User reviews

I must admit that my brother and I watch a lot of tv so a show has to stick out for me to write a review. Smoke is absolutely worth the time to write a review. While it could have probably been an episode of two shorter it's still a really good show. Smoke is about an arson investigator (Taron Egerton) who unwilling teams up with a police detective (Jurnee Smollett) to investigate and stop two arsonists. What follows is plenty of secrets being revealed and twists and turns that will keep you engaged and entertained. Egerton and Smollett lead a great ensemble cast that all give great performances here. The show feels fresh and original enough that it will keep you wanting to watch more as soon as possible.

Smoke is definitely a show that's worth watching. Apple TV is easily the best streaming platform there is right now and it's not particularly close either. Everything they put out is terrific and gets great reviews by both critics and the audience. It reminds me of when HBO was at their peak. Well, Smoke is another hit for them. Every episode is exciting and keeps the plot moving forward. The only negative is that we have to wait a week between episodes, I like it better when they drop the entire season at the same time so we can binge watch it. Taron Egerton gives another great performance and a big reason why this series is as good as it is. Egerton is a big name that should attract people to this show so hopefully it does well enough to get another season.

Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine delivers an EPIC, ICONIC, SURREAL PERFORMANCE that is, by itself, AN OUTSTANDING REASON TO WATCH.

I am from São Paulo, Brazil, love tv shows and had not seen him on screen before.

WHAT A PERFORMANCE. He turned a secondary character into a OUTLIER. His delivery is as solid as Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Bastards, less verbal of course...but its a league of its own. Accent, tone, non verbal, alternating tones of voice in a extremely disturbing performance.

Saw him this week on Dexter Ressurection. ANOTHER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE, SO GOOD and DIFFERENT it seems like a completely different actor.

THANK YOU SIR.

The fiery story of a sociopath. A charming and wickedly smart investigator flirts his way into arson scenes, all while trying to cope with his failling marriage, tense work relations and a funny dysfunction. The capable Taron Egerton excellent in his portrait of a troubled man looking for a dangerous thrill. Accompanied by a team of troubled but well executed cast. The grappling story perfectly meet the criteria of a prestige television series in streaming.

Seen on 14-15/08/2025 on vidstream website.

I've watched the first two episodes of Smoke on Apple TV+ and so far, I'm enjoying it. The atmosphere is dark, tense, and moody, with the Pacific Northwest setting really adding to the overall tone. The story is slowly building tension, and the performances by Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett are strong and believable. The pacing is slow but feels deliberate, like it's setting up for bigger twists to come. The characters seem layered and complex, and the mystery around the fires is keeping me hooked. I'm definitely curious to see where the story goes next. Right now, I'd rate it a 7/10.😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

I was excited for this show after seeing the trailer, but after the first 2 episodes, I'm very disappointed. In episode 1 we think we get a good feel for the main fire investigator and his family, but in episode 2, one scene totally shakes that all up. It comes completely out of left field and kind of makes the viewer feel that most of these characters are bi-polar and manic, because they do complete 180's from what we saw in episode 1. I'm also a huge fan of mysteries and I believe the best shows are the ones where you try and figure out who the villain is along with the main characters. Well, that doesn't happen here, because both arsonists are revealed by the end of episode 2. It takes all the fun out of the show. Instead of building up the reveal, they show way too much, way, way too early and it made me completely lose interest in the story. Between the manic shifts in the characters and the completely out of sync pacing of the show, I don't even want to go back and finish it.

I love this show. It starts rather slow, but builds beautifully, by ep. 03 you can't wait for the next twist. Acting is superb and the dialogues are really good too. Setting is perfect imo too, in some rather gloomy American back country with maybe 20% of the time in a wonderfully grotesque chicken fast food restaurant (that has "moth..fu.. good!" poster , its almost dystopian, you could have it in the Fallout series!) . The show is a slow burner but its rewarding and def. Speaks to adult audience with themes 40+ will appreciate like failed marriage, stress issues, middle age crisis and such. So its not about arsonists. A deep conversation on humanity wrapped in a plastic of procedural that is melting await with fire that burns inside ready to burst out in your face.

