Lanterns (2026)
Two intergalactic cops, new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, are drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
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What critics say influenced Lanterns
Lanterns actively invites comparisons to the moody and masterful first season of True Detective.
…so it’s not quite as True Detective–y just yet, despite that show’s writer Chris Mundy having co-created this one…
…takes a very grounded approach, following in the tradition of shows like True Detective and Slow Horses…
But Lanterns is less interested in turning Green Lantern into True Detective than in using the procedural framework to pull apart one of the mythology’s defining ideas.
Clear comparisons with True Detective have been invited by the producers themselves, but Lanterns' various influences span further…
The grimy tendrils of True Detective, Top of the Lake, and even Fargo stretch out in familiar fashion across the grounded superhero detective show's first seven episodes.
Like Lindelof's Watchmen sequel, it folds the fantastic into a recognizably real world, touching on some real-world issues in the process.
There are even shades of Damon Lindelof's Watchmen in how Lanterns subtly confronts deep-rooted race issues in America alongside Hal's rapidly decaying sense of self-worth.
DC Comics has been quietly delivering quality, from "Watchmen" and "Peacemaker" to HBO's "The Penguin," which turned the classic Batman villain into a mob world antihero — and took home nine Emmys for it.
Lanterns’ “Pilot” achieves that signature Lindelof gravitas that was very much present in Watchmen, along with Mundy’s panache for gritty small-town crime that he cultivated so well in Ozark and True Detective.
…(who, after ambitious and elaborate series like “Watchmen” and “Mrs. Davis,” knows how to turn exposition into entertainment)…
Directed by Stephen Williams — who previously collaborated with "Lanterns" co-creator Damon Lindelof on HBO's "Watchmen" and ABC's "Lost"…
This is, in many ways, a deliberate departure from 2011's Green Lantern movie. Not that you'll be thinking about the Ryan Reynolds bomb here.
The big question remains if Lanterns will satisfy comic book fans hoping for a Green Lantern series that will make Ryan Reynolds’ 2011 film a very distant memory.
Don’t expect to see Hal Jordan in full Green Lantern regalia very often this season. Not only is the character over dressing for the job he wants, but “Lanterns” is running in the opposite direction of the “Green Lantern” movie, which flopped commercially and critically. Part of the reproach stemmed from an over-reliance on cartoonish CGI effects, including a suit with pulsing green veins and an awkward digital mask. The suit may be canon in the comic books, but “Lanterns” needs to distinguish itself from its most recent onscreen iteration, and ditching the costume for traditional human duds is part of the brand makeover.
And yet, Green Lantern has proven to be one of the hardest nuts to crack in live-action with 2011’s disastrous feature film turning the Green Lantern Corps. into a universal laughing stock.
That said, Lanterns’ atypical structure suggests the series’ creators understands their source material way better than Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern did. (To be fair, it would be tough for them to understand it worse than Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern.)
Ryan Reynolds' feelings about 2011's "Green Lantern" are well known at this point.
At a time when neither Marvel's first family in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" nor DC's flagship hero in "Superman" (or the more recent flop "Supergirl") could really take flight…
Lanterns lands at a pivotal point for DC Studios, which endured a disappointing turnout for the second film under the new banner with Supergirl managing an underwhelming $126 million worldwide gross.
…following a difficult period for Supergirl…
This isn't Superman's good-natured intentions, nor is it a flawed Supergirl or Guy Gardner's cocky bluster.
…differentiating Lanterns from producer James Gunn’s more zany DC Universe titles (not least this year’s box office disaster Supergirl)…
Supergirl was a critical and commercial disappointment…
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…the True-Detective-meets-Training-Day-meets-Men-In-Black approach to the story here mostly works…
…the plot line is more Men in Black films than True Detective…
The lighter moments of “Lanterns” bring to mind the “Men in Black” franchise, another universe in which the presence of space aliens is an accepted fact and a pair of oddly matched agents try to track them down.
It’s also nice to see the first episode dig a little bit into the racial undertones of this Training Day-esque dynamic.
…the series is a slow-burn take on the Green Lantern mythos that has been aptly described as akin to both True Detective and Training Day…
…with Jordan proving to be downright Denzel-in-Training-Day-esque in his unconventional teaching methods at times…
At a time when neither Marvel's first family in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" nor DC's flagship hero in "Superman" (or the more recent flop "Supergirl") could really take flight…
Fast forward to 2026, sometime after Superman debuted.
…it’s tough to square the Green Lanterns we meet in Lanterns with the one played by Nathan Fillion in Gunn’s Superman.
I’m not interested in the other Green Lanterns — Nathan Fillion reprises his Superman role as Guy Gardner very briefly and I just didn’t care…
Pierre proves the most exciting addition to the DC Universe since David Corenswet’s Superman…
Nathan Fillion, with a bowl cut, portrays the Guy Gardner version of Green Lantern in Superman and the Peacemaker series.
The whole thing is like a cross between Yellowstone's Dutton Ranch (though without a breathtaking mountain backdrop) and a militia compound, full of armed guards and plenty of mysterious buildings.
Lanterns' various influences span further – from Paramount’s Yellowstone to HBO’s Watchmen (with which it shares screenwriter Damon Lindelof).
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…takes a very grounded approach, following in the tradition of shows like True Detective and Slow Horses…
It’s as much a True Detective and Slow Horses-style murder mystery as it is a superhero drama (and, in fact, features veterans of both shows among its creative team).
The pilot, directed by James Hawes (Slow Horses) does a nice job of dropping the viewer right into the middle of its fast-moving riddles…
…and “Slow Horses” (for its disreputable hero, I guess), with “Slow Horses” director James Hawes helming the first two episodes.
DC Comics has been quietly delivering quality, from "Watchmen" and "Peacemaker" to HBO's "The Penguin," which turned the classic Batman villain into a mob world antihero — and took home nine Emmys for it.
"Lanterns" shares more DNA with its fellow (though unconnected) DC show "The Penguin" — a series that just so happens to exist in its own corner of the comic book world, but thrives by focusing on what's right in front of it.