If you loved Black Bird, buckle up — the creative team behind that slow-burn masterpiece is back with a new Apple TV+ crime drama that follows two investigators hunting a pair of serial arsonists in a tense, true story-inspired thriller.
Premiering on June 27, Smoke is a gritty, nine-episode thriller that teams up Emmy nominee Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country) with Taron Egerton, who both stars and executive produces here. The series opens with a double-episode debut, followed by weekly releases every Friday through August 8 — in other words, a perfect way to crank up the tension all summer long.
Created by crime fiction heavyweight Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), Smoke draws inspiration from real events and follows two investigators — Egerton as enigmatic arson expert Dave Gudsen, and Smollett as haunted detective Michelle Calderone — on the trail of two serial arsonists whose motives are as twisted as the fires they set.
The ensemble cast is just as stacked as the story is intense: Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Greg Kinnear, and John Leguizamo round out this powerhouse lineup.
Apple’s streamer has been quietly building one of the best stables of prestige crime dramas on streaming, from the unnerving psychological layers of Defending Jacob, to the true crime tension of Black Bird, the Florida noir vibes of Bad Monkey, and the legal mind games of the upcoming Presumed Innocent. Smoke looks ready to take its place among them, and if the pedigree is any indication, this one’s going to burn slow, hot, and unforgettable.
Check out some first-look images released by Apple below:
