James Gunn's DC projects have a very mixed record, but I'm not surprised that the most successful so far has been the "Lanterns" series. The talents assembled for the show are considerable, including Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and comic book scribe Tom King, who are credited as the show's creators. Based on the DC comics about multiple superheroes who have fought evil as the Green Lantern, "Lanterns" gives us a grounded detective series that takes place in the DC universe. It rarely leaves the small Midwestern town of Rushville, Nebraska, and doesn't show off many flashy special effects. Super-powered showdowns are backgrounded in favor of nuanced character portraits and complex interpersonal drama. Anecdotally, fans of the original "Green Lantern" comics don't seem to like the show as much as adult viewers with less knowledge of the characters and their comic book histories.
"True Detective" is the clear template for the plot, which follows an ongoing mystery unraveling in two different time periods. In 2016, the current Green Lantern, Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), and his intended replacement/trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) come to Rushville suspecting alien activity in the area. They're met by the doubtful Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly MacDonald), part of a complicated family that runs the town. She warns them not to pry too much into local affairs as they're carrying out their investigation. In 2026, John returns to Rushville and finds himself in the middle of a mystery again. This is connected to the fallout of events from 2016. Lots of flashbacks are involved, but the structure of the show is interesting in that the 2016 and 2026 mysteries largely play out separately, and in very different circumstances, rather than being intercut together. The cast also includes Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Ulrich Thomsen, Jason Ritter, Laura Linney, Nathan Fillion, and Jasmine Cephas-Jones.
At the center of "Lanterns" is the difficult relationship between the two leads, who are never on equal footing. Beloved hero Hal Jordan is getting old, but clings to the power granted to him by "the Guardians," who designate each member of the specially chosen intergalactic Green Lantern Corp by bestowing them with a matter-controlling power ring. Hal is supposed to be training John with the ring to be the next Green Lantern of Earth, but mostly just treats him as an unwanted, bothersome sidekick. As for John, he's been preparing himself for the superhero job for his whole life, as a part of a deeply troubling family legacy, and has a lot of personal baggage to work out. His frustrations with Hal grow steadily, episode by episode. The show examines the racial and generational distinctions in play here, and offers a lot of interesting commentary on the nature of heroes, power, and self-determination.
The show has admirable ambitions, but "Lanterns" was met with an unusually contentious reception because of some wildly mismatched expectations. To be blunt, "Lanterns" is an HBO prestige drama targeting adults, but its original source material is a comic book aimed at children. Some existing fans didn't take too well to these larger-than-life characters being brought down to size and treated like fallible, flawed human beings. Also, those who were expecting a more traditional superhero narrative, replete with cosmic green light shows and alien fisticuffs, instead got a very dialogue-heavy drama about morality and the responsible use of power instead. The last episode doesn't even have a big fight scene in it. Despite having clear connections to the 2025 "Superman" movie, "Lanterns" is tonally very different, with much smaller, more personal stakes and a far more complicated moral framework.
The bigger question is whether or not this works as a television series, and my first instinct is to say yes. The characters and their quandaries are interesting enough to follow whether or not you have any knowledge of the Green Lantern and the wider DCU. You don't have to like superheroes at all, because superheroics are so peripheral to the concerns of the story. "Lanterns" is better described as neo-noir and detective fiction. However, as with much detective fiction, the plotting is sometimes rushed and messy, with some notable logic gaps. The emotional payoffs and character arcs, however, are all very solid, which I consider much more important.
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