Lanterns, Snuffed Out

This week, news broke that James Gunn and Peter Safran are out as co-CEOs of DC Studios. Whether they were casualties of new Skydance executives, scapegoats for box office shortfalls, or victims of delusional Zach Snyder fans who think their online whining has finally borne fruit? Not really important. Bottom line: they'll be shepherding no more DC projects on film or television.

So... perfect time for me to talk about one of their DC television projects that I only just got around to finishing!

I hadn't been looking forward to Lanterns; the character of Green Lantern was of no particular interest to me. But as episodes rolled out on HBO Max every week (in the historically prestigious Sunday night slot), the buzz was this show was actually worth taking a look at -- and so finally, about halfway through the run, I did.

I think I was expecting some kind of cosmic / magic fusion, a CG-bolstered carnival of insanity. Much to my surprise, Lanterns was instead a very down-to-Earth tale of one grumpy, aging Lantern "training" the next generation... cleverly interwoven with flash-forwards looking at their relationship one decade later. The show was a smart take on several "cop" sub-genres: detective show and mis-matched "buddy" cops, just to name two of the more prominent ones.

And the cast was excellent. Kyle Chandler is in that handful of actors who seems to always have some TV show, though this is the first time I've actually been pulled into one. I don't think he usually plays a character as curmudgeonly as this one, but he does an excellent job of blending that quality with the clear likable charisma that's kept him on screens for decades. Aaron Pierre isn't a household name, but he wowed me in the movie Rebel Ridge, and he's perfect for his character here. Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan -- they're all perennial actors you've seen somewhere before (probably many times) who once again turn in strong performances here. And guest starring appearances by the likes of Jason Ritter, Laura Linney, Nathan Fillion, and more certainly elevate things even further.

At the end of the eight-episode season, I was impressed by just how much they'd "left it all on the field." Certainly, the stage was set for more stories to continue. But had there been a season two of Lanterns (and now it seems there won't be), it couldn't have looked anything like the first. The deftly woven story of multiple timelines, the gradual reveal of important backstory -- all of that's done, and frankly wrapped up in a neat and satisfying bow. It felt like the creative powers behind the show did the unthinkable for a modern superhero franchise: they focused first on telling this one story well, only worrying about the larger stakes of the "cinematic universe" as a secondary concern. And, as it turns out, those seem to have been exactly the right priorities. This story remains; the cinematic universe is no more.

I doubt Lanterns will wind up being a top 10 show of the year for me when 2026 is all wrapped up. Still, for being far more enjoyable than I'd ever expected, I give Lanterns a B+.