This show starts out slow and builds into something that is worth watching. The characters are not anything to captivate you from the beginning but the main villain becomes a great example of the rot in society, in a provocative way. It needs to be said that Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is a genius in this show and delivered the most impactful roll of a villain I've seen since Blackbird. Speechless at how great his performance was. This show is worth watching if only to see what he does.

Dennis Lehane and Taron Egerton's follow-up to Black Bird is ambitious, uneven television that succeeds as psychological thriller whilst failing as conventional crime drama.

The Good: Egerton delivers a masterfully unnerving performance once Dave's true nature emerges. His portrayal of wounded masculinity and narcissistic delusion is genuinely compelling. The supporting cast - particularly Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine's tragic Freddy and John Leguizamo's bitter ex-partner - provides excellent dramatic weight.

Ep 6-7 represent television at its finest, with psychological warfare that's properly riveting.

The Bad: Severe pacing issues plague the series. Ep 1 feels generic, Ep 4 descends into ridiculous territory, and Ep 8 tests patience as obvious setup. The finale prioritises character revelation over narrative closure, leaving frustrating loose ends. The series suffers from identity crisis: never quite deciding whether it's procedural or character study.

The Verdict: When "Smoke" embraces its psychological complexity, it's genuinely brilliant. Unfortunately, structural flaws and tonal inconsistency undermine its overall impact. The series works best as an actor's showcase for Egerton, whose performance alone justifies the journey.

Bottom Line: Compelling but flawed... worth watching for the psychological depth and exceptional performances, but temper expectations regarding satisfying resolutions.

Ambitious television that doesn't quite achieve its considerable potential.

Just want to encourage those who aren't loving it so far to hold on and give it proper chance as it is a bit of a slow burn.

I worked on Smoke and I admit I was a bit miffed at the first few scripts and what seems like major cliches in the plot and characters but it really does come together!

Taron Egerton give an amazingly layered performance. Easily the most nuanced character I've seen him play thus far. But to me the true stand out was Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine he was utterly terrifying at times. His work should land him high on all lists come awards season.

Smoke was truly one of the most interesting projects I've ever been a part of and hope people warm up to it.

Episode one did not grab me. With the very talented Taron Egertons accent flipping between east and west coast and the hopeless Ms Smollett as his oppo as a " tough girl boss don't mess with me" , it felt like time has moved on but the writers haven't. The special effects are frankly awful as well. Add to that the belief that filming every scene in near total darkness is supposed to add creative effect and I ended up not sure who or what I was watching. ( I'm not rich enough to have a complete blackout cinema room) Other reviews note the casual black on white racist lines and I will throw one in too. When a lady who is African American calls out in the burger joint " hey white boy"( episode 2).. imagine it being reversed.? Now normally these things don't bother me but I've had a bellyful of this and it needs more balalnce. No?

This is a hard watch to be honest and as for the plot line. Lame.

The show is great, the plot amazing, but the presentation of what Egerton is possible to deliver is just flat out superb!

Yeah, he is that likeable Rocketman, secret service Kingsman guy?

No, he is force in this one that you can not see coming! If that actor continues to develop skills like that he will will manifest himself in Hollywood for centuries.

The show starts off with drive and keeps up the pace flawlessly.

Every time you seem to get closer to the core, the script switches up the whole situation and dives deeper and deeper in some dark unexpected hole.

Taron Egerton amazes in this one and I for sure can't wait what project he picks up next!

Compelling enough that I'm watching the whole thing, but after 9 episodes, it's really annoying. The script is overblown, as is the direction. Each person has real problems and the show points to reasons why, but it doesn't do a great job with the in-between. Too much dialog is unrealistic, too much behavior, too. The production is good and the fire scenes are all great. But the vision wasn't quite achieved.

I've been looking forward to this show and so far I'm not impressed. No chemistry between the two leads. Most of the characters are horrible people and not in an interesting way like the Saparons. The characters are put forward as normal good people but they are actually garbage.

The trailer was not a red hearing,.so now I'm left with a cat a mouse story that doesn't seem at all interesting because I don't care if the female lead wins or not. She deserves some comeuppance.

