In my day, I’ve seen my share of films or television series about firefighters or fighting fires in general. Movies like Backdraft, Only the Brave, or even The Towering Inferno have been a few on the subject  I’ve loved. The FX show Rescue Me starring Dennis Leary is a show I watched when it was airing. This list goes on and on, though of films on this subject matter. None of them are as dense and layered as Smoke is. It’s a new Apple TV+ series created by Dennis LaHane inspired by Firebug, John Leonard Orr,  from the Truth Podcasting Co. It’s an incredible show that delves deeply into the people’s lives involved with a series of arsons in the fictional city of Umberland in the Pacific Northwest. Most likely, Oregon. 

Arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Taron Edgerton) is a family man. Married for the second time to his wife Ashley (Hannah Emily Anderson). He’s in the middle of not one but two serial arsonists. One known as the potato chip arsonist, because he burns the potato chip aisle at grocery stores, and the other is known as the milk jug arsonist, because he fills cooking oil into milk jugs and sets them on fire by the locations he wants to burn. These are very extensive cases that also involve the local police department. A police detective, Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett), is tasked with helping the Edgerton character figure out what’s going on in these cases. There is more going on than meets the eye in these cases. That’s why this series is so layered and densely written.

Besides the characters I’ve mentioned, there is a pretty good supporting cast in this show. A police Captain Steven Burke (Rafe Spall), a fire Commander Harvey Englehart (Greg Kinnear) the ex-partner of Edgerton’s character Ezra Esposito (John Leguizamo) and an arsonist Freddy Fasano (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine) are all key players in the narrative of the story. They all are part of an intertwined story that was fantastically written. All great series like this one have to have a great cast of supporting characters. This show gives all of these actors great dialogue to chew on.I was blown away by Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine specifically. I’ve seen him before in The Lincoln Lawyer, but this was a different level of acting this time around. He became a different person this time.

I’ve touched on the writing of the show a little bit already, but Dennis LaHane and Molly Miller took something they knew about and made it their own. It was a completely original story. They infused each of the characters with their own backstories. Every character in the series had a motivation and a purpose for doing what they did. It was fascinating to delve into each episode to learn about all of them. Mainly the Edgerton and Smollett characters, also the rest of them as well. This is the kind of densely written and layered show I love. They keep you thinking about them for days afterward. Apple TV+ is littered with them.

Besides the writing and acting in the show, the direction was very good by Kari Skogland, Joe Chapelle, and Jim McKay. They each brought their own unique talents to the table. They used tricks like dream sequences, talking dead people, and flashbacks as ways to help tell the story. Whether the show was shot in rooms or outside each of the episodes had a different look and vibe to it. The cinematography kept everything looking similar to the others. Close-up scenes and far away scenes alike all have a great look about them. This series just looked great all the way around. Part of that is because of the direction by these men and women.

Another part of the series that was very good was the music. Starting with the opening theme music by Thom Yorke. Besides that, the score of the series was so good. When it needed to be melancholy, it was. When it needed to be loud and big, it was, and when it needed to be somber, it was. The variations in the music score set the tone for this show quite well. A great score for a film or series like this one can be a fantastic addition to them. They add another layer to something that is already good.

One thing about this series that I thought was interesting was a series of word definitions at the beginning of each episode. Each of the words play an integral part of that episode they are in front of. The list of words is creativity, inspiration, denial, transmogrification, ignominy, epiphany, chaos, fury, and conflagration.I feel this may have been the brainchild of LaHane He probably wanted to give the viewers something to mull over at the beginning of each episode.The meaning of these word definitions is very important to me. They brought another aspect to a smartly written show. Lahane knew he wanted to make this show a very intelligent one. The audience definitely had to think about all the aspects of it while watching.

Smoke is a phenomenal show. It deals with a topic film and television shows have dealt with before, nothing like this. This is well written by Dennis LaHane and others. They give all the characters a lot to do, especially the leads Edgerton and Smollett. They are both great in the series. It just shows why they keep getting cast in shows like this and films. The rest of the cast is fantastic as well. Specifically, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, who gives the best performance I’ve seen from him in years. The direction and music are also both very good in this series. Anybody looking for a well developed show like this one has found it. I was completely enamored by the story. The characters and the story had me at the get-go. Apple TV+ has a knack for creating great shows like this one. Fans of good dramas like this one will absolutely love this one. Hopefully, it’ll garner some awards buzz next year for Emmy contention. It surely deserves it. I loved it.

4 ½

Dan Skip Allen