Lanterns Season 1 First Reviews: A Mature, Grounded Mystery and One of DC’s Best Shows Yet
Critics say the show is anchored by strong, character-driven writing and the chemistry between Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, though it may disappoint fans looking for tons of blockbuster action.
The DC Universe continues on the small screen with Lanterns, a new superhero series debuting on HBO this weekend, and the first reviews are now online. Based on the Green Lantern comics, the show stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, two human members of an intergalactic law enforcement agency who wear “power rings” that give them extraordinary abilities. As R-rated as Peacemaker but much more grounded than anything else we’ve seen from James Gunn’s take on the franchise, this fantastical detective procedural may work as its own thing, but it also might prove divisive among the comic book loyal.
Here’s what critics are saying about Lanterns:
89%
Is this another hit for the DC Universe?
It is bound to become the best live-action DC TV show for many.
— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant
Lanterns is a success, incredibly watchable even through its flaws, and nearly heroic in its hits.
— Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
After a rocky start, the DC Universe finally gets a bona fide win with Lanterns.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
A much-needed win for DC Studios but also a necessary pivot to showcase the full breadth of their storytelling.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
By embracing character and story above all else, Lanterns may win over even the most stubborn of skeptics.
— Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
Does it distinguish itself within the franchise?
The contentious relationship between the pair drives the series to become something far more rewarding than an Easter-egg-heavy marathon of typical comic book television.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
The HBO original series has a distinctly serious tone that feels both grounded and fresh for this universe.
— Ron Hilliard, Discussing Film
Lanterns is by far the most grounded, street-level, and low-stakes outing of this fledgling franchise.
— Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
At times, Lanterns seems to want you to forget it’s a superhero adventure… Leaning into the character development between the three Lanterns is smart.
— Mike Ryan, The Hard Pass
Lanterns features little of the cartoonishness of its big-screen predecessors Superman and Supergirl, instead taking a somber and realistic approach.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
How does it compare to other superhero TV shows?
Lanterns knows exactly what it is, and it’s all the better for it, unlike most other superhero shows airing these days.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
Superheroes just for the sake of superheroes aren’t enough anymore. Lanterns suggests that stripping away the spectacle and focusing on a more introspective character journey can be one way forward.
— Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
The production values are stellar — as fun as the CW’s DC series were, you could always sense how limited the budgets were, and the execution of comic book action on a proper HBO scale makes multiple sequences here thrilling.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
The text and subtext of Lanterns aren’t woven together as consistently as in Watchmen, and viewers tuning in with a particular interest in it being a comic book blockbuster are likely to be at least a little underwhelmed.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
While flawed, it still rises above many of its peers in the crowded genre.
— Lauren Sarner, New York Post
Will Green Lantern fans appreciate it?
Lanterns does right by the Green Lantern mythos and the two most popular human Green Lanterns in ways that will leave DC fans cheering at their screens.
— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant
What I love about Green Lantern is the petty strifes between Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner. And Lanterns is all about this dynamic.
— Mike Ryan, The Hard Pass
Fans with certain expectations and preconceptions will inevitably judge the series by how it lives up to the boundless imagination and silliness of its source material.
— Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
Some may find Lanterns averse to the comic-heavy depiction of the ring’s powers, reducing it to something more unimaginative.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
There are surely fans who take offense at a Green Lantern show, of all things, being grounded. Although that skepticism is justified, Lanterns manages to prove the naysayers wrong.
— Ron Hilliard, Discussing Film
Will it make us forget about the Green Lantern movie?
Lanterns finally cracked a live-action Green Lantern story.
— Mike Ryan, The Hard Pass
This is a far cry from Ryan Reynolds’ ill-received 2011 Green Lantern movie.
— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant
It’s a bold endeavor, even riskier than the ill-fated Ryan Reynolds movie it contradicts at every turn (including very little use of the suit).
— Ben Travers, IndieWire
Lanterns is obviously better (how could it be otherwise?), but the tone is still wildly uneven.
— Verne Gay, Newsday
Is it reminiscent of any other shows?
It’s essentially “True Detective: Extraterrestrial“… Lindelof uses this setting and characters to continue thematic threads from Watchmen, heightening the work.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
Part True Detective mystery, part Lethal Weapon buddy comedy, and part superhero origin story.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Lanterns feels like a blend of superhero shows with some True Detective and Fargo sprinkled in… but it frequently seems more like an elevated version of shows such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Arrow.
— Lauren Sarner, New York Post
Beyond the True Detective comparisons, there are points that feel more spiritually connected to HBO’s 2019 Watchmen.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
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.
— Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
It’s a mystery that has a tone more resembling Yellowstone than it does a superhero adventure.
— Mike Ryan, The Hard Pass
Does it connect well to the rest of the franchise?
What makes Lanterns feel like one of the most exciting superhero entries in years might be the fact that it has very little to do with the larger world of DC at all.
— Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
The most refreshing aspect of Lanterns is that despite its references to larger DCU events, figures, and locales, it’s a self-contained endeavor that doesn’t exert undue energy on mythology integration.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Setting the story primarily in a pre-Superman timeline works well, giving the series an almost Andor-esque approach by avoiding ham-fisted connectors to the larger universe.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
[It’s] so grounded that at times it’s disconcerting to hear a character casually mention growing up in Gotham versus Chicago or New York.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
Nathan Fillion gets a few scenes that directly connect Lanterns to his turn as Guy Gardner in Gunn’s Superman.
— Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
Is it for comic book fans of all ages?
Hal and John both swear plenty and don’t hold back on the violence. The show is also not chaste or free of nudity.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
[It’s] a vast departure from the mostly family-friendly films the studio has released over the past year.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
How is the writing?
The writing on Lanterns ties character to plot, keeping us engaged in why Stewart and Jordan make the choices they do as much as the impact they have on the mysteries that shape them.
— Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
Because this is the most important new HBO series of the year… the showrunners have gone to considerable lengths to make Lanterns comprehensible.
— Verne Gay, Newsday
Writer Vanessa Baden Kelly does a phenomenal job fleshing out Stewart’s life.
— Ron Hilliard, Discussing Film
The plot gets too busy for its own good, at times.
— Lauren Sarner, New York Post
There are clunky moments where characters speak in thesis statements, and the larger stakes can get lost amid the individual dynamics.
— Ben Travers, IndieWire
Are there any surprises?
The arc of the season, which can’t be spoiled here… doesn’t play out as anyone will expect.
— Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
Lanterns tells a well-written story with quite a few twists.
— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant
The way Lanterns pays off the electric chemistry between Chandler and Macdonald is one of the more surprising developments.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
How is the action?
Expect plenty of elaborate action sequences and one of the most intense episodes of DC TV, with many energy constructs flying around, to date.
— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant
Lanterns boasts its fair share of ring-enabled action but, on the whole, tempers pageantry in favor of character drama.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Despite some action-heavy sequences, it’s far from Superman levels of carnage, though credit to the creators for finding inventive ways around this.
— Matt Maytum, NME
If you are expecting a lot of cosmic space battles, Lanterns is not that.
— Mike Ryan, The Hard Pass
Anyone showing up for traditional superhero action will be disappointed.
— Keith Phipps, TV Guide
The fifth episode is the only one of the seven that goes full-on, high-octane action and, despite feeling like it monopolized 75 percent of the entire series budget, the execution is perfunctory instead of exhilarating.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
Are there any standout episodes?
There is a particular episode that left my jaw on the floor.
— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant
One of the season’s highlights is in the third episode, which spotlights how much the mantle means to John and the lengths he’ll go to claim it.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
The third episode, written by Breannah Gibson and directed by Geeta Vasant Patel, does great backstory work for John and his family. The second and fourth episodes are duller, not exactly bad but thematically thin.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
Is Kyle Chandler well cast as Hal Jordan?
Lanterns proves right from the start of episode 1 that Chandler was born to play Hal.
— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant
Kyle Chandler plays Hal perfectly… Like, seriously, Chandler is Hal Jordan. I can’t get over how much I love him as Hal.
— Mike Ryan, The Hard Pass
Chandler makes him a rakish jerk with an irresistible smile, delivering his finest performance since Bloodline.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Chandler’s rarely been better, bringing a s–t-kicker grin to his take on Hal that still manages to be reverent to the character’s core values.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
Chandler, rarely better, grounds Hal’s irritation in a variety of insecurities, making him an interesting mixture of angry and sad, heroic and cowardly.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
Kyle Chandler isn’t given as much to chew on as Pierre, but he does an admirable job helping sketch out the character of Hal Jordan.
— Ron Hilliard, Discussing Film
What about Aaron Pierre as John Stewart?
Pierre is equally compelling.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Aaron Pierre, in stark contrast [to Chandler], is all internalized fury and quiet, hulking physicality.
— Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
Aaron Pierre delivers a brilliant performance by internalizing John’s reactions.
— Jamie Broadnax, Black Girl Nerds
Pierre is fantastic, bringing dry wit and stoicism that plays well off Chandler’s charmingly reckless persona.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
Just like in Rebel Ridge (watch it!), Aaron Pierre is a force of nature as John Stewart.
— Mike Ryan, The Hard Pass
Casting an actor closer to Stewart’s comic appearance would have made the material resonate even more.
— Ron Hilliard, Discussing Film
How is their chemistry?
Lanterns has a lot to recommend it — particularly the prickly chemistry between Pierre and Kyle Chandler.
— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter
It’s really the blistering chemistry between our two leads that carries Lanterns across the finish line.
— Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
Their dynamic is the beating heart of the DC series, with both characters being completely different.
— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant
Does the show have any major problems?
The pacing can lull occasionally as it hits the more familiar beats expected of procedurals it draws inspiration from.
— Giovanni Lago, Next Best Picture
The issue is the frequent flashbacks and flashforwards. While they offer up valuable information and plot developments, they contribute to a disjointed vibe that makes it hard to get a grasp on what Lanterns is trying to be.
— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
It’s a bit surprising to see Lindelof over-explain a few of his show’s themes this time around… [It] often displays a distrust that a wide audience can meet the writing halfway.
— Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
At turns sour and embittered, other times bemused, Lanterns simply refuses to have much fun.
— Verne Gay, Newsday
Will it make us hopeful for the future of the DC Universe?
Lanterns suggests an auspicious direction for DC, one in which high-flying, slam-bang insanity serves as mere embellishment for tales about complicated people grappling with relatable (and extraordinary) circumstances.
— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Here’s hoping that Gunn is true to his word going forward and lets other creatives play in the DC sandbox interference-free, so fans can get more projects just as strong as this one.
— Ron Hilliard, Discussing Film
Lanterns: Season 1 premieres on HBO Max on August 16, 2026.
