“Smoke” is entertaining, but disposable

Summer is an interesting time for TV. With very few exceptions, you either get reruns (if you still watch cable) or shows that are throwaways. That's not a bad thing, though; some of these shows are entertaining. Then some ride the line between "this is good" and "this is stupid." "Smoke" from AppleTV lives here.

"Smoke" follows arson investigator Dave Gudson (Taron Egerton) and Detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) as they investigate two serial arsonists.

When the show focuses on the cases, it is at its most compelling. The problem is, it isn't interested in doing that. It becomes pretty clear who the arsonists are pretty quickly, and the show loses a lot when that happens. For one of them, we end up following his life for a bit, but even when he is caught, the show quickly loses interest in him, and we move on to the other arsonist (whose identity we basically know at this point), and the investigation is not that interesting; when it could have been.

The performances are excellent. Egerton and Smollett are both fantastic, and the dynamic between the two characters is compelling enough to make up for the weaker areas of the show. Gudson is very good at his job, and that makes him a bit cocky. He thinks that greatness translates to every other aspect of his life. He is also writing a novel about an arson investigator, basing most of it on his life and the cases he is involved in. He thinks he is writing a masterpiece, but to others who hear/read it, it appears to be the clichéd drivel it is.

"Smoke" fits very comfortably into the summer show mold. There are some good things about it, but there are also some ridiculous things (like the end of the penultimate episode). The finale airs on Friday, so I will be finishing it out, but the show doesn't live up to its potential.

"Smoke" is on AppleTV+