There's a peculiar anxiety that comes with starting a TV show that hasn't been renewed yet. You invest hours into a world, only to wonder if it will ever get a proper ending. But Dennis Lehane's Apple TV+ crime thriller Smoke has managed to sidestep that problem entirely. Thanks to recent updates about a potential second season, this nine-episode gem now feels like a complete experience—and one that's much easier to recommend.
Smoke follows the hunt for a serial arsonist in the Pacific Northwest, blending psychological unease with a stellar cast led by Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett. The show arrived with strong pedigree and growing word of mouth, but it never quite broke through like some of Apple's bigger offerings. That may be about to change.
What the Season 2 Update Means
The update itself is modest: Hannah Emily Anderson recently said she hasn't heard anything definitive about a second season but would gladly return. Paired with Lehane's repeated statements that Smoke was conceived as a three-season story—and that season 2 is already mapped out—the picture looks far less uncertain than it did months ago. The show no longer feels like a brilliant one-off or an unfinished story. It feels like both a complete arc and a series with credible room to continue.
And there's plenty left to explore. Dave Gudsen's (Egerton) arrest brought major closure, but the finale left enough instability beneath the surface to support another chapter. Michelle Calderone's (Smollett) choices carry consequences, and questions about evidence and corruption remain. The ending closed one arc with force, but it also left cracks large enough for another season to enter through.
More Than Just Another Crime Thriller
Comparisons to True Detective have followed Smoke, but the label only tells part of the story. Yes, there's a damaged investigator pairing and a serial predator case, but Smoke has its own identity. What begins as an arson investigation keeps mutating into a character study, then slips toward something unstable and almost hallucinatory. Fire stops feeling like scenery and starts operating like pressure, exposing weakness, obsession, and self-delusion.
Egerton holds much of this together through a performance that keeps shifting shape. Dave Gudsen is charismatic, damaged, pathetic, and threatening—sometimes all within the same scene. Smollett does equally strong work, grounding a character who could have easily collapsed into familiar tropes. Then there's Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, whose work as Freddy Fasano gives the show some of its strangest and most haunting energy.
Visually, the series separates itself even further. The cinematography gives the fire sequences a hypnotic, almost tactile danger, while the darkness throughout feels deliberate rather than generic. For fans of layered psychological tension, Smoke is a must-watch—much like Paramount+'s 'The Agency', which blends similar intrigue with action.
Why This Update Matters Now
Shows like Smoke often find second lives through delayed discovery. Viewers catch up, critical reappraisal grows, and streaming interest rises long after premiere windows close. Smoke feels primed for exactly that kind of rediscovery. It has the pedigree, the performances, the underlying real-crime hook, and the sort of tension that tends to age well. Add in Lehane's public comments about future plans, and the show begins looking less like a finished curiosity and more like a series waiting for momentum.
Whether Apple orders season 2 or not, the recent update improves the recommendation and removes hesitation. It clarifies the stakes and tells viewers they are not walking into a dead end. And that, oddly enough, may be the strongest endorsement of all. Smoke was already one of Apple TV+'s most underrated crime dramas—and this simply gives people one less reason to keep putting it off. If you're looking for something to binge this weekend, consider this your sign. For another underrated gem, check out Antony Starr's 'Banshee', which is dominating HBO Max.
