Lanterns is the new series from HBO and DC Studios. It follows Hal Jordan as he must train John Stewart to be his backup as Earth’s Green Lantern. During their training, they encounter a murder in the rural American town of Rushville, Nebraska. As they investigate it, a darker mystery begins to unfold where they must uncover the truth.
It is the third TV series set in James Gunn’s new DC universe, and the fifth project overall. It takes place after 2025’s Superman movie, though parts of it also take place in 1996 and 2016. It’s co-written by Lost creator Damon Lindelof, comic book writer Tom King, and writer-showrunner Chris Mundy (Ozark). The leads of Hal Jordan and John Stwart are played by veteran television star Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and Aaron Pierre (Mufasa: The Lion King, Rebel Ridge). Pierre is already filming scenes for James Gunn’s Superman sequel “Man of Tomorrow”, so that should tell you how crucial the character of John Stewart will be to the DCU going forward.
Screen Brief was fortunate enough to get early access to the first four episodes of the eight-episode series, and we’re pleased to share our review.
Lanterns is easily the best DCU project so far. It is more thoughtful, more intentional, and more groundbreaking than any of the projects that have come before. More than that, it offers a combination of richly textured genres that make it feel unique in a way that most superhero projects don’t. It is a brilliantly layered mystery story, shrouded in secrecy, building reveals, and gradual investigations that peel back the layers like any good detective story would.
At the same time, it’s set in a rural town in the American heartland with elements of a modern Western, and characters resembling the style of shows like Yellowstone. It’s gritty and real and you can feel the intimate nature of these two space cops being stuck in a small-town fighting with law enforcement and locals about what’s really going on.
As many have noted, the rural setting on Earth was a choice made by the writers to have a “grounded” story, rather than one set entirely in space. The way this plays out is far better than exepcted. In essence, the wildness of being stuck in a small rural town with the most powerful weapon in the universe, to create any construct you can imagine is so brilliant. The simple fact that the ring is out of place, makes it more exciting, at least for now.
Most impressive, is that between these genres Lanterns still finds a way to be a science-fiction show at its core. The connections (both hinted and overt) to the wider galaxy, aliens, and the fearsome power of a ring that can create constructs of anything you can imagine are all there from Episode 1. It is in the blending of these genres that the show truly finds its magic.
It’s worth noting here how well the mystery is dealt with. While it takes some time to ramp up, the beauty is in the gradual reveal of all the pieces. There are major revelations already reached in Episode 1, but the true implications behind them are kept secret. That’s what makes it so tantalising. Audiences get the chance to wade through the mystery, and just as they think they’re keeping up, the redirection reveals another factor at play that introduces new doubt into their minds.
By episode 3, the core task that John and Hal must figure out is clear, but there is a slew of cryptic clues that hint that the real truth is buried deeper. It’s this sort of layered storytelling that makes the show so rewarding. By the end of episode 4, audiences are left with such a shocking series of cliffhangers that the next four episodes are bound to blow up to a much more complex scale that we cannot wait to see. In particular, the fact that so many different threads are being built in a strong manner, but we can’t put together the exact truth yet, is a sign of how well kept the mystery is and how impressive it has the chance to pay off into.
While the mystery of the show runs deep, the writers have also figured out how to make every episode deeply engaging on its own, even if the layers of the truth haven’t quite been revealed yet. In this slow process of peeling back the onion, Mundy and his writing team find the time to sit with more intimate character moments that afford us to get to know these characters, what makes them tick, what they hope for, and what they fear.
When Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart asking Chandler’s Hal Jordan how he got the ring, Chandler launches into a swear-laden story told in a gruff and honest style that immediately tells who who he is. With his Southern accent, playful interjections, and underlying hubris, you begin to relate to and feel the humanness of this character bestowed with such awesome powers. The same goes for John, whose stoicism is perfectly portrayed by Aaron Pierre’s upright stance, and the jolted military-style responses he gives to any question Hal asks him. That’s why, when he finally cracks a joke, or when we see him in more tender moments, it’s so refreshing to watch the range these characters have.
What makes the story compelling is how fiercely contested the stakes are between each character. Every character has a strong opinion on things, because their personality has been built that way. Hal is an overly confident, world-famous superhero who flies into town in a manner so abrasive that any sheriff would feel threatened. Yet Chandler’s affable portrayal just makes you love him even more. John Stewart meanwhile is stoic, intelligent, and carefully measured in his every move, positioning him as the perfect contrast against Hal Jordan’s shoot-from-the-hip attitude.
The power of Chandler and Pierre’s casting in making these characters work here cannot be overstated. Chandler, who is 60 years old this year, marks a specific casting choice by the creators to go for an older Hal Jordan, when traditionally he and John would be much closer in age in the comic books. In this instance, it works, in fact it works so well that one of the recurring highlights of the show is just watching Chandler’s version of Hal butt heads with anyone he runs into.
