1 (edited by paisley1 2026-08-19 03:34:39)

Topic: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

Lanterns | Next-Episode Show Page
Lanterns | DCU Show Page
Lanterns | Official Trailer | HBO Max

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BM2ZjZDNlNDgtMjJlMy00NGRjLThlMGEtM2U4N2E4MDUwNjNmXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1080_.jpg

Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

Airs on HBO max on Sundays

___________________________________
"In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might,
Beware my power—Green Lantern's light!"

___________________________________

Spoiler

BAZINGA!https://static0.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/The-Big-Bang-Theory-Sheldon-Cooper-with-Green-Lantern-power-battery.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=1.5

2 (edited by paisley1 2026-08-17 06:37:29)

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

The pilot episode felt like Men In Black meets True Detective on the CW.  I'll probably watch it even though it's mid.

I gave it 3/5 stars ⭐ on the show page.

Good to see Coach Taylor back at a football field again, stretching his acting chops, doing something different this time. wink

https://static.dc.com/2026-08/2026_08_14_LanternInterview_BlogRoll_Mobile_4x3.jpg?w=640

3

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

paisley1 wrote:

The pilot episode felt like Men In Black meets True Detective on the CW.  I'll probably watch it even though it's mid.

Oh... I'll lower my expectations before watching then. smile

4

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

lighton wrote:
paisley1 wrote:

The pilot episode felt like Men In Black meets True Detective on the CW.  I'll probably watch it even though it's mid.

Oh... I'll lower my expectations before watching then. smile


Your expectations for the Gunn DC universe can get lower?!! That's impressive big_smile:

5

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

lighton wrote:
paisley1 wrote:

The pilot episode felt like Men In Black meets True Detective on the CW.  I'll probably watch it even though it's mid.

Oh... I'll lower my expectations before watching then. smile

You'll like it.  It's a mystery so I'll watch to know what it's all about, but it feels very familiar and pulled from sources like I've seen this before, some of the ideas from Captain Marvel, Men in Black, and X-files, among others, feel like they're in here.

6

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

1x01

I think it was OK. I like the characters and the quality of writing & directing - all seems pretty good.

Aaron Pierre does a decent job as John Stewart and I also like Kelly McDonald as the Sheriff.
Good to see Chris Coy...his acting never disappoints.

Not sure what to make of the story yet...we'll see.

Also the age differences in that family are weird (actors). Grandpa and father are 15 years apart and grandma and daughter-in-law 3 years.
I looked it up because when I first saw grandpa I thought he was the same age as his son lol

I know this is not that unusual, but I can only guess that

Spoiler

they made grandma so young to make her appealing to John.

They make it sound like Hal has been on earth for the past 20years. Doesn't he have a giant sector to observe?
He says "charged to protect from any extra-planetary threat" which tells me they are limiting it to earth...

I wanted to see Hal Jordan getting "released" from the broom closet...very disappointing they didn't show that sad

Grandpa is just the redneck version of Lex Luthor.

Hard to imagine how this will properly fit into the Gunn DC universe...

Deserved more runtime:
Abbys | Dead Like Me | Devs | Firefly | Gangsta. | Jack of all Trades | Kevin (probably) saves the World | Lodge 49 | Mrs. Davis | NYC 22 | Powerless | Roadkill | Special Unit 2 | Stumptown | Surface | The Brave | The Crazy Ones | The Finder | The Middleman | Truth Seekers | Two Weeks to Live | Whiskey Cavalier

https://next-episode.net/user/WilliamDrakeMcGregor/

7 (edited by paisley1 2026-08-18 02:34:42)

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

WilliamDrakeMcGregor wrote:

1x01

I think it was OK. I like the characters and the quality of writing & directing - all seems pretty good.

Aaron Pierre does a decent job as John Stewart and I also like Kelly McDonald as the Sheriff.
Good to see Chris Coy...his acting never disappoints.

Not sure what to make of the story yet...we'll see.