And seriously, who wrote the dialogue. Fire it is not.

I'll give it another episode to see if they pull out of this wet sloppy mess, but I'm not holding my breath.

I came to this one with high hopes. Taron Egerton had already proven himself in "Black Bird," a performance sharp enough to demand attention, so I expected the same here. But the first episode hit like a brick wall. The opening theme? Lifeless. The pacing? Brutal. I found myself stopping, starting, forcing my way through scenes that never seemed to land. The characters felt thin, worse than thin - unfinished. The detective, played by Jurnee Smollett, was the hardest to pin down. One moment brittle steel, the next unraveling, her arc more scattered than complex.

Still, I kept going. And I'm glad I did, because buried in the missteps were sparks of something better. Nate Guma Mbaho Mwine stole every scene he was in - a strange, magnetic presence that made you lean closer. I later realized he's the same actor behind the affable driver "in Dexter: Resurrection," which only made the performance stand out more. By Episodes 6 and 7, the show finally found rhythm, the kind that pulls you forward instead of pushing you away, and even Smollett's character settled into something real, someone worth watching.

But the ending. The ending collapsed under its own weight. Instead of tying threads, it unraveled them. New faces appeared, fresh storylines were jammed in, and the series that had finally begun to build trust tore it down again. What could have been great slipped back into the ordinary, and worse - it felt squandered.

After 2 episodes I'm in. This is easily one of my favorites shows of the year so far, unless the rest of the season goes off the rails. The characters are interesting, the dialog realistic (I'm no expert on the subject but it all feels legit), and the story has me completely hooked.

I don't understand the poor reviews especially after only 2 episodes. Cliche'? Maybe to some, but I haven't seen any other shows executed with this level of style and edginess in a while. The characters are just beginning to develop and boy are they a puzzle. After the plot twist at the end of episode 2, I can't wait to see where this goes.

At the start I loved the pacy, witty dialogue, initially I was drawn to this plot in the build up of the two main characters , their like-ability and their relationship. The plot seemed interesting.. Yet after just 4 episodes I can't identify with David's ' quickly deteriorating character - gross and exploitative.

Am I really meant to enjoy and follow this as a leading character ?

There is not one character that I identify with or like (as a person morally on the 'right side ' flawed, but.. ) That is the problem for me as a viewer . I feel I'm being asked to follow and identify with the main characters who have little integrity while there are no other redeeming characters.

I ask myself as I watch this: how does this reflect the world I'm living in now and does it just confirm the worst of us or can it be better than this..

And As a woman, I like Michelle's characterisation as a feisty woman -but find this aspect overly exaggerated. Even despite the fact that she is armoured against being hurt.

I genuinely don't understand how Smoke has a 6.3 rating on IMDb. Have people completely lost the ability to recognise brilliant storytelling and character work? This isn't just "good" - it's really, really, really good. It should be at least in the high 8s.

Jurnee Smollett is effortlessly cool, magnetic, and somehow pulls you onto her side from the very first episode. She plays it with such quiet strength and instinct that you end up fully rooting for her, even when you're not sure you should be. It's subtle and confident work.

Taron Egerton, on the other hand, is an absolute monster - and it's incredible. You hate him, but you can't stop watching. The performance is full of control, power, delusion, and pure ego - and it's real. It's so real, it's disgusting. And brilliant.

But what makes Smoke shine is what it dares to explore: rejection, control, abandonment, shame, manipulation, the need to be seen, the chaos that comes when people with deep damage try to navigate power - it's all here. And it's not spoon-fed or sanitised. It hits hard.

So why the low rating?

I think it's this: people either live such boring, surface-level lives that they can't understand the complex emotional depth of the characters in this - or they think it's "unrealistic" because they've never had to confront real trauma, real darkness, or real survival instincts. Smoke doesn't hold your hand. It doesn't care if you don't get it. And clearly, some viewers just... didn't.

If you're after another formulaic hero/villain arc or something "easy," go elsewhere. But if you want something that gets under your skin and stays there, this is it.

Rewatch it. Or just watch it properly this time.