Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this article:
- The new show Smoke was inspired by a real arsonist.
- The drama series doesn’t retell that exact case, and creator Dennis Lehane says many creative liberties were taken.
- There are four key parallels and differences between reality and Smoke’s fictional narrative.
If your latest TV obsession is the hot new drama Smoke, you might have heard the Apple TV+ series was inspired by an actual arsonist.
The case of John Orr, whose double life was finally exposed in the early 1990s, has fueled headlines for decades. In 2023, it became the basis of the true crime podcast Firebug, and when author and screenwriter Dennis Lehane heard about Orr, he saw potential. The result of his work is Smoke, which began airing on the streaming platform Friday.
The show isn’t a retelling of the deadly details in Orr’s case, though. Its characters and events are entirely fictional, but there are some parallels between reality and what happens in Smoke. Here’s how the series creator incorporated details from Orr’s case into the show. Let this serve as your official warning that spoilers are ahead.
Smoke has a different setting
Smoke is set in the present day as arson investigator Dave Gudsen (played by Taron Egerton) and police detective Michelle Calderone (Jurnee Smollett) team up to search for two pyromaniacs leaving destruction across their Pacific Northwest town.
For his part, Orr acted alone and committed his crimes in California’s San Joaquin Valley and southern parts of the state. He largely targeted stores, though four people died and a number of homes were also destroyed as a result of his arson. His crimes spanned eight years, from 1984 to 1991, and led to 30 convictions.
Among his offenses were a 1984 hardware store fire in South Pasadena that killed a 52-year-old woman, her grandson, and two employees; three store fires across Tulare and Bakersfield set ablaze on the same day in January 1987; two fires at stores in Atascadero in March 1989; a June 1990 fire in the College Hills area of Glendale that decimated 67 homes; and a Los Angeles store fire in December 1990. Orr largely denies the crimes, though he did plead guilty to three of these arson charges.
Detective Calderone is similar to Orr’s investigators
Orr was finally arrested in 1991, and one person central to his capture was Bakersfield fire captain Marvin Casey. By 1989, Casey began to suspect the mysterious blazes were something of an inside job—specifically that a fire examiner might be to blame. He compiled a list of 10 investigators who attended two conferences in the late 1980s that coincided with some of the fires. Orr, a respected arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department, made the list.
Casey’s effort stalled when he couldn’t identify a fingerprint found on an incendiary device used at one of the crime scenes. In 1991, another test confirmed the print was Orr’s, though it still wasn’t enough to prove he started the blazes. Further investigation unearthed additional evidence that led to Orr’s convictions.
Smoke series creator Dennis Lehane has referred to Detective Michelle Calderone as the “hero” of the story. His comment suggests she borrows elements from Casey and the other sleuths who eventually pinned down Orr’s crimes. On a fundamental level, she is committed to solving the mysterious arson cases just as the real investigators were.
However, Lehane cautioned that no one in the show fits a simple one-word description and that many creative liberties were taken to build the series across nine episodes. “There’s no place I want anybody to be fearful about taking this show, and that means that that person you thought was the hero of the show, in this case Michelle, she’s not the hero,” he told The Upcoming. “She’s just as messed up as everybody else in the show.”
Actual fire was used during filming
One authentic element of Smoke is its special effects. Star Taron Egerton told Good Morning America that Lehane insisted on practical fire when possible, including for an opening-episode section inside a burning house. “All the flames are real. It looks beautiful in the show, but yeah it was a lot,” Egerton said. “All that breathing apparatus, it’s all real. The crew was all wearing the same stuff because the fumes are poisonous.” Luckily, everyone made it out unscathed.
Orr heavily influenced one character in Smoke
Second spoiler alert: Lehane has confirmed in interviews that Orr was the starting point for arson investigator Dave Gudsen. Throughout the show, Dave balances his conflicting identities as an arsonist, arson investigator, and an aspiring novelist. “[Orr’s story] was crazy to me, and I just thought, ‘Alright, I’m starting with that guy, because he’s nuts,’” Lehane told The Upcoming.
Watch Smoke on Apple TV+ Now
Don’t miss the tension-filled twists in Smoke. The first two episodes are now available on on Apple TV+, and new ones will premiere every Friday through August 15. The series also stars Greg Kinnear and John Leguizamo.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
Adrienne directs the daily news operation and content production for Biography.com. She joined the staff in October 2022 and most recently worked as an editor for Popular Mechanics, Runner’s World, and Bicycling. Adrienne has served as editor-in-chief of two regional print magazines, and her work has won several awards, including the Best Explanatory Journalism award from the Alliance of Area Business Publishers. Her current working theory is that people are the point of life, and she’s fascinated by everyone who (and every system that) creates our societal norms. When she’s not behind the news desk, find her hiking, working on her latest cocktail project, or eating mint chocolate chip ice cream.
