Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Smoke episodes 1 and 2!Apple TV+’s new crime drama,Smoke, tells a fictional story about serial arson, but is inspired by the wild real-life crimes of an actual arsonist. The upcoming series was created by Dennis Lehane, known for the crime miniseriesBlack Bird. The show is considered one of thebest Apple TV+ shows, aided by strong performances, including its lead, Taron Egerton. WhileEgerton’s movies and TV showshave netted him critical praise,his re-teaming with Lehane forSmokeshows the pair have what it takes to craft engaging crime storiestogether.
In their latest Apple TV+ collaboration,Egerton plays Dave Gudsen, an arson investigatorwho teams up with Jurnee Smollett’s Detective Michelle Calderon to find two serial arsonists on the West Coast. However,Smokeepisode 2 ends by revealing Dave is one of the two arsonists, setting fires in shopping malls near bags of potato chips. However, while thecast ofBlack Birdbrought a true crime story to life,Smoke’s is fictional - but is heavily inspired by a real-life serial arsonist.
Apple TV+’s Smoke Was Inspired By Real-Life Arsonist John Leonard Orr
The Arsonist Was Responsible For Almost 2,000 Fires
The story ofSmokewas inspired byFirebug, a podcast from Truth Podcasting Corp. aboutthe real-life arson committed by John Leonard Orr. A former firefighter, Orr was a fire captain and arson investigator who set around 2,000 fires over the course of 30 years. This included the 1984 South Pasadena fire, which killed four people and destroyed Ole’s Home Center hardware store. He set most of his fires between 1984 and 1991, using timed incendiary devices while sometimes attending investigations into his own arson attacks.
Orr was eventually caught after a months-long investigation, including the placement of two tracking devices on his vehicles. After his arrest, it was discovered he’d written detailed descriptions of his crimes in his novel,Points of Origin, which is about a firefighter who is secretly an arsonist. The book was used as evidence implicating him in the South Pasadena fire, though he claimed this was circumstantial evidence, since he allegedly pulled inspiration from his arson investigations. However, he was eventually tried for his crimes following his arrest in December 1991.
What Happened To John Leonard Orr After He Was Caught
Orr Is Still Alive & Currently In State Prison
On August 10, 2025,Orr was found guilty on three counts of arson and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He continues to maintain his innocence despite taking a plea deal, knowing there was little chance a jury would acquit him on all charges. In November 1994, he was indicted on 21 more counts of arson and four counts of murder by state prosecutors, being convicted of all charges except one arson charge in June 1998. He was sentenced to life without parole by the state of California, plus 21 additional years.
He’s since become the subject of multiple movies and TV specials, such as a 1995Novaepisode, “Hunt for the Serial Arsonist.”
In 2000, a California appeals court found homes set on fire in College Hills to be not on purpose, with them being an unintended consequence of Orr’s brush fires. As a result, nine years were vacated from his state sentence, but his life sentence remains intact. As of writing,Orr resides in California State Prison, Centinela, where he will likely remain for the rest of his life. He’s since become the subject of multiple movies and TV specials, such as a 1995Novaepisode, “Hunt for the Serial Arsonist.” The aforementionedFirebugpodcast also affords detailed recounting of his crimes.
Is Taron Egerton’s Character Based On John Leonard Orr?
Egerton’s Dave Is Loosely Inspired By The Real Serial Arsonist
Dave bears some striking similarities to Orr, including the fact he’s a serial arsonist who is also an arson investigator. Thecrime drama TV showalso sees him writing a book supposedly based on his investigations, but seems to be inspired by his own arsonist activities. He’s also leading the investigation into himself, much like Orr sometimes involved himself in cases where he was the true culprit. Just like his real-world counterpart, Egerton’s character is keeping close to the investigation to divert attention away from himself.
However, there are some stark differences in the show,which takes place in more contemporary times than the ’80s.This means modern twists to the story are going to differentiate it from the real-world crimes Orr committed, makingSmokea blend of both fact and fiction. With this in mind, not everything in the Apple TV+ show can be taken as a real-world event, but instead something that’s heavily inspired by crimes that were actually committed.
