Lanterns

It’s fair to say that James Gunn’s DCU is currently on the back foot. Peacemaker’s second season started brilliantly but fizzled out as it concluded, and while Superman was a solid-enough hit in bringing the Man Of Steel back to the big screen, Supergirl was a critical and commercial disappointment. Thank the Guardians, then — no, not Gunn’s ragtag group of MCU heroes, but rather the founders of the Green Lantern Corps, DC’s intergalactic peacekeeping force — for Lanterns. For this grounded, gritty series stands as the best thing to come out of the DCU’s early slate so far.

Perhaps that should come as no surprise given the pedigree involved. The series was created by Ozark’s Chris Mundy (who also serves as showrunner), veteran comic-book writer Tom King, and screenwriter Damon Lindelof. Lindelof, of course, had great success with the 2019 Watchmen series, which built on the source material while also charting its own bold, fascinating course; that same energy is evident in Lanterns. While some fans have bristled at the Earth-bound nature of a series about space cops, the True-Detective-meets-Training-Day-meets-Men-In-Black approach to the story here mostly works.

Indeed, it’s hard not to think about the black suits, once Lanterns’ central 2016-set narrative takes hold, given that it involves aliens who can pass as humans, causing trouble in the small rural town of Rushville, Nebraska. It’s an engaging, involving, unpredictable mystery that only gets more propulsive once Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) come under more pressure to identify and stop the threat before it’s too late. Trying to keep things together as best she can is former Gothamite-turned-local Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald), a likeable presence whether she’s being stern or sympathetic to the Lanterns’ plight. (Her surname is a neat reference to comics artist Gil Kane, who created the modern-day version of Green Lantern during the 1950s.)

This is a show that gets a lot of mileage out of its central duo. On the one side is Jordan, long past his prime but still a fearless Green Lantern who’s adamant about not giving up the ring. On the other is his potential heir-apparent Stewart, who’s spent a lifetime preparing for the day he will take up the mantle. The tension between the two men as they argue over who most deserves the coveted jewellery while trying to work together — with Jordan proving to be downright Denzel-in-Training-Day-esque in his unconventional teaching methods at times — is the backbone of the series. Chandler and Pierre enjoy an entertainingly easy friend-foe chemistry.

And just as it was with Watchmen, Lanterns isn’t afraid to dig into the racial undercurrents inherent in this story. This is particularly true of the exceptional third episode, which focuses on John’s very purposeful upbringing. Where traditionally the ring has chosen its wearer — which is how Hal got his alien bling — the Guardians here take a different approach to John’s recruitment, essentially marking him for potential selection as a baby. The lifelong journey we then watch unfold as he is taught to be fearless, in a world where there’s plenty for Black boys to be fearful of, is an important and heartfelt piece of character work, one that makes the adult version Pierre plays make complete sense. Bolstered by brilliant turns from J. Alphonse Nicholson and Jasmine Cephas Jones as John’s determined parents and a clever flashback structure, it’s one of the finest hours of TV we’ve had all year.

It isn’t all perfect. There are times when the pace is too slow for its own good, especially in the 2026-set storyline, as John tries to solve a murder. The action, though entertaining enough when it comes — the fifth episode provides the best showcase of a Green Lantern’s battle prowess — can be a bit too sporadic. Fans hoping for more than just a passing mention of the cosmic world beyond the frame, or anything more substantial than quick cameos from Lantern-turned-Justice-Gang-member Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) or former Lantern Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen), may feel a bit disappointed. But what Lanterns lacks in traditional superheroics, it makes up for with strong performances and bold storytelling. And that’s a construct that’s hard not to admire.