Smoke Fans Need To Check Out This Taron Egerton True Crime Series Next

Apple TV+ is known for great sci-fi shows and, frankly, for losing a ridiculous amount of money for Apple. However, speaking from a fan's point of view, the streaming service is a reliable port of call for just about every genre of well-produced, imaginative movies and series made by some of the best creators and actors in the game. From the amazing entertainment industry comedy "The Studio" to the literally mind-bending office hellscape of "Severance" and the scruffy spy shenanigans of "Slow Horses," the best TV shows on Apple TV+ offer plenty of bang for the viewer's buck, and the streamer is adding more stuff all the time. 

The newest member of the Apple TV+ array of well-made shows is "Smoke," a nine-part arson drama from Dennis Lehane ("Shutter Island"). Drawing inspiration from the real-life crimes of serial arsonist John Leonard Orr and truth.media's "Firebug" podcast, "Smoke" stars Taron Egerton ("Rocketman") as arson investigator Dave Gudsen and Jurnee Smollett ("Lovecraft Country") as Detective Michelle Calderon. The first two episodes are up now, but new episodes will drop weekly. If you can't wait for the next episode, but are looking for another excellent series from this creative team, we recommend taking a look at "Black Bird." The 2022 miniseries is Taron Egerton and Dennis Lehane's previous collaboration for Apple TV+, and is available for viewing on the streaming service. 

"Black Bird" is not only a critically-acclaimed miniseries with an impressive 98% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, it's an intense experience that, just like "Smoke," is inspired by real events and gives the viewer a very different Taron Egerton than his history in projects like the "Kingsman" movies and "Rocketman" might suggest to a casual fan. Here, Egerton plays imprisoned drug dealer Jimmy Keene, who's talked into an assignment to enter a high-security facility and befriend deranged serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser in an Emmy-winning supporting role). Larry has only been convicted for a fraction of his crimes and is on the verge of appealing successfully, so Jimmy is racing against time to complete his mission ... but he's under a constant threat of being revealed, and Larry turns out to be far more horrifying than he could have suspected.

Apart from being an excellent show in its own right, "Black Bird" is a great example of what Lehane and Egerton can do together. Time will tell if "Smoke" ends up surpassing the 2022 show, but judging by the pair's track record, it's certainly a series fans of intense crime drama will want to keep an eye on. 

New episodes of "Smoke" are available for viewing on Apple TV+ weekly.