# Smoke (2025)

> An arson investigator and a police detective reluctantly join forces to hunt two arsonists in a web of secrets and suspicion.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/136444

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 9
- Episode runtime: 53 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, thriller, drama
- Created by: Dennis Lehane
- Network: Apple TV
- Cast: Taron Egerton, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Hannah Emily Anderson, Greg Kinnear, John Leguizamo, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Rafe Spall, Dakota Daulby
- TMDB rating: 6.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt24163532/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, brooding, gritty, paranoid

## What critics say

Audience reception is mixed, with viewers rating the miniseries a middling 6.6/10 on the strength of its cast and twisty arson-investigation thriller premise.

## Synopsis

Smoke (2025) is an American crime thriller miniseries created by Dennis Lehane for Apple TV, adapted from a podcast and built on the true-crime tradition. Taron Egerton plays arson investigator Dave Gudsen, who begrudgingly teams up with police detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) to chase two arsonists whose fires keep escalating. Greg Kinnear as Harvey Englehart and John Leguizamo as Esposito add weight to the investigative circle, while Hannah Emily Anderson as Ashley Gudsen brings the personal stakes home. The engine is a race against time: every blaze is a clue, every witness may be lying, and the two investigators must work out who in their own orbit can be trusted. Across a single nine-episode season, the narrative moves in a tightly serialized arc rather than case-of-the-week chapters, letting suspicion accumulate episode by episode. Set in contemporary American cities, the series carries a gritty, rain-soaked atmosphere shaped by paranoia and moral unease. Its tone is tense and brooding, with a mix of procedural grind and character-driven dread. Fans of True Detective, Mystic River and The Killing will find resonance in its bleak, investigative mood and the uneasy partnership at its center, making it a compelling pick for viewers who want a grounded, tightly plotted crime thriller with a human core.

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