Whether it’s addressing an entire town hall of anxious Rushville residents who just witnessed a murder by charging in and interrupting them or responding to a court order from a judge with a loud “C’mon!” after cracking a joke, Chandler is brash, hilarious, and endlessly loveable as Hal Jordan. His portrayal is so effortlessly charming that you almost immediately can’t imagine anyone else in the role. The best part, however, is how quickly he can turn on the serious side of Hal. He can give a lecture, he can set the tone for what it means to carry the power of the entire universe on your finger, and he can also talk his way around a villain in the smooth, sharp and whip-smart nature that Hal is known for in the comics.
Aaron Pierre is similarly brilliant. He carries himself with all the commitment, moral clarity, and respect that John Stewart embodies. At the same time, he is unafraid to go after what he wants, he speaks up and disagrees with Hal at times, and he fights back against villains in a brutal and unrelenting manner. His journey, from a more reserved and accepting character, to a confident and leading one, is impressive to watch.
Supporting characters are equally layered, like Garret Dillahunt’s William Macon, one of the richest men in town that’s overly paranoid about protecting himself, his family, and his ranch from outsiders. The town’s sheriff Kerry Macon (Kelly Macdonald) is protective of her own stomping ground and not wanting to cross wires with the inter-galactic disputes of a Green Lantern. She’s also incredibly funny and is one of the only characters not afraid to poke fun at the ever-sarcastic Hal by giving back some of his own. It’s these clashes between personalities, that play out through sharply written dialogue, and powerful performances by actors who understand their motivations extremely well, that make the show consistently engaging.
In addition to the character building in the present day, the show uses a series of flashbacks to 1996 to reveal details about both Hal and John’s past. As any good flashback should, these serve to sketch out the deeper emotional context of where these characters have come from. John in particular, has his childhood retraced in depth, and by the end, he becomes one of the best developed superhero characters in modern media in a long time.
And while John’s origin story is slightly altered, fans of the original comic books should not worry, for the changes that are made here do not rewrite the core of what makes him John Stewart. Rather these changes add depth in a way that while risky, is surprising and ultimately incredibly rewarding in what it means for how he carries himself in the present day.
As the first live-action project to be focused on Green Lantern in 15 years, it’s important to discuss how faithful this adaptation is to the legacy of these characters. When comparing it to the comic book source material, fans should be happy to know that not only is the core essence of the Green Lantern story captured in the show’s themes, but the actual details and mechanics of the Green Lantern Corps are all there.
Without revealing spoilers, the show deals with the origin of Hal Jordan in a way that is faithful and incredibly interesting, and as mentioned it updates John Stewart’s origin slightly while minting all of the core elements and not removing any (he is still an architect and talent drawer, he is still staunch in his morals).
The show also introduces the lore behind the Guardians of the universe, how they make decisions regarding the ring, deals with logic about being chosen to wear the ring in a way that Lanterns fans will be familiar while also challenging in a manner that is clever and central to the story. The Green Lantern oath is recited multiple times, the power battery Lantern is there, the Green constructs are vibrant and ever-present, and without spoiling anything, the connection to inter-galactic life and a mystery that runs deeper than you’d expect mean that the show well and truly delivers on the expectations of a good Green Lantern story.
One final important reflection is that show is finally delivering the world building that the DCU deserves. As a hugely passionate DC fan, I have followed every release of the new DCU very closely. I can safely say that Lanterns is the first time the DCU has truly delivered moments where I felt jumping-out-of-my-skin excited about the DCU’s world building. Sure, Superman and Peacemaker Season 2 had some great character moments, but for the most part, the stories didn’t expand the wider edges of the DCU that much and felt mostly like great stories with familiar ground.
Lanterns is the sort of show that as a DC fan, almost feels too good to be true. To see Sinestro appear on screen, to see Hal Jordan suiting up and making constructs with his ring, to hear about the backstory of the Green Lanterns, the Guardians, and their legacy, are the things I’ve desperately wanted to see in a live-action DC universe for so many years. For the first time, it feels like truly impactful aspects of this comic book universe as coming to life in a fully realised fashion.
Lanterns is a thoroughly well-crafted mystery, powered by strong performances and deeply layered character motivations. It does an excellent job of expanding the DCU’s world building while also being a richly textured genre piece, with strong elements of detective mysteries, and modern American Westerns.
Lanterns Episode 1 premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday August 16th in the US (Monday August 17th overseas), with new episodes weekly across an 8-episode season.
If you enjoyed our Lanterns review, check out more from Screen Brief below.
Read more Reviews from Screen Brief.
