Apple TV+ Launches Dennis Lehane’s Arson Drama Smoke

The Apple TV+ crime drama Smoke, created by Dennis Lehane, follows arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton) and Detective Michelle Calderon (Jurnee Smollett) as they pursue two serial arsonists in a Pacific Northwest town. The show is inspired by the real-life case of John Leonard Orr, a former firefighter and arson investigator who set nearly 2,000 fires, including a devastating 1984 blaze at Ole's Home Center in South Pasadena that killed four people. Orr was eventually caught after a lengthy investigation, with his unpublished novel about a firefighter-arsonist used as evidence, a story chronicled in the Firebug podcast which influenced the series. While the series has an atmospheric and moody tone, some critics find the first episodes slow and characters underdeveloped, though a major plot twist involving the lead character's identity as an arsonist adds intrigue. Lehane, drawing from his own experience surviving a house fire, explores the psychology of arsonists and the paradox of their fascination with fire, as reflected in the show's narrative and character complexity. The series reunites Lehane with actors Egerton and Greg Kinnear, and features an original song by Thom Yorke, aiming to blend chilling storytelling with a dark, immersive atmosphere.