Smoke

The first two episodes take a while to get going, but once we get to the “ohhhh” moment, it moves at a decent pace. Smoke ultimately gets to where it wants to go and I can honestly say that it was quite the journey.

A viewing of the first two episodes proves to be quite the chore. We're introduced to one-dimensional characters, presented a mystery that the characters themselves barely seem to be interested in pursuing, and we're asked to just sit there and put up with it. It can be rather excruciating.

Despite feinting towards subversion, Lehane has produced a typical—overlong, caricature-laden, easy to watch but also to forget—streaming crime show.

There are a number of moments where the series feels like it takes things too far, whether it’s in the minor details or major plot twists. But if you can accept “Smoke” as a gonzo piece of sensationalism, it’s a thoroughly entertaining ride.

Ultimately, the performances in Smoke will help carry the story as fills in during subsequent episodes. But we do wonder how much patience people will have for the atmospheric nature of the show as the story ramps up.

“Smoke” is well-made and tremendously acted, and while the plot does go up in — ahem — smoke late in the game, the actors always keep us invested.

It is hugely entertaining, though it is a shame that the main story slightly swamps Freddy’s and gives Mwine less to do as time goes on. But Egerton serves up an increasingly layered, clever performance as Gudsen, hitting every ball Lehane and the true story on which Smoke is based throw at him out of the park.

An extraordinarily well-acted, formally inconsistent adaptation of the podcast Firebug.

“Smoke” drifts into so many places one doesn’t expect, or shouldn’t, that it earns its multi-episodic length and space and breadth.

“Smoke” might have made a great novel, or movie. In its present form, it’s too big and messy to catch anything but the occasional spark.

A show with about as much restraint as its fiends, sabotaging its frequently gripping action via a handful of crucial over-the-top contrivances.

The show is pulpy without being entertaining, with a ludicrous showdown in the finale that’s followed a few scenes later by another, even more ludicrous staredown. Plenty of smoke. No fire.

As a fan of Lehane, Egerton, Smollett, Leguizamo—pretty much all of this—I really wanted “Smoke” to work. And it does for so long that the decisions of the final two hours are all the more disappointing.

While “Smoke” might feel like a derivative of “Black Bird” without having the same narrative and thematic heft, it’s still a compellingly watchable show. It also allows for a fascinating acting showcase for Taron Egerton.

The story spirals a bit too far out of Lehane and company’s control in the final chapters, particularly with some choices that Michelle makes. But even they have some thrilling moments, and some thoughtful things to say about the lives we tell the world — and ourselves — about who we are.

It might not be an instant smash hit like other shows that become addictive from the get-go, and a few too many similarities to Black Bird might make it seem a bit been-there-done-that, but in the end, Smoke is nothing less than a carefully assembled crime drama.

The results aren't entirely satisfying, but the moments that click into place, particularly those spotlighting performances that strike the balance the series attempts, suggest it was worth a try.

There are a few big twists in Smoke, which is based on the true-crime podcast Firebug, and two of them are dropped quite early in the miniseries’ run. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but, unfortunately, the cat-and-mouse chases after those reveals lose steam in the show’s back half and can feel like they’re prolonging inevitable, albeit stylishly presented, ends.