RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Light spoilers follow for Lanterns episodes 1 to 7.
DC Studios probably didn't expect to have so much riding on Lanterns prior to its debut. But with Supergirl flopping at the box office and fans openly worrying about how much green they'd see in its Green Lantern TV show, DC and HBO executives have likely been sweating ahead of launch.
James Gunn, Peter Safran, Casey Bloys, and company can breathe a collective sigh of relief. While it stops short of being a TV masterpiece, Lanterns is the strongest DC Universe ( DCU ) entry yet — and, if future DC Studios movies and shows are this good, the cinematic franchise's brightest days may still lie ahead.
In brightest day, in blackest night...
Meet John Stewart and Hal Jordan, everyone (Image credit: John Johnson/HBO Max)
Spanning storylines in 2016 and 2026, Lanterns introduces us to Aaron Pierre's John Stewart and Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan . As of 2016, Jordan has spent 30 years keeping vigil as Earth's first Green Lantern .
But his tenure is nearing its end. That's because Stewart is selected to be Jordan's replacement by the Guardians of the Universe, a group of omnipresent superpowered extraterrestrials that founded the intergalactic space cop agency known as the Green Lanterns Corps. The group asks a reluctant Jordan to take the new recruit under his wing.
Lanterns suggests that the DC Universe's brightest days still lie ahead
Two months into Stewart's training, a mysterious high school murder draws the pair to Rushville, Nebraska. What starts out as a local investigation, though, soon unspools into a far-reaching, mass cosmic conspiracy that impacts both plotlines.
Sheriff Kerry Kane (left) helps and hinders Stewart and Jordan's own murder investigation (Image credit: HBO)
Naturally, the 2016 narrative directly influences events in 2026, with the latter particularly focusing on the consequences and repercussions of the duo's actions 10 years prior.
I'm not allowed to reveal how these dual timelines interact, or how the wider seasonal structure and time jump operate. What I can say, though, is that I was surprised by how the episodic format frames its dual storylines.
The 2026 storyline occasionally feels like Lanterns season 1.5
In fact, the 2026 storyline, which takes place in the DCU's present, occasionally feels like Lanterns season 1.5 — and that's my biggest critique. I haven't seen this season's eighth and final episode yet, so I still hold out hope that the finale will tie everything together seamlessly. Right now, though, the present-day plot feels like an overly drawn-out epilogue to the 2016 events and a foundational layer to the DC comic book show's already in-development second season.
Sometimes, Lanterns' tension-breaking jokes undermine its more serious moments (Image credit: John Johnson/HBO)
None of this means Lanterns is predictable. Sure, given its source material, its superhero flair and 'new weird' sci-fi sensibilities are expected. At its core, though, it's a grounded, rural crime drama — albeit with cosmic stakes — that unapologetically wears its True Detective influences on its sleeve.
Narrative curveballs, then, are par for the course, even if they're hurled with varying degrees of success. Indeed, while I decoded one of the 2016 storyline's biggest mysteries early on, I was completely blindsided by a game-changing plot twist that redefines its dual timeline structure. No spoilers, but it's a bold storytelling pivot guaranteed to upset Green Lantern fanatics and ignite debate among DC purists.
Lanterns' game-changing plot twist is... guaranteed to upset Green Lantern fanatics
Given the deliberately slow-burn nature of its unfolding story threads, the DCU Chapter One show's action largely takes a backseat to character work and its police procedural tendencies. Small-scale skirmishes and chase sequences, rather than constant spectacle, are largely the name of the game.
When Lanterns decides to go full throttle, though, it does so with aplomb. Again, I'm not at liberty to talk extensively about specific episodic events, but one entry completely usurps the space cop murder-mystery vibes for emotionally heavy, big-budget set-pieces — and the show is all the better for it.
Passing of the torch
Despite Hal Jordan's prominence in proceedings, Lanterns is very much John Stewart's story (Image credit: HBO)
Ultimately, Lanterns wouldn't be as blindingly brilliant without its talented co-leads — and Pierre and Chandler are certainly a match made in heaven.
Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler are a match made in heaven
Barely five minutes into episode 1, their utterly absorbing buddy cop relationship bears fruit, too.
Balancing humor and gravity in equal measure, Stewart and Jordan are unmistakeably two sides of the same courageous coin from their very first interaction. It's an opening exchange that instantly validates their perfect casting, and highlights the pair's natural, magnetic rapport that only deepens as the series progresses.
Hal Jordan isn't going to give up his ring without a fight (Image credit: DC Studios/HBO Max)
Their bond is only strengthened by their individual and collective complexities. Between Hal's unconventional mentorship, backstories that unexpectedly tie their pasts together, and a deep-seated yet unspoken mutual respect, the veiled hostility that punctuates their dynamic has an electrifying push-and-pull that you can't take your eyes off.
Stewart and Jordan's dynamic has an electrifying push-and-pull you can't take your eyes off
Green Lantern traditionalists might balk at certain character tweaks, such as the obsessive drive imbued in the DCU's Stewart.
For the most part, though, both actors capture the true essence of their characters — Pierre embodying the stoic, disciplined, and measured Stewart to a tee, while Chandler delivers a flawless portrayal of Jordan's brash, reckless, intentionally aggravating, and stubborn persona.
With these polar opposites both believin...
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