Also the age differences in that family are weird (actors). Grandpa and father are 15 years apart and grandma and daughter-in-law 3 years.
I looked it up because when I first saw grandpa I thought he was the same age as his son lol

I know this is not that unusual, but I can only guess that

Spoiler

they made grandma so young to make her appealing to John.

They make it sound like Hal has been on earth for the past 20years. Doesn't he have a giant sector to observe?
He says "charged to protect from any extra-planetary threat" which tells me they are limiting it to earth...

I wanted to see Hal Jordan getting "released" from the broom closet...very disappointing they didn't show that sad

Grandpa is just the redneck version of Lex Luthor.

Hard to imagine how this will properly fit into the Gunn DC universe...

Ya, your spoiler comments are great reasons for why this is mid, it doesn't focus on the science fiction part of the DCU Green Lantern story as much as it focuses on the mystery crime drama, and we're also left without inciting incidents for our lead characters journeys but thrown into the middle of a punctuated story at different time periods.

I also thought the dad looked too young and I bet a lot of people thought the same thing, but at 21 years apart, it works, ish, also....

Spoiler

...why is his wife cheating on him and why does he know about it "eating from another mans grill" which suggests he knows, and why does he not really seem to care?  She seems like an outsider to that community and really out of place, like unnecessarily bold, maybe she's an alien, and the dad, and Jason Ritter, who knows, a whole family of aliens?

The whole messing with the timeline story from 1996, then 2016, then ending with 2026, exact 10 year intervals landed like bad storytelling...CW.

Is Hal Jordan really dead, or was that just a fake looky loo alien posing as Hal, or is Hal bifurcated?  Where is the ring?  Why does Hal need John?  Why does Hal not where the suit?

This is where I see this show going:

Spoiler

As Hal has already been shown to be playing by his own set of rules and not obeying the law, are they going to make Hal an anti-hero where he eventually loses his moral center and the ring eventually kills Hal for violating the rules of the ring?  Is this going to be about what is morally right and wrong and what room is there for moral grey areas?

The mystery is compelling, and the special effects definitely feel HBO, the rest of it feels CW.

8

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

Yes, ended up more or less liking 1x1 but not yet loving the show. Yes, got some CW vibes early on. sad

And those age differences... WTF!

But... Damon Lindelof is one of the guys behind the project so I have high hopes! smile

9 (edited by inkblot 2026-08-18 21:52:29)

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

Wow this show reminded me of starring at a blank white sheet of paper. Dull, boring etc etc. Will give it one more episode before I decide to kill it.


Just realized only 8 episodes, so I will kill it now. Thank goodness I did not waste too much time on this.

Too much wrong with this show.

Spoiler

You are supposed to hide your identity. Thats super hero rule #1.

And I don't remember the ring bearer training anyone, the ring chooses upon the wearers death on who is worthy. This almost feels like a reboot. Like they are not sticking to cannon. And what the heck was the sex scene all about? People just screw willy nilly?

Without even knowing their name? Who is writing this?

10 (edited by piraterepublic 2026-08-18 21:38:01)

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

Spoiler
inkblot wrote:

Wow this show reminded me of starring at a blank white sheet of paper. Dull, boring etc etc. Will give it one more episode before I decide to kill it.


Just realized only 8 episodes, so I will kill it now. Thank goodness I did not waste too much time on this.

Too much wrong with this show.

You are supposed to hide your identity. Thats super hero rule #1.

And I don't remember the ring bearer training anyone, the ring chooses upon the wearers death on who is worthy. This almost feels like a reboot. Like they are not sticking to cannon. And what the heck was the sex scene all about? People just screw willy nilly? Without even knowing their name? Who is writing this?

spoilers please....  not that i am expecting a DC opus...

at least you did not tell us he was dead the entire movie...... "AND I STILL HAVE NOT WATCHED IT"

pirates were the first democratic organizations in the new world
and the first organizations where women could lead men

11

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

piraterepublic wrote:
Spoiler
inkblot wrote:

Wow this show reminded me of starring at a blank white sheet of paper. Dull, boring etc etc. Will give it one more episode before I decide to kill it.


