I have seen the majority of TV shows that involve comic characters. A few have been mediocre. Most are enjoyable, even if they are enjoyable in a goofy, comic way. But only a very few have been truly prestige television, the kind of premium quality, award-nominated shows that the major cable networks and streaming services trade in. Lanterns is one of those shows. It’s a western. It’s a buddy cop story. It’s a true crime drama. It’s a show that deals with where early trauma ends, and responsibility begins. It’s grounded. It’s gritty. And yeah, as it happens, even though the vast majority of all eight episodes takes place in rural Nebraska, the main characters happen to be (or are training to be) space cops.
Now, I’m pretty versed in DC comics lore, but I’ll admit that I never really collected the Green Lantern books, although I’ve seen various Green Lanterns guest in other heroes’ books and seen the Green Lantern animated appearances (and Ryan Reynolds spin as the hero over 15 years ago). So the fact that this was an entirely original take on both Hal Jordan and John Stewart (played to awards-quality perfection by Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre) worked for me. I didn’t have a favorite version or story arc that I expected to see. And what they put on screen was absolutely amazing.
Having eight episodes allowed for backstory, for wrong turns, for character growth, and for multiple story arcs (the two main storylines take place in 2016 and 2026, but we skip to other dates as well) to all have room to breathe, grow, and come to an extremely satisfying conclusion without feeling rushed. The episodes take time to explore what it takes to be in their line of work, to be “fearless,” how much trauma that would cause, and how it affects everything moving forward.
Lanterns is a complete story. It doesn’t end with a cliffhanger for another DC project, or for a season 2. There’s clearly places they could go if they want to, but if this is a one-and-done season, it’s one of the best seasons of TV you can watch.
I rarely recommend stories that involve superheroes to people who aren’t generally interested in this genre, but Lanterns shines on so many levels, even “non-superhero people” may love it. And don’t think because there are superheroes it’s necessarily a show for younger viewers. While not shockingly gory or sexually graphic, especially in light of some shows that seem to revel in pushing those aspects as far as they think they can get away with, this is still an adult show, and has some scenes of noticeable gore, sex, and generous amounts of profanity. But what this isn’t is a show about superheroes in capes beating people up or flying through space. This is a very grounded human drama, and while it sets up a new superhero for the DCU, you don’t need to know or care about that to enjoy the show. You can simply view this as one of the best dramas currently streaming on HBO Max, and you wouldn’t be wrong.