Apple TV+ had a success system when it paired Dennis Lehane with Taron Egerton for Black Fowl. The miniseries, stitched with ethical complexity and standout performing, earned rave opinions. Given this, when Lehane and Egerton reunited for Smoke, expectations have been sky-high. Launched on June 27, 2025, Smoke kicks off as a fire-centered crime thriller with intrigue, secrets and techniques, and a gifted solid. The sequence has earned a good 73% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer. But, this modest score is a sign that the sequence ought to have been, and will have been, so a lot better.
At its core, Smoke follows a reluctant pairing between arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Egerton) and Detective Michelle Calderon (Junee Smollett), as they race to cease two serial arsonists. The present boasts robust visuals, an eerie Thom Yorke theme tune, and a solid that delivers. But, reviewers flag issues with its sluggish pacing, clichéd twists, and a plot that veers off in too many instructions. To audiences who beloved the taut precision of Black Fowl, Smoke comes off as a spark that fizzles.
Lehane Appears To Have Misplaced Focus With ‘Smoke’
Smoke
- Launch Date
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June 26, 2025
- Community
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Apple TV+
- Administrators
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Kari Skogland
Dennis Lehane proved his TV magic with Black Fowl, a lean six-episode thriller lauded for its ethical complexity and an intriguing high quality that saved viewers riveted. From its very first episode, the sequence was in a position to command each scene and beat. Nonetheless, Smoke, with its nine-episode run, lacks that very same crisp management. In keeping with critics, the sequence stumbles underneath sluggish pacing and diluted stress.
The place Black Fowl was surgically exact, Smoke feels drawn out. Its premise, which is predicated on two arsonists terrorizing a small city, might have been a high-stakes, excitement-filled trip. As a substitute, the present meanders with detours into melodrama and repetitive tropes. One annoyed viewer mentioned:
“…The variation of Dennis Lehane’s guide is a catastrophe, with a storyline that’s convoluted and nonsensical. The plot drags on with no actual path, leaving you feeling annoyed and confused. The pacing is abysmal, making it really feel like an countless slog…”
It’s clear that Lehane aimed for psychological density and a moody ambiance. Nonetheless, with out the tight storytelling that made Black Fowl a must-watch, Smoke usually feels unfocused and turns into a case of ambition overtaking execution. Every episode launched to this point smolders however is never in a position to construct to the wildfire influence that audiences have come to count on from Lehane’s most interesting work.
The Proficient Solid Is Let Down by the Plot in ‘Smoke’
Smoke brings star energy. Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett are magnetic, and supporting gamers like Greg Kinnear and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine carry gravitas to the ensemble. Thom Yorke’s haunting theme units the temper, marking yet one more high-end addition to the Apple TV+ crime lineup. With its gifted solid, the sequence was sure to shine.
But, the plot undermines their efforts. The sequence appears to be weighed down by clichés, overused procedures, compelled character tropes, and melodramatic voiceovers. Audiences know the twist too quickly, given the revelation of Dave as an arsonist early on, to fulfill fashionable binge habits. The reveal might have deepened the story, however Smoke retains dragging its toes as an alternative of leaning into the ethical fallout.
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Regardless of the sequence having all the weather it must be an exciting watch, given the truth that there are two arsonists to hunt and the troubled backgrounds of the main characters, Smoke is unable to realize its true potential. The expertise is there, however the story retains setting off alarms and rapidly fading. As Decider places it:
“One thing about Smoke feels… off. It’s very cinematic and there are many dreamy sequences and contemplative stares into center distance. However so far as its story is worried, it strikes terribly slowly, nearly painfully so.”
‘Smoke’ Makes an attempt Status However Is Not In a position To Pull It Off
Apple TV+ has carved out a distinct segment for status crime dramas, providing visually wealthy, moody tales with complicated characters and haunting themes. Smoke clearly needs to be a part of that membership. From its brooding cinematography to its ambient rating, the sequence is dressed to impress. Each body is dimly lit, and each change is soaked in slow-burning stress. But, whereas it seems like a status thriller, it hardly ever seems like one.
In Black Fowl, the tone served the story’s claustrophobic morality. In Smoke, it usually serves as a distraction, demonstrating that ambiance is barely efficient when it helps narrative depth. The sequence makes an attempt to evoke a way of foreboding, however with thinly developed characters and jumbled motivations, the gloom feels contrived. As a substitute of drawing viewers into the characters’ psyches, the present wraps itself in stylistic thrives that don’t earn their weight.
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This results in one in every of Smoke‘s largest points. The sequence feels extra like a replica of higher reveals than a assured imaginative and prescient of its personal. The sluggish pans, the lengthy silences, and cryptic dialogue are all instruments utilized by status dramas. But, when employed with out narrative precision, they arrive off as hole mimicry, leading to a present that’s trying to be deep however feels shallow.
Smoke has each component it wanted to turn into Apple TV+’s subsequent breakout crime drama, together with unsparing creators, a stellar solid, an atmospheric tone, and a high-concept premise. Nonetheless, the sparks haven’t been in a position to morph into an inferno. The 2 episodes of the sequence which were launched to this point stumble over pacing, predictable twists, and an unfocused script that feels twice so long as it must be. But it isn’t too late. With seven episodes nonetheless forward, Smoke can regain momentum. Leaning into its strengths, sharpening its plotting, and embracing the shock worth of its early twist might nonetheless rework Smoke right into a must-watch redemption story. Smoke is now accessible on Apple TV+.