Just realized only 8 episodes, so I will kill it now. Thank goodness I did not waste too much time on this.

Too much wrong with this show.

You are supposed to hide your identity. Thats super hero rule #1.

And I don't remember the ring bearer training anyone, the ring chooses upon the wearers death on who is worthy. This almost feels like a reboot. Like they are not sticking to cannon. And what the heck was the sex scene all about? People just screw willy nilly? Without even knowing their name? Who is writing this?

spoilers please....  not that i am expecting a DC opus...

at least you did not tell us he was dead the entire movie...... "AND I STILL HAVE NOT WATCHED IT"


Fixed. But I did not consider those spoilers. But I value your opinion so I fixed it. Thank you for helping me.

12

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

FYI, I re-watched the first episode. After the 1st watch, I had many misgivings/disappointments. Liked it much more after the 2nd watch. Perhaps my expectations changed... but, again, still liked it the 2nd time.

13 (edited by Marzen216 2026-08-21 00:53:16)

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

inkblot wrote:

...Who is writing this?

James Gunn & Tim King most notably; the same kind of people as Taika Waititi who said "I will ruin your childhood".

PEE-YEW!  Yet ANOTHER 'made for the modern audience' adaptation by Hollyweird.  You know it's gonna be bad when they publicly announce "...saying GREEN Lantern Corp just sounds dumb" and they always ignore the source material.  There were so many woke tropes that I lost count before it ended.  One of which caught me off guard and made me laugh was when I saw the sign for Sheridan County, lol.  That's a 'dog whistle' to let the viewer know this is a bad place run by evil white men who love guns, militias & using the word "colonizers" when referring to aliens.  In short, it was 'comically bad', LOL.

14 (edited by fassy 2026-08-20 18:00:41)

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

meh... I mean... what's the point. Okay, I have been oversaturated by the super hero bs for many years now, biut this is just booooooooring. Not even coach Taylor can win this.

15 (edited by paisley1 2026-08-24 05:17:06)

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

1x02 had a slow start but ended pretty good, I liked it. Story is moving forward and problems are getting solved which suggests this might not be another Damon Lindelof mystery box show.

I hope this goes away, but her accent drove me crazy this episode, I was like, what accent is that, even Hal brought it up, and I was reminded of this quote:

Amy Poehler Makes Fun of British Actors Doing American Accents

https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHLc.IIZS~2ef73/w:auto/h:auto/q:75/https://bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kelly-macdonald-0.jpg

Spoiler

New Theory for Hal's death, something stupid like not recharging his ring.  Would love to hear some theories.
Is the plot with The Manhunters going to be about robot rights?  I hope not.
Nobody was sick in the hospital for days, maybe the whole town is an alien colony!!
The actor they got to play Sinestro, Ulrich Thomsen, is a dead ringer, great casting, no mistaking him:
https://imgix.bustle.com/uploads/image/2026/8/20/388b72d0/sinestro-lanters.jpg?w=400&h=300&fit=crop&crop=faces&dpr=2

https://heroichollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Copy-of-Untitled-Design-1.jpg

16

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

That apple on the head is in top 3 dumbest things I have seen on TV big_smile

17

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

I have zero faith in anything produced by DC anymore, I've been giving everything by them a pass since Aquaman came out, and this is probably gonna go unwatched too.

18

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

g371 wrote:

That apple on the head is in top 3 dumbest things I have seen on TV big_smile

Any idea why they would write Mr. Stewart as a militant, psychopathic alpha dad? They implied it happened a few times given how matter of fact the kids were with this insane demand.  Maybe Sr. is

Spoiler

one of those Martian Manhunters we learn about in ep2

, along with the obligatory announcement of how awesome it is to have white power, lol.  Still, I didn't see more than one bullet hole in the suburban shed, but then the neighbors are probably used to it by now what with 3 kids living there.

