If you head into HBO's Lanterns expecting a comic-accurate take on Green Lantern, will you be disappointed? We only received one episode in advance to review, so it's a little too soon to say for sure. Still, in a pilot that features references to Abin Sur, the Guardians of the Universe, and talk of alien invaders, the series isn't shying too far away from the source material. However, the premiere is light both on action and Green Lantern constructs, and never actually shows off any of those cool references to the comics, meaning Lanterns is "grounded" in every sense of the word.
This opening chapter of DC Studios' latest live-action TV series opens in 1996, primarily takes place in 2016, and then concludes in 2026 with a moment that's bound to divide opinions (we'll get to that). Lanterns' approach to the Green Lantern mythos is a little odd. In 2016, Hal Jordan is reluctantly training John Stewart as his successor in the event that he dies. The Guardians have chosen John as the next Green Lantern, which doesn't sit well with Hal, and they have only one ring between them. A message from the past—delivered via "Halogram," a 2006 copy of Hal's consciousness stored within the ring—sends Hal to Nebraska, which is where Abin Sur chose him as the next Green Lantern. He and John start digging into some recent murders, which Hal is convinced were committed by aliens; ultimately, he's proven right when an interrogation ends with the extraterrestrial, disguised as a human, detonating himself.
Lanterns' pilot boasts a compelling story, and while it's too soon to say whether it can rival a series like True Detective (an obvious source of inspiration), the episode gives viewers plenty of reasons to check back next week to see where the story goes. As with many Damon Lindelof TV shows, it is a bit of a slow burn, which proves frustrating at times. However, like Watchmen, the clues are there if you look hard enough, and based on an initially bizarre opening where John's father shoots an apple off his head to train his son to become fearless, the implication seems to be that the hero was chosen from birth to eventually become Earth's Green Lantern. That's undeniably intriguing. How and why is Guy Gardner a Green Lantern in 2025's Superman, then? It's now up to Lanterns to make sense of it.
Another head-scratching moment comes in the final few minutes when we jump to 2026. Called to a snowy Nebraska by the cop he and Hal worked with a decade earlier, John is taken to a body frozen in the stands of a football field. It's Hal. He's seemingly been shot in the head, and the ring is missing, which suggests John went through his training 10 years ago, only for the ring to be missing when Hal died and for Guy to be flaunting his powers while working with the Justice Gang. It's in moments like these that patience is required. Answers are likely on the way, but these currently feel like continuity slips that Lanterns will have to fix retroactively due to decisions made elsewhere. As for Hal's death, it's a tremendous waste of a great character. So, too, was casting an older actor in the role if the intention was to finally bring some of his classic stories to live action. Yes, 2011's Green Lantern movie was a disaster. Even so, we've missed out on seeing Hal's romance with Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire, his feud with Sinestro, and his descent into villainy as Parallax. It is what it is, and if nothing else, this development is one we're eager to unpack in the weeks ahead.
So, it's an effective pilot episode, even if the extent of the comic book-style action boils down to one scene of Hal taking flight, while the constructs are no more exciting than a $20 bill and a bottle opener. John also uses the ring to light a cigarette at one point. That's where Lanterns is at its weakest, with a seemingly endless string of F-bombs occasionally feeling like a transparent attempt to make the show edgy and justify its place on the adult-skewed HBO. However, where Lanterns really shines is not with blockbuster set pieces, but with its two leads: Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre.
Setting aside the complaints above, Chandler is absolutely perfect as Hal. He brings a swagger and cockiness to the character that feels extremely faithful to what's on the page, but also makes the hero incredibly likeable. This is a Hal who has been protecting Earth publicly since 1986 and whose identity has been known since 1996, making him a celebrity who, for the most part, embraces being a beloved figure. Still, there's a weariness to Hal that suggests he's seen a lot, even when he insists that there's no way he'll give up the ring. As for Pierre, he's an absolute revelation as John. DC Studios could not have cast this role any better, and while the actor is sometimes relegated to playing the straight man to Hal and his antics, this feels like a perfect take on the character that has plenty of potential to grow moving forward. Pierre commands the screen, and when we do finally get to see him as Green Lantern, it's going to be really something special.
Overall, the Lanterns pilot is a solid start to the DCU series that largely benefits from not feeling like another James Gunn passion project. While Superman soared last summer, Creature Commandos was too niche to make an impact; Peacemaker Season 2 literally featured a scene with the filmmaker rocking out to his favourite band, and Supergirl...well, that's another black eye for the brand. Superfluous swearing aside, Lanterns feels more grown-up than its predecessors and dials back the weirdness to give the DCU firmer ground to start on than other recent attempts. The mystery is compelling, the performances are stellar, and the changes from the comics, while hit-or-miss, feel bold rather than unearned. The ending will upset some and may be reason enough not to come back, but for now, we've been left wanting more.
Lanterns gets off to a solid start with its pilot, and while an ending that veers wildly from the comics risks alienating comic book fans, a compelling story and pitch-perfect performances from Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler are reason enough to come back next week. ⭐⭐⭐