DUBAI: For a show about intergalactic cops wielding rings capable of creating almost anything they can imagine, “Lanterns” is surprisingly grounded. That is both its greatest strength and its biggest weakness.
HBO’s eight-episode series — created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King — follows veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler doing some of his best TV work yet) and his reluctant protégé John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as they investigate a mysterious death in rural Nebraska. This seemingly straightforward case opens the door to something far more sinister, with the series cleverly moving between three different timelines as it builds its larger mystery. The result is a confident reinvention of the Green Lantern mythology.
Rather than leaning into the cosmic spectacle traditionally associated with the character, “Lanterns” spends much of its time as a small-town crime drama. There are shades of “True Detective” (which Mundy worked on) in its bleak landscapes, complicated relationships and slow-burn investigation, but the series is less interested in developing existential dread than in the harrowed men at its center.
Chandler brings a weary, abrasive charm to a hero who has spent years carrying the weight of being Earth’s first Green Lantern. Pierre, meanwhile, gives John a searing intensity that makes his character’s frustration with Hal increasingly compelling. Their chemistry is the show’s strongest offering, shifting effortlessly between mentor-and-student tension, reluctant camaraderie, and genuine, toothy conflict that feels very much lived in.
The supporting cast is equally impressive. Kelly Macdonald adds considerable weight as a local sheriff and Garret Dillahunt making an unsettling impression as a powerful rancher.
But “Lanterns” occasionally seems almost apologetic about being a superhero series. The Green Lantern ring — arguably the most imaginative weapon in the DC universe — is surprisingly underused, while the story remains Earthbound for long stretches.
Still, when the series finally allows its mythology to expand, the payoff is considerable.
While there’s still the finale to come (only seven of the eight episodes were available for review), “Lanterns” has not quite found the balance between prestige drama and superhero shenanigans. But what it does have are characters worth following. And for that alone, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a second season.
