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In brightest day, in blackest night … when can I watch Lanterns tonight? Fifteen years after Ryan Reynolds’ take on Green Lantern bombed at the summer box office, DC will finally do the Emerald Knight justice in Lanterns. The HBO series introduces a new version of Green Lantern Hal Jordan who is canonical to James Gunn’s DC cinematic universe. And he isn’t alone.
In Lanterns, which begins streaming on HBO Max on Sunday, August 16, Kyle Chandler stars as Hal Jordan, a former Air Force test pilot and veteran of the Green Lantern Corps. He takes on a new recruit, a decorated U.S. Marine named John Stewart (played by Rebel Ridge’s Aaron Pierre). According to series co-creator Chris Mundy, Stewart is selected by the Guardians of Oa to become Earth’s new Green Lantern, but he doesn’t have the ring just yet. It’s “the old guard and the heir apparent,” Mundy told Entertainment Weekly. “We lean into that tension quite a bit.”
But something is afoot on Earth. In rural Nebraska, Jordan and Stewart spring into action to solve a murder. As the two Lanterns piece together the potentially alien origins of the crime, their relationship is tested as Jordan is all too keen to make sure he’s the one and only Green Lantern of Earth.
Unlike the popcorn action movie with Ryan Reynolds, Lanterns has ambitions as a detective noir set in the heart of gothic Americana. While it isn’t quite “DC’s True Detective,” it’s definitely gunning for a new kind of Green Lantern story. (Maybe “DC’s Yellowstone” is more apt.) Either way, Lanterns is shaping up rule HBO Sunday nights, if for no other reason than giving audiences a worthwhile Green Lantern for once. Never mind that Nathan Fillion makes a pretty good Guy Gardner.
For DC Comics fans who fear nothing, here’s how to tune in to the newest must-see superhero series.
How Can I Watch Lanterns?
Lanterns will air on HBO on Sunday, August 16, at 9 p.m. ET and stream simultaneously on HBO Max. The superhero series is basically taking over the primetime Sunday slot vacated by House of the Dragon, which just aired its season 3 finale. Will Lanterns find an audience the size of Game of Thrones, or is Targaryen firepower too strong for the will of the Lantern Corps? We’ll find out next week when the viewership numbers start coming in. For now, here’s how to never miss an episode.
Below are the official premiere dates for all eight episodes of Lanterns.
Episode 1: “Pilot” — August 16
Episode 2: TBA — August 23
Episode 3: TBA — August 30
Episode 4: TBA — September 6
Episode 5: TBA — September 13
Episode 6: TBA — September 20
Episode 7: TBA — September 27
Episode 8: TBA — October 4 (finale)