Is ‘Smoke’ Based on a True Story? Taron Egerton’s New Crime Drama Explained
It’s been nearly three years since the creepy crime limited series Black Bird was released on Apple TV+ and introduced fans to Taron Egerton’s dark side as drug-lord James “Jimmy” Keene. This role is the first time in a few years that fans have seen the Rocketman star in a role that didn’t involve singing. Now, Egerton is back in another crime drama with Apple TV+, Smoke, not as a drug lord but as arson investigator Dave Gudsen, who is tracking two serial arsonists alongside Detective Mitchell Calderon (Jurnee Smollett).
Besides the return of Egerton as one of the show’s leads and executive producer, there were also some familiar faces from Black Bird involved in the creative side of producing Smoke, including the creator and writer himself, Dennis Lehane.
With the release of this fiery summer drama just around the corner, here’s everything you need to know before watching Smoke.
Is Smoke based on a true story?
The show’s main plot is loosely based on the critically acclaimed podcast “Firebug” from truth.media, which is a true-crime story about a serial arsonist in Southern California named John Orr. The podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts.
Is there a trailer for Smoke?
Yes, there is!
In the video above, you can see the struggles and tension between the detective (Smollett) and the arson investigator (Egerton) as they work together to find the serial arsonists plaguing their town. However, it seems that our trusty arsonist isn’t as helpful as he initially seems, and might have something to hide, as the detective asks Gudsen’s wife (Hannah Emily Anderson), “If I suspected your husband of a crime, would that shock you?”
She replies, “What crime would that be?”
The detective says, “What crime would he be capable of?”
We’ll have to wait and see what happens to our not-so-friendly arsonist and the detective who is supposed to be working alongside him instead of digging around for secrets. The trailer also features fire, a few tense bar scenes, and dramatic interactions between the characters.
Who is in the Smoke cast?
The Golden Globe-winning actor, Taron Egerton, stars as Dave Gudsen, the arson investigator who stubbornly agrees to work with Detective Mitchell Calderon, played by Jurnee Smollett. According to the snippets of their interactions from the show’s trailer, Detective Calderon doesn’t trust the investigator as much as she should.
Alongside them is Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine as Freddy Fasano, Greg Kinnear as Harvey Englehart, Rafe Spall as Steven Burk, and Hannah Emily Anderson as Ashley Gudsen.
When does Smoke premiere?
The first two episodes of Smoke are set to be released on Apple TV+ on Friday, June 27. The show premiered in New York City just last week, June 13, at the Tribeca Festival at the SVA Theatre.
When do new episodes of Smoke come out?
After the series premiere, Smoke‘s remaining seven episodes will be released weekly every Friday until August 15. Apple tends to release its shows the night before they’re set to debut, so keep an eye out for new episodes of Smoke around 9/8c on Thursdays throughout the season.
Smoke, Premiere, June 27, Apple TV+
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