What do the critics say about Taron Egerton’s ‘Smoke’?
What do the critics say about Taron Egerton’s ‘Smoke’?
The newest Apple TV+ crime drama is getting some intriguing responses from professional reviewers.
Apple TV+ takes its crime dramas very seriously — for the most part. It infuses comedy into some, such as its beloved series “Bad Sisters,” but others like “Presumed Innocent” are as gritty as they come. It demonstrates the range of content available on the streamer, even within the same genre.
The newest crime drama to hit Apple TV+ is called “Smoke.” The show is a miniseries, which will release its first episode on the streamer on Friday, June 27.
“Smoke” is inspired by “Firebug,” a podcast that describes the crimes of arsonist John Leonard Orr. It features Taron Egerton as Dave Gudsen, an arson investigator who reluctantly teams up with Detective Michelle Calderon (Jurnee Smollett) to help stop two serial arsonists in the Pacific Northwest.
Thus far, the reviews for “Smoke” have been a bit mixed, but tilt toward the good side of the spectrum. The show currently has a 67 rating on Metacritc, indicating “generally favorable” reviews. It also sports a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, and we’ll dig into specifics about what reviewers think of the show below!
Watch a trailer for ‘Smoke’:
Smoke
When an arson investigator begrudgingly teams up with a police detective, their race to stop two arsonists ignites a twisted game of secrets and suspicions.
What do the critics think of ‘Smoke’?
Tim Lowrey | AV Club
There are a few big twists in Smoke, which is based on the true-crime podcast Firebug, and two of them are dropped quite early in the miniseries’ run. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but, unfortunately, the cat-and-mouse chases after those reveals lose steam in the show’s back half and can feel like they’re prolonging inevitable, albeit stylishly presented, ends. (That said, a curveball concerning a slow-talking and seemingly shell-shocked cook who’s played by Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine breathes new life into the narrative.) The success of stories like this—in podcast, TV, or any form—largely rests on sucking you in to the point that you have to know what happens next or at least want to hang out with these people. And Smoke doesn’t pull that off.
Alan Sepinwall | Rolling Stone
It’s not a coincidence that Smoke becomes vastly more entertaining and complex the second that it turns all of its cards face-up. The cat-and-mouse game between the investigators and the arsonists becomes more fraught. Smollett and Egerton are excellent and magnetic as we plumb the depths of their characters’ damaged psyches. The supporting actors (including Rafe Spall, Anna Chlumsky, and John Leguizamo) give rich — and, in the case of Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as a chicken joint fry cook whose only pleasure seems to come from watching things burn, terrifying — performances, that are all substantially better for knowing what’s really motivating everyone.
Emma Fraser | IGN
Smoke is undoubtedly ambitious; it gets even more destabilizing and, for lack of a better word, weird, as it goes on. Watching something so unpredictable is exciting and whiplash-inducing. One moment it’s echoing Mindhunter by showcasing a task force profiling a criminal; the next, it’s taking a page from the glossy, Sutton Foster-poses-as-a-20something publishing-industry dramedy Younger. While giving a safety demonstration, Dave says that fire is akin to chaos, and the same parallel could be drawn for any given episode of Smoke. Ambiguity is welcome, but by the end of the ninth episode, I had more questions than answers, and the lack of resolution for some characters is bewildering.
Keith Phipps | TV Guide
It’s hard to say anything about Smoke without saying too much… It spoils nothing to say that it’s thriller about arson investigation, but even this doesn’t quite capture the feel of a series that can’t quite make up its mind about what kind of show it wants to be as it swerves from scenes that feel like they belong to a dark psychological drama to stretches of black comedy, as if trying smush together Taxi Driver and Burn After Reading. That this ultimately proves futile isn’t particularly surprising, but Smoke gives it an earnest try anyway. The results aren’t entirely satisfying, but the moments that click into place, particularly those spotlighting performances that strike the balance the series attempts, suggest it was worth a try.
David Caballero | Collider
It’s not like the show doesn’t have a few ingenious narrative tricks up its sleeve, but they don’t exactly knock it out of the park. Dave’s writing ambitions lead to some insightful lines about the nature of fire and humans’ response to it, and a few funny jokes about the sheer ineptitude of his literary abilities, but the framing device gets stale rather quickly. Similarly, Michell’s haunted backstory is intriguing but too vague to amount to anything tangible within the show’s first six hours. In some things, especially in the reveal of the arsonists’ identities, Smoke walks in strides, yet the interpersonal drama moves at a glacial pace until it eventually takes a backseat to the criminal investigation. The balance between the crime and human dramas could definitely use a bit more finesse.
Diedre Johnson | The Wrap
“Smoke” has everything fans of [writer Dennis Lehane’s] books or TV shows have come to expect, mystery, action, violence, foreboding atmosphere but this series also has dark comedy and bits of fantasy. There are times when you’re not so sure where the fictional Dave’s fictional book ends and this fictional version of a true story begins.
Jeanine T. Abraham | Medium
Smoke is slick crime drama with just a touch of sleaze in all the best ways. Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett, Lovecraft Country) is a former Marine turned detective assigned to assist arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton, Rocketman) to find two serial arsonists randomly setting fires in a city in the Pacific Northwest. As this story unfolds we also get a nuanced deep dive into the ripple effects of diverse kinds of trauma from systemic to family all in this fantastic mystery.
Christian Gallichio | The Playlist
“Black Bird” was Lehane’s ‘highbrow’ work on TV, then his newest with Egerton, “Smoke,” plays like a B-side. On its surface, it’s quite similar…but unlike “Black Bird,” “Smoke” is a pulpy show, one that manages to sustain attention across the nine-episode first season, but also one that becomes more ridiculous as it goes on. That’s not a knock exactly, as the show is consistently watchable and entertaining. But, it often feels like Lehane has purposely downshifted after the intensity of his previous series…While “Smoke” might feel like a derivative of “Black Bird” without having the same narrative and thematic heft, it’s still a compellingly watchable show. It also allows for a fascinating acting showcase for Taron Egerton.
Apple TV
Apple TV (formerly known as Apple TV+) is a subscription video streaming service for $14.99 per month, offering a growing slate of original series, films, documentaries, and specials. Unlike other platforms that combine licensed titles with originals, Apple TV is built entirely around exclusive programming, making it the home of critically acclaimed hits such as “Ted Lasso,” “Severance,” “The Morning Show,” and “Silo.” Its lineup continues to expand with award-winning dramas, comedies, family-friendly shows, and blockbuster original films like “CODA,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.