Smoke is an Apple TV Plus crime drama inspired by true events, following a troubled detective and a mysterious arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.
Rocketman and Black Bird star Taron Egerton plays arson investigator Dave Gudsen, while Birds of Prey’s Jurnee Smollett is detective Michelle Calderone. The series was inspired by the podcast Firebug, by Kary Antholis, and it also stars Rafe Spall and Greg Kinnear. The series is executive produced by Taron Egerton and created by Dennis Lehane.
Here’s everything you need to know about the exciting Apple TV Plus crime drama Smoke…
Smoke release date
Smoke launches on Apple TV Plus from Friday, June 27, 2025. It's a nine-part series starting with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes weekly, every Friday, through to August 8, 2025.
How to watch Smoke online or on TV from around the world
Is there a Smoke trailer?
Yes there's a Smoke trailer now available from Apple TV+ which shows Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett in action! It looks great. Take a peek below...
Smoke plot
Smoke follows an arson investigator and police detective Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton) who team up to track down two serial arsonists in fictional Umberland America’s Pacific Northwest.
Haunted by memories of being trapped in a burning house in his former job, Dave is married to Ashley and has a stepson, Emmett. Theirs is not a happy marriage and Dave throws himself into his work while, on the side, he’s started writing a book about the crime scenes he’s visited.
Working alongside Dave to catch the arsonists is ambitious detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett). Already dealing with her own demons, the power struggle between the two intensifies as the chemistry between them heats up.
Together, they must pool their resources to catch the arsonists nicknamed ‘Milk Jug’ (as they use a milk container to contain their accelerant), and ‘D&C’ (aka ‘Divide and Conquer’, because they set multiple fires across several locations to split the fire department’s resources thus enabling them to get away).
Smoke cast — Taron Egerton on playing Dave Gudsen
Taron Egerton, who plays arson investigator Dave Gudsen in Smoke, told us: "I’m indebted to [writer and creator] Dennis Lehane for having the faith in me to be able to tackle playing Dave, a character with such complexity and weirdness. What’s going on in Dave’s head is a mystery to me. There's a cognitive disconnect between who he thinks he should be and who he is. That creates a huge tension in him, and the only way he has of relieving that tension is through some unhealthy habits.
"You couldn’t tell Dave’s story in a movie the way that we’ve been able to over nine episodes,’ says the 35-year-old. ‘The beauty is that he changes so much in front of our eyes. Or maybe he doesn’t and it’s just our perception of him that changes.
"The show’s opening sequence is an existential moment for Dave and the starting point of a lot of who he is. But there’s another similar moment right at the end and it’s interesting that the series is bookended in that way.
"Instead of having a healthy relationship with himself and his own imperfections, Dave tells himself that he’s the hero and that he’s this archetypal good guy who’s hot on the case and he’s gonna get his man. What I felt as we started to film that was that I had these instincts to create affectations that signified a man who’s performing to himself. Dave doesn’t need to wear glasses, but he puts them on to write because, in his mind, he’s dealing in crude archetypes. He thinks a writer should wear glasses because it’s academic, it’s bookish. And when he’s working, I had him chewing gum and with his voice he’s almost affecting this gruff masculinity because that’s who he thinks he should be."
* Ironically, one of Taron's first TV roles was in a Sky drama called The Smoke. He’s best known, however, for playing Elton John in the biopic movie Rocketman and British ski-jumper Eddie Edwards in the film Eddie the Eagle. He also starred in the hit Kingsman movies, Apple TV series Black Bird, Legend and Robin Hood. He voices Moomintroll in the animated series Moominvalley and Johnny in the Sing films and in 2024 starred in the Netflix thriller Carry-On.
Jurnee Smollett on playing Michelle Calderone
Jurnee Smollett, who plays cop Michelle Calderone in Smoke, told us: "Michelle is a dream role. She’s so layered and full of contradictions. We all struggle with this desire to lean into the danger. I’ve struggled with that at times in my life – whether it’s a toxic relationship or a behaviour or ambition in your career. Dancing with that line is something I wanted to explore in Michelle.
"I love Michelle’s flaws. Sometimes her morality is a little ambiguous and that’s exciting to play. She’s a woman in male-dominated spaces and I can relate to that. She’s a former Marine who’s now a detective. There are comments made about her body, her gender and her ethnicity as if she doesn’t deserve to be in that place. When she faces that sort of adversity, it ignites something in her.
"I did a lot of research and interviewed experts in this field. I worked with my physicality coach and my fitness trainer. I put on 15lb of muscle and was lifting heavier weights than ever. Because Michelle is a former Marine it was important to me that physically, she felt a bit more muscular and a more formidable presence. I also spoke to a therapist about her mental state because she attaches and detaches with people in her life."
* Jurnee Smollett has previously played Dinah Lance/Black Canary in Birds of Prey and Lizzy in Spiderhead. She’s also been in The Order, Lovecraft Country, The Order, The Burial, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood and True Blood.
Smoke who's who and who else is starring
Here's a rough breakdown of all the main characters and stars in Smoke...
Dave Gudsen
(Taron Egerton)
The charismatic but haunted former firefighter is now an arson investigator who also writes about the blazes he’s investigated. He has a strained marriage to Ashley who has a son, Emmett.
Michelle Calderone
(Jurnee Smollett)
An ambitious detective assigned to work alongside Dave, Michelle has past traumas of her own and has also been sleeping with her boss, Steven Burke.
Steven Burke
(Rafe Spall)
The married dad-of-three and the captain of Columbia Metro Police Department has been sleeping with Michelle and sends her to fire investigation duty.
Freddy Fasano
(Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine)
A loner who works at a chicken shop, Freddy spent his childhood in dozens of different foster homes and is persuaded to apply for the manager’s position by a colleague.
Ezra Esposito
(John Leguizamo)
Dave’s former partner enjoys drinking and drugs since leaving his job. He ends up on Michelle’s radar after she investigates some questionable business dealings.
Harvey Englehart
(Greg Kinnear)
The head of the chief jurisdiction of Umberland Fire Service is a long-time friend and colleague of Dave. He’s close to retirement and looking forward to his daughter’s wedding.
* Smoke also stars Hannah Emily Anderson, Anna Chlumsky and Adina Porter.
Behind the scenes and more on Smoke
Smoke has been created by Dennis Lehane, writer of bestselling thriller Mystic River, who also serves as writer and executive producer. Taron Egerton is executive produces alongside Richard Plepler on behalf of EDEN Productions and Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin through Imperative Entertainment as well as Kari Skogland, Joe Chappelle and Jane Bartelme.
The fictional series is inspired by truth.media’s acclaimed Firebug podcast, which was hosted by the Oscar and Emmy-winning Kary Antholis, who executive produces for Crime Story Media, LLC. Emmy Award winner Marc Smerling serves as executive producer for Truth Podcasting Corp. Series directors include Skogland, Chappelle, and Jim McKay.
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