Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre Are Great ‘Lanterns’, But HBO’s DC Drama Is Overshadowed by Its Influences: TV Review
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HBO’s “Lanterns” is praised for the performances of Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, but the review argues that the DC drama is too visibly shaped by earlier HBO series to establish a strong identity of its own. Its attempt to give the fantastical Green Lantern mythology a gritty, prestige-drama treatment is seen as an unusual tonal choice, especially alongside James Gunn’s more playful wider DC universe.
The series follows veteran Lantern Hal Jordan and trainee John Stewart as mismatched space-law-enforcement partners, with their relationship unfolding across a split timeline. The review identifies echoes of “Watchmen” in its grounded fantasy and humour, and “True Detective” in its crime-drama structure; Chandler’s weary, folksy mentor recalls “Friday Night Lights”, while Pierre brings controlled intensity to the reserved Stewart. Co-creators Damon Lindelof, Chris Mundy and comics writer Tom King bring relevant experience, but the review suggests their combined influences often overshadow the show itself.
- Strong leads cannot fully overcome the show’s derivative feel.
- “Lanterns” treats Green Lantern as a sombre crime drama.
- HBO influences, especially “Watchmen” and “True Detective”, are highly visible.
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Green Lantern is a long-running DC comic-book series about people chosen to wear powerful rings that let them create objects from their imagination. The rings are used by an intergalactic police force, whose members are known as Lanterns, and the stories often combine space adventure with superhero action.
Hal Jordan is one of the best-known Green Lanterns, usually portrayed as an experienced but flawed pilot. John Stewart is another major Lantern, often shown as a disciplined former soldier and architect; in this series, he is newer to the role and works alongside Jordan.
The programme is part of DC’s wider screen universe, which is being overseen by filmmaker James Gunn. Its creators include Damon Lindelof, known for HBO’s Watchmen, Chris Mundy and comic writer Tom King, bringing together people with experience in television drama and DC stories.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters may argue that drawing on HBO’s strongest dramatic traditions is a sensible way to give Green Lantern material emotional weight and make it accessible beyond established comic-book fans. A grounded crime structure and the Hal Jordan–John Stewart partnership can provide a disciplined framework for exploring duty, mentorship and power, while Chandler and Pierre’s performances give the familiar archetypes genuine human stakes. On this view, tonal contrast with the broader, more playful DC universe could make the franchise feel richer rather than inconsistent.
The case against
Critics may contend that the programme relies so visibly on the mannerisms of Watchmen, True Detective and other prestige dramas that it struggles to articulate what is distinctive about Lanterns itself. Green Lantern mythology has an inherently expansive, imaginative quality, and filtering it through weary detectives, sombre realism and recognisable HBO conventions may narrow that potential rather than develop it. From this perspective, strong lead performances cannot fully compensate if the series feels more like an assemblage of admired influences than a confident interpretation of its own source material.
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