Apple TV Plus has added Smoke, a new thriller inspired by the true story of a serial arsonist who ran amok in California in the 1980s and 1990s.
Created by acclaimed crime writer Dennis Lehane ("Gone, Baby, Gone"), the nine-part drama stars Rocketman's Taron Egerton as Dave Gudsen, a former firefighter turned arson investigator.
Dave is haunted by nightmares of being trapped in a burning house while on a call-out, and now writes about his former cases for comfort. He is called into action when two arsonists start to terriorise the local area — one is nicknamed "Milk Jug" as they use a milk container to contain their accelerant and the other "D & C”, aka “Divide and Conquer" because they set mulitple fires across several locations to split the fire department's resources thus enambling them to escape.
To help him investigate, Dave is sent a troubled but brilliant cop, Michelle Calderone (True Blood's Jurnee Smollett). Although initially wary of his partner, something begins to flicker between the pair as they throw themselves into catching the arsonists.
As the makers put it, "When an arson investigator begrudingly teams up with a police detective, their race to stop two arsonists ignites a twisted game of secrets and suspicions."
Speaking about why he wanted to take the part, Taron said: “I want to do things that challenge me as an actor, and Dave is a complex character. In terms of what's going on in his head, it's a mystery to me as much as it is to anyone else."
He adds, "Playing Dave is a bit like playing different people. It’s not as extreme as someone with a split personality, but there's a sense of him having these separate facets that he’s able to disregard at will."
Talking about playing Michelle, Jurnee says: “Michelle is a dream role. She's so layered and full of contradictions."
As to how she prepared for the role, she adds: "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."
Smoke, which reunites the creative team behind Apple TV Plus's Black Bird, also stars Rafe Spall, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Hannah Emily Anderson, Anna Chlumsky, Adina Porter, Greg Kinnear, and John Leguizamo.
While Mick Jagger performed the theme tune for Apple TV Plus megahit Slow Horses, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has created the theme for Smoke.
Smoke release schedule
The first two episodes of Smoke are available from today [Friday, June 27]. From then new episodes will be released weekly.
Smoke is on Apple TV Plus. See our best shows on Apple TV Plus guide for more series to enjoy.
