Series | Arsonist John Orr: The towers are burning

When arson investigator Dave Gudsen (Taron Egerton) is assigned police officer Michell Calderon (Jurnee Smollett), he's initially less than thrilled. But the two soon seem to hit it off. They're tasked with tracking down a serial arsonist who's keeping a Northwestern city on edge with fires in shopping malls and residential areas.

The material was previously made into a film by HBO in 2002, starring Ray Liotta under the title "Points of Origin." The series "Smoke" is loosely based on the podcast "Firebug," which tells the story of the real-life arsonist John Orr. The firefighter and fire investigator from Southern California set approximately 2,000 fires over several decades, most of them in the 1980s, and portrayed himself as a hero in firefighting and fire investigation. In his book "Points of Origin," Orr wrote about his supposedly heroic life as a fire investigator, including a wealth of information about fires that only the perpetrator could have known. Orr considered it great literature, but more importantly, it helped convict him.

Series creator Dennis Lehane, who also worked as a screenwriter for the cult series "The Wire," tells an incredible story in "Smoke" about a man who, above all, is good at disguising himself, but whose facade slowly crumbles. The story is staged in a way that is exciting for the audience and moves beyond predictable platitudes, thanks in large part to the outstanding acting.

There are no role models; everyone here has trauma.

All of the characters, including a disgraced arson investigator named Esposito (John Leguizamo), who eventually teams up with others to bring down the serial killer, have their own skeletons in their closets, suffer from trauma, and are not role models.

Investigator Michell Calderon, for example, was locked in a closet by her mentally ill mother when her house was set on fire when she was eleven years old. At appeal hearings, she vigorously opposed her mother's release. Her colleague Dave Gudsen also suffers from fire trauma from a previous assignment.

Fires and the resulting destruction are depicted in this series in a visually powerful and sometimes disturbing way. This is especially relevant given the numerous fire disasters in the US and Canada in recent years and currently: Is there a way to combat these apocalyptic events with protective measures and control? Firefighters and fire investigators ask themselves this question again and again.

Since 9/11, firefighters have become an integral part of the US cultural industry, although many series about this profession recite trite heroic tales. "Smoke" certainly doesn't do that – it rather strongly questions the heroic status of firefighters and fire investigators.

The social conflicts of the individual characters are key plot elements of this crime story, such as Gudsen's difficult relationship with his wife and her son from his first marriage or Michell's relationship with a superior: Even without crime, this nine-part series would be a social drama that gets under your skin.

Through several cleverly interwoven storylines, "Smoke" also tells of precarious working and living conditions, of the longing for control over one's own existence beyond external control, and of the inability to accept offers of solidarity. The fire-starting arson investigator, who everyone is on the trail of, is not the only serial arsonist...

The dark story ends with a fast-paced and astonishing finale and is absolutely worth seeing.

»Smoke« on Apple TV+ from June 26th.