Lanterns, Season 1 (HBO/DC Studios)
By: Nick Zednik
HBO’s Lanterns is the Green Lantern adaptation audiences could not have predicted and perhaps, exactly the one the DC franchise needed. Rather than rushing to introduce an entire cosmic realm or drowning its characters in CGI spectacle, creators Chris Mundy (Ozark), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen), and Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow) opt for a grounded deconstruction, transforming one of DC’s most inherently fantastical properties into a slow-burn detective drama. The result feels less like a traditional superhero origin story and more like True Detective (2014) with an intergalactic twist, an unusual combination that proves surprisingly effective.
Season 1 follows veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan and newly recruited John Stewart as they investigate a mysterious murder in Rushville, Nebraska, eventually uncovering a conspiracy reaching far beyond their small-town case. Spanning multiple timelines, the mystery at play deliberately develops as the series attempts to establish fan favorite characters in the DC Universe to audiences. What initially appears to be an isolated crime, gradually reveals something far more dangerous: the Manhunters, an ancient intergalactic threat directly tied to the Green Lantern Corps. Their ability to infiltrate and hide amongst humanity creates an effective paranoia that complements the detective framework, forcing Hal and John to question not only what happened in Rushville, but who can actually be trusted. Meanwhile, Ulrich Thomsen’s (The Celebration) Sinestro occupies a fascinating Hannibal Lecter space somewhere between villain, former mentor, and psychological chess player.
One aspect remained constant throughout: Lanterns is not a show for kids. The series embraces the HBO archetype with consistent profanity and violence while utilizing the 86-year comic-book history. Power rings, extraterrestrial beings, the Guardians, and the larger Corps are all present, but the deeper comic-book cuts are treated as rewards arriving in small doses rather than being dumped onto audiences all at once. It’s a refreshing approach that respects longtime fans without requiring newcomers to possess encyclopedic knowledge of the source material.
The secret weapon of Lanterns is undoubtedly Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and Aaron Pierre’s (Rebel Ridge) electric chemistry. For longtime DC fans, their pairing carries considerable weight. John Stewart became the definitive Green Lantern for an entire generation through Justice League (2001) and Justice League Unlimited (2004), where his stoicism, military background, and unwavering sense of duty made him a fan favorite. Hal Jordan, meanwhile, remains a DC comics staple known for influencing an iconic and foundational era of comic book stories. Bringing these two characters together allowed the series to explore the Green Lantern ideology through distinct perspectives. Chandler gives Hal a wonderfully weathered quality, while Pierre brings John a controlled intensity that gradually reveals the emotional weight beneath his disciplined nature. Their relationship is the beating heart: adversarial, begrudgingly respectful, and occasionally funny.
Thematically, Lanterns is far more interested in what makes someone worthy of power than simply showing what that power can do. Fear, courage, legacy, identity, institutional authority, mentorship, and the expectations placed upon people to become heroes all factor heavily into the story. Through John Stewart, the series also examines racism and systemic prejudice, exploring how those forces shape his relationship with authority, identity, and institutions meant to protect him. John and Hal represent very different ideas of heroism, and watching those philosophies collide gives the series considerable emotional weight. That creative choice ultimately makes Lanterns feel radically different from previous live-action interpretations.
Lanterns understands that television provides something a two-hour blockbuster cannot: time. By sacrificing spectacle for character development, the series organically resolves the mystery in episodic fashion while developing larger universe implications. Not every episode packs the biggest punch, but the restraint gives the series its identity. This isn’t simply another attempt to make Green Lantern work; it’s an attempt to understand what makes these characters compelling in the first place.
Nick’s Pick: 8.5/10 Lanterns is a confidently mature, and unconventionally bold interpretation that flips the Green Lantern concept on its head and finally gives it a home in the growing DC Universe.