19 (edited by Phenjamin 2026-08-25 01:30:06)

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

Marzen216 wrote:

Still, I didn't see more than one bullet hole in the suburban shed

There's a lot more than one bullet hole.  You see a whole string of them going down at least a foot from the top one as he walks away.  Makes it seem like this has been going on for years as he grows taller.


Maybe Sr. is

Spoiler

one of those Martian Manhunters we learn about in ep2

Spoiler

It's just Manhunter, not Martian Manhunter.  Martian Manhunter is a hero from Mars, Manhunters are basicaly android cops, the precursors of the Lantern Corps that decided the best way to save organic folks is to kill all organic folks (oversimplified, but you get the idea)

20

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

Phenjamin wrote:
Marzen216 wrote:

Still, I didn't see more than one bullet hole in the suburban shed

There's a lot more than one bullet hole.  You see a whole string of them going down at least a foot from the top one as he walks away.  Makes it seem like this has been going on for years as he grows taller.

Oh yeah, I must have looked away when they showed young John just before he put the apple on his head.  There were 26 holes when he walked up.  That's so crazy.

21 (edited by paisley1 2026-09-02 02:58:46)

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

103 - OutKast - An origin story retcon that's less interesting than if they just followed the traditional story.  The comic character of John Stewart is more human and realistic than the TV show. 

Spoiler

John Stewarts parents weren't crazy in the comic and he was not dishonourably discharged from the military because of Hal, pitting John against Hal, that's very heavy handed writing.  The show didn't touch on the time John spent studying in Architecture and worked for Ferris Aircraft where he developed his ability to design, which is the most important part of his life path and what John Stewart is known for in the comic, detailed builds.  Maybe they'll touch on his time in architecture later.  Why ruin the social justice warrior architect version of John Stewart with this emotionless wooden character?  At least they showed John as a creative kid who liked to draw, but what a waste of screen time turning his loving parents into insane psychopaths.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDE4NDdkYjktNDZhOC00M2EyLWEyY2YtNTY1ZDcxNzY0NTRmXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1584_.jpg

22

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

1x03

Not good. Why go there?
Yeah, who needs heroes to be loved and good?
Nah, let's go with obsession and abuse...much better methods to lay the foundation.

Can't even be bothered to go into spoilers...

Deserved more runtime:
Abbys | Dead Like Me | Devs | Firefly | Gangsta. | Jack of all Trades | Kevin (probably) saves the World | Lodge 49 | Mrs. Davis | NYC 22 | Powerless | Roadkill | Special Unit 2 | Stumptown | Surface | The Brave | The Crazy Ones | The Finder | The Middleman | Truth Seekers | Two Weeks to Live | Whiskey Cavalier

https://next-episode.net/user/WilliamDrakeMcGregor/

23

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

wokity woke woke woke.... ffs!

Brothers! What we do in life...Echoes in Eternity!


http://next-episode.net/sig/sig.php?alias=default&kk=9a35ebe93d371275706bdebcafefaa47

24 (edited by Marzen216 2026-09-01 12:27:00)

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

WilliamDrakeMcGregor wrote:

1x03

Can't even be bothered to go into spoilers...

I can.  On behalf of the entire white race,

Spoiler

I'd like to apologize to the Stewart family.  This show might actually knock Lindelof's Watchmen out of first place for the most racist TV show in modern day, lol

25

Re: Lanterns [Crime, DC Studios]

Marzen216 wrote:
WilliamDrakeMcGregor wrote:

1x03

Can't even be bothered to go into spoilers...

I can.  On behalf of the entire white race,

Spoiler

I'd like to apologize to the Stewart family.  This show might actually knock Lindelof's Watchmen out of first place for the most racist TV show in modern day, lol

What makes you think both shows are racist?

I - for example - really liked that https://next-episode.net/watchmen powerfully referenced the 1921 destruction of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.