It seems Smoke has taken notes on John Leonard Orr’s journal entries for Apple TV’s new series. Orr is a former arson investigator who was convicted of perpetrating the very fires he was investigating back in the mid ’80s and early ’90s.
Arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton) seems to have it all. Part of that “all” is the dream of writing a book, but what we quickly learn is that while Gudsen thinks highly of himself, his prose leaves much to be desired. He’s got a supportive wife, which he doesn’t deserve. He’s got a new partner, Detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett), who he’s first cold to and then becomes creepily mesmerized by.
The series doesn’t take long to share with us that Gudsen is an awful, gross dude. The story also follows another arsonist Gudsen’s investigating, Freddy Fasano (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine), a broken man whose life has been spent in the pile of forgotten toys, his mental health in absolute shambles. With some truly unpleasant characters, this series is propelled by the collective desire to see Gudsen, a man who believes he can outwit them all, go down in flames. (nine 42- to 65-min. episodes)
—Anna Starkey
This article appears in Aug 28 – Sep 7, 2025.