“Smoke” has everything fans of Lehane’s books or TV shows have come to expect, mystery, action, violence, foreboding atmosphere but this series also has dark comedy and bits of fantasy. There are times when you’re not so sure where the fictional Dave’s fictional book ends and this fictional version of a true story begins.

“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.

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

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.

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

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

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.