "Tribeca - Festival Guide - TV". Tribeca Festival. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas; Andreeva, Nellie (December 8, 2022). "Taron Egerton Reteams With Denis Lehane, Richard Plepler, Imperative & Apple TV+ For Firebug Series Inspired By Notorious California Arsonist". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (March 13, 2024). "Jurnee Smollett To Star Alongside Taron Egerton In New Apple Drama Series Firebug". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ Petski, Denise (March 27, 2024). "John Leguizamo Joins Taron Egerton In Apple Drama Series Firebug; Kari Skogland To Direct & EP". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Petski, Denise (May 6, 2024). "Rafe Spall, Greg Kinnear Among 4 Cast In Apple Drama Series Firebug". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ Gittins, Susan (March 13, 2024). "FIREBUG With Taron Egerton & Jurnee Smollett Starts Shooting in Vancouver". Hollywood North Buzz. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Petski, Denise (April 15, 2025). "Taron Egerton & Dennis Lehane's Drama Series Smoke Gets Apple Premiere Date; First Photos". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "Smoke: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ "Smoke: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved July 3, 2025.