Smoke is an upcoming nine-episode miniseries set to premiere with its first two episodes June 27th on Apple TV+. New episodes will premiere every Friday until its series finale on August 15th. Created by Dennis Lehane, the show stars Taron Egerton, Jurnee Smollett, John Leguizamo, Rafe Spall, Greg Kinnear, Ntare Mwine, and Hannah Emily Anderson. Inspired by true events, “Smoke” follows a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.
When Smoke first got on my radar, I genuinely thought this was supposed to be a movie for some reason. Knowing that it was really a TV series genuinely surprised me seeing the on-screen talent that was involved. Someone I follow recently mentioned that Egerton hasn’t been in a theatrical release since 2019’s Rocketman, for which he received numerous accolades for. Six years later, I think he, along with Smollett, having the best performances of their career in one of the best shows of the year. Coming from the creator of Black Bird, it shouldn’t be too surprising that this show is excellent.
Apple TV+ continues to show why they are the best streaming service with this new show. The show’s quality reminds me a lot of what HBO used to make. The level of prestige television now belongs to Apple TV+. The show’s first episode lays a lot of ground work under the direction of Kari Skogland. The second episode than flips what you know about this story and its characters on its head to deliver something more menacing than I could have ever imagined. Premiering with the first two episodes is the best way to go that will surely hook its viewers. Rarely do we get the real plot twist in the second episode. It’s either the first episode or towards the end of the season or show.
When you realize what this show is actually about is where Taron Egerton & Jurnee Smollett begin to shine. I think I was initially surprised that this was a TV show as the two leads have been incredibly busy as it is. For Egerton, yes, I do think this is even better than his lead role in Rocketman. Some may be questioning why he hasn’t done many theatrical movies. TV shows can sometimes be a great medium for talent to showcase just how long they can go with a specific performance, which is what Egerton does here. Jurnee Smollett has been a commanding force as of lately with 2024’s The Order perfectly showcasing that. Her performance here will not only have viewers connecting with her, but also wanting to see more out of her career going forward. They both lead a terrific cast of other incredible performances.
At nine episodes, every minute is fully utilized and realized. You can see where there is a clear vision that is completely thought our from start to finish. Every episode also manages to have its own identity while maintaining its quality. There’s never truly a bad moment that took me out of watching it. In the beginning, the reality of how fires have impacted so many people seemed like a far fetched idea. By the end of it, I found it to be thematically important as it shows how complex these characters are and how no one is 100% good.
The morality of these characters will make you question their decisions at times. I think it’s what makes these characters more human. The talent involved with these characters helps make the drama just as riveting as the action. There were plenty of suspenseful scenes where I felt like anything could happen, creating a nail-biting experience. You can feel every moment of silence & dialogue that’s shared between characters. The action helps deliver huge payoff’s for all the drama that comes before.
The show also utilizes music to its advantage. With a theme song delivered by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, the song perfectly captures the tone this show has. Majority of the show has a great score that continues to lean into the insanity of what’s to come. There are also some great needle drops that are used at the right given time and are never overutilized. As a fan of Nine Inch Nails, I loved how the show used one of their songs.
As much as I want to give this a perfect score, there are some plotlines that are left unresolved. This aspect is my only real complaint of it all. The show ends on a great note where you see the seeds that were planted before being fully realized. As I pondered on the show more, I found myself questioning the conclusion of certain stories. As mentioned, every episode is fully realized, but I think either a 5-minute epilogue or one more episode would have helped give more closure to the overall show.
Overall, Smoke is electrifying. It’s not just one of the best miniseries’ of the year, it’s one of the best shows on Apple TV+. I’m incredibly lucky to binge it early. For those watching it in real time, I have a good feeling that it will be one of those shows where you can’t wait to see what happens next. I personally haven’t felt that way since this year’s The Pitt. The lack of closure of certain plotlines may leave you wanting more, but the ending will still give you a satisfying conclusion to everything that came before.
VERDICT: 4.5/5 (Amazing)
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