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August 16 - 22, 2026 Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler in “Lanterns”

DC’s greenest rookie Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler, “Friday Night Lights”) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre, “The Underground Railroad”) fight intergalactic crime in “Lanterns,” premiering Sunday, Aug. 16, on HBO and HBO Max. Set in both 2016 and the present day, the former timeline sees Hal train new Green Lantern recruit John, while the current plot involves “undisclosed events that the team is saving for a later reveal.” Nathan Fillion (“Castle”) co-stars as “resident jerk” Guy Gardner.

Brightest day, blackest night HBO’s ‘Lanterns’ glows green with might

By Dana Simpson TV Media

hen crime occurs between human beings on Earth, the police are generally called. But who does one call when a crime is committed between various beings from different Earths? Why, they call the Green Lanterns, of course! After several long-awaited — some canceled — adaptations and reimaginings, “Lanterns,” a Green Lantern-focused series, premieres Sunday, Aug. 16, on HBO and HBO Max. First created by American cartoonist Martin Nodell in 1940 (just two years into the Golden Age of Comic Books, which would run until approximately 1956), Green Lantern differs from most other DC or Marvel superheroes in that there is not just one lone figure who carries the name, but several. While it is true that Nodell’s Green Lantern (alias Alan Scott) was initially a solo crime fighter, the character’s 1959 postGolden Age revival introduced the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic law enforcement agency that vows to protect the 3,600 sectors of the universe. Recognizable by their primarily green outfits and signature magic ring, there are now reportedly more than 7,200 Green Lanterns across all timelines. “Lanterns,” however, has chosen to focus on two: veteran hero Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler, “Friday Night Lights”) and newcomer John Stewart (Aaron Pierre, “The Underground Railroad”). “The series follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery with cosmic ties as they investigate a murder in the American heartland,” the official HBO description reads. According to EW.com, “the plot of ‘Lanterns’ plays out across two timelines. In 2016, John, just two months into his training, joins Hal to investigate a shooting in Rushville, Nebraska, that might have an alien connection. There will then be flash-forwards to 2026 to undisclosed events that the team is saving for a later reveal.” Although promotion for the series has been remarkably minimal for a large-scale DC superhero project, showrunner Chris Mundy (“Ozark”) has been a bit more forthcoming than the press materials about the overall vibe and themes of the show. “Our show is in a lot of ways about replacement — when should someone step aside and when is it time for the next person to take the reins?” Mundy told Men’s Health entertainment editor Nojan Aminosharei in an interview for his October 2025 profile about “Lanterns” series’ star Pierre, titled “The Very Fast, Achingly Slow, Meteoric Rise of Aaron Pierre.”

Kelly Macdonald, Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler in “Lanterns” “That push and pull between those two char- puts him through a series of rigorous training acacters is really important,” Mundy continued. tivities to prepare him for success in intergalactic “So much of the power that John has is by not law enforcement. And although the pair manage taking the bait, understanding that you lose your to bond amid cheeky banter and a common goal, power if you’re yelling and screaming. That’s Hal knows that his mission goes beyond simply what we’re trying to convey: he knows he betraining John to be his backup, as stated by the longs, so he doesn’t have to overcompensate. corps higher-ups: John is Hal’s replacement. There’s a real balance there that’s just innately inThankfully, John and Hal’s friendly relationship side of Aaron [Pierre]. He’s big. He’s an intimidat- also seems to have transcended into real-life (or ing presence just physically. But there’s a softness maybe it was vice versa), as both Pierre and to him, too. There’s a thoughtfulness. You can’t Chandler shared the nuances of their working reteach that.” lationship with EW.com. Pierre is taking on the role of former architect “We both find a lot of joy in not knowing exand U.S. Marine Corps veteran John Stewart, no- actly where the scene is gonna go,” Pierre noted, tably one of DC’s first Black superheroes, who de- adding, “We’ll never do anything that will derail buted in “Green Lantern” issue 87 in 1971. “The the scene. We’ll never do anything that will third human to ever wield a Green Lantern ring,” change the storyline. We’ll always get from point according to DC.com, John shows “leadership A to point B successfully, but how we get there, and tactical brilliance,” particularly with respect you never know.” to the construction of his power ring, which he For his part, Chandler likened their connection builds “from the inside out, down to the last nut to one of the greatest on-screen comedy duos in and bolt — the result of his keen architectural history, saying, “Abbott would never let Costello mind.” hit the ground and Costello would never let AbJohn’s cool head and Marine training also bott hit the ground. But they let him get real come in handy in “Lanterns,” as his mentor Hal close.”

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“Lanterns” also stars Nathan Fillion (“Castle”) as “resident jerk of the superhero community” Guy Gardner (per DC.com), while Ulrich Thomsen (“Shining Girls”) appears as Sinestro, a disgraced former Green Lantern whose quest for absolute power got him kicked out of the corps. Laura Linney (“Ozark”), Kelly Macdonald (“No Country for Old Men,” 2007), Garret Dillahunt (“Raising Hope”), Jason Ritter (“Matlock”), Poorna Jagannathan (“Never Have I Ever”), Nicole Ari Parker (“Remember the Titans,” 2000), J. Alphonse Nicholson (“P-Valley”) and Sherman Augustus (“Stranger Things”) also appear in recurring roles. Don’t miss out on Green Lantern training when “Lanterns” premieres Sunday, Aug. 16, on HBO and HBO Max.

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