‘Lanterns’ Season 1 Review: HBO’s Green Lantern Series Offers a Unique Take on the Hero

Few anticipated that a ‘Green Lantern’ adaptation would kick off with a dark murder investigation set in rural Nebraska, highlighting the bold direction ‘Lanterns’ is taking. Fifteen years after a poorly received film turned the character into a joke, HBO’s new series emerges as the first live-action installment in DC Studios’ revamped cinematic universe, approaching Hal Jordan and John Stewart from a markedly different angle than the cinematic attempt.

Instead of spending its runtime explaining power rings, alien Guardians, and the extensive workings of an intergalactic peacekeeping force, ‘Lanterns’ plunges viewers directly into a case. Hal Jordan, portrayed by Kyle Chandler as a disheveled, foul-mouthed veteran cop, reluctantly brings his trainee John Stewart, played with intense focus by Aaron Pierre, to the small town of Rushville to investigate a death that soon reveals itself to be much larger and stranger than either anticipated.

What struck me immediately is how little the show resembles a traditional superhero property. It feels more like a moody regional crime drama, filled with flat highways and suspicious locals, rather than a typical comic book blockbuster, and this choice often pays off. Chris Mundy, known for his work on ‘Ozark’ and a recent stint on ‘True Detective’, clearly shapes the show’s essence, evident in the long silences between Hal and John as they navigate a conspiracy that the entire town seems intent on burying.

The core relationship carries more weight than any alien mystery the plot presents. Hal is a burnout clinging to relevance, grappling with his mortality and eventual replacement with a wounded pride, while John is a disciplined ex-Marine who has always followed the rules yet finds himself consistently underestimated. Their dynamic evolves beyond simple mentorship, developing into a cycle of resentment and grudging respect that feels genuinely earned rather than forced for episodic tension.

Kelly Macdonald completes the trio as the local sheriff, caught between her compromised position and a fundamentally decent instinct to protect her town. Married into a family with its own secrets, led by a rancher with a private militia and a mysterious benefactor he cannot name, the show wisely allows this thread to simmer rather than rushing toward easy resolutions.

Where ‘Lanterns’ occasionally falters is in how thinly some supporting ideas are sketched. The show hints at real-world anxieties surrounding race, land, and outsiders with more conviction than follow-through, and some of its larger themes, particularly regarding the rancher’s politics, feel more introduced than fully explored. The visual palette, dominated by muted grays and dust, sometimes undermines the sense of cosmic wonder that should accompany a story about literal space cops, leaving some of the fantastical elements appearing oddly restrained instead of awe-inspiring.

However, the performances carry the show through its rougher moments. Chandler brings a weathered charisma to Hal, making his most self-destructive choices feel tragic rather than merely frustrating, while Pierre excels at portraying restraint, allowing John’s frustration to surface in controlled bursts rather than dramatic outbursts. Their chemistry justifies many of the season’s slower moments, and by the time the mystery begins to pay off, the show has more than earned its ambition.

I walked away from this season genuinely surprised by how little it resembles my expectations for a ‘Green Lantern’ show, and mostly grateful for that. While it may not be as tonally daring as Lindelof’s best work, and it doesn’t always weave its social commentary as tightly as its genre elements warrant, the central partnership between Chandler and Pierre provides a gravitational pull that most superhero television lacks. This is a confident, patient piece of television that prioritizes its actors and atmosphere over cheap spectacle, and it largely rewards that trust. I’m landing at 8.5 out of 10.

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