Breakdowns
Lanterns
HBO's DC Universe series drops two Green Lanterns into a small-town murder case — eight episodes, weekly, covered here as they air.
HBO Streaming on HBO Max Premiered Aug 16, 2026
Covering weekly New episode, new piece. Every week it airs.
9.3 Series average
7 / 8 Episodes covered
3 Other pieces
Season 1
- E1
Lanterns' premiere is the most confident pilot DC Studios has made yet Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre turn a Nebraska murder mystery into the best Green Lantern story ever put on screen — and the ending just blew the whole season wide open. 9.5/10 All-Timer - E2
This Lanterns episode made me trust the whole show "Trust Fall" doubles down on everything Episode 1 promised — the humor, the mystery, and a Sinestro cameo that reframes the entire season. 9.6/10 All-Timer - E3
Lanterns Gives John Stewart an Origin That's Genuinely Uncomfortable Episode 3 traces John Stewart from a fearlessness experiment to a Marine sniper to a Green Lantern — and the closer you look at how he got there, the harder it is to just cheer. 8.4/10 Banger - E4
"Lanterns" episode 4 finally lets Hal and John be partners "The Weenie" is the first hour where the buddy-cop show underneath all that Nebraska dread actually shows up — and it's my favorite episode of the season so far. 9.6/10 All-Timer - E5
The ring doesn't make you a hero, it makes you afraid to stop being one Episode 5 of Lanterns finally shows what the power ring actually does to a person — and why the guy who was built from birth to wear it decided he'd rather not. - E6
Lanterns buries Hal Jordan and somehow makes it the best hour of the season Episode 6, "Bad Optics," turns a funeral into the most emotional thing Lanterns has done — then rips the rug out from under all of it in the final thirty seconds. 9.7/10 All-Timer - E7
Lanterns Episode 7 Turns Hal and John's Bond Into Pure Grief "The Jordan Boys Legacy" cracks open a black hole, a suicide note, and Sinestro's return — and it might be the show's best hour yet. 8.8/10 Banger - E8 Not covered yet
