10 Must-Watch Shows for Fans of HBO's 'Lanterns'

Published Oct 2, 2026, 6:47 AM EDT

Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features, reviews, recaps, and conducts interviews. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His novella, The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain, was released in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.

Sign in to your Collider account

Lanterns has made waves among the comic book community for its grounded re-imagining of the Green Lantern mythos. Folks who have adored HBO's new direction for the characters — Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) — will likely find a kinship in some other prestige dramas and television gems with similar styles, characters, or stars. If that sounds like you, then this may be the list for you.

From superhero shows and comic book dramas to programs to animated gems and detective stories, these are shows like Lanterns in some form or another that fans of the show may just enjoy. They aren't all Green Lantern tales (though there are a few of those too), but there's plenty of excitement and critically acclaimed material here to go around. So, charge those power rings, because these are some shows like Lanterns that may speak to you.

'Watchmen' (2019)

Image via HBO

Getting the giant elephant (or radioactive, glowing blue man) out of the way, Watchmen is here because it's another HBO drama based on DC Comics characters and created by Lost showrunner Damon Lindelof. While it's technically a sequel to the original Alan Moore comic series, the truth is that Watchmen is more of its own thing, telling a different story with different characters in the aftermath of the climactic end of the Moore story itself. Like Lanterns, it's a re-imagining of the traditional comic book lore.

Many of the themes expressed emphatically in Watchmen are likewise present in Lanterns, with Lindelof deconstructing the concept of costumed/powered heroes and interpreting that through a distinct 2010s lens. That may or may not be interesting to you, but Watchmen became one of the most acclaimed comic book dramas of the decade. In fact, some consider it a perfect HBO miniseries.

'True Detective' (2014–Present)

Image via HBO

Long before we even saw our first glimpse at Lanterns, the show was heavily teased by HBO as being a Green Lantern spin on True Detective. Well, the results were a bit less Green Lantern and a bit more True Detective, which has worked for many. If that's you, then catching at least the first season of Nic Pizzolatto's famed HBO detective drama is probably something that you'll enjoy.

The first season, which starred Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, was widely acclaimed for its nihilistic atmosphere and powerful performances. Many count it a masterpiece of detective-themed television, and by the time you get to the end of the season-long mystery you may just agree. There's so much going on in this hard-R HBO series that it's hard to catch it all at first.

'Friday Night Lights' (2006–2011)

Image via NBC

Now, if you love Lanterns because of Kyle Chandler, we can understand that. Even with the new HBO drama in consideration, easily the most popular and widely beloved Chandler-led series is Friday Night Lights. If you thought his accent on Lanterns was sweet, wait until you're listening to it non-stop throughout five seasons of this Texas-based high school football drama. With the seasons changing, this essential fall show deserves another shot.

"Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose" — that's the line that Coach Taylor always spouted at his players, and it typically worked. With riveting character dramas, compelling serialized plots, and stars who knew how to catch the eye, Friday Night Lights is one of those iconic early 2000s television shows that everyone was watching. Chandler was certainly a part of the reason.

'Krypton' (2018–2019)

Image via SYFY

Of course, you may also be interested in following Aaron Pierre beyond the power ring, and if that's the case, we have some good news for you. While Lanterns is the first time he's broken out as a leading man, he first appeared on a DC Comics-related program as Dev-Em on the Syfy series Krypton. Spanning only two seasons, this sci-fi-flavored Superman prequel (one of the best Superman-related shows out there) explores the titular alien world like none other, and Pierre's character is there through all of it.

Of course, Krypton actually follows the Man of Steel's grandfather, Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe), who is romantic rivals with Dev-Em for the hand of Lyta-Zod (Georgina Campbell). Although the series ends on something of a cliffhanger, the Syfy extravaganza combines iconic comic book mythos with time travel and plenty of inspired reinvention to make Superman's homeworld feel vibrant and alive. It's sort of the opposite approach that Lanterns takes regarding its alien characters, but you'll love it.

Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Superhero Team Should You Join? Avengers · X-Men · Teen Titans · The Boys

Every team is a personality test with a uniform. One saves the world and argues about it the whole way home. One has been fighting for the right to exist since the day it formed. One is still working out who it is while the fighting happens. And one has no powers at all, plus no intention of playing fair. Eight questions decide where you actually belong.

🛡️Avengers(Marvel Studios)

🧬X-Men(Marvel)

🐦Teen Titans(DC)

💊The Boys(Prime Video)

FIND YOUR TEAM →

01

What kind of power would you actually want? The power matters less than what you would be willing to do with it.

ASomething enormous and obvious. I would not hide it. BSomething I was born with, whether I wanted it or not. CSomething still growing that I cannot quite control. DNone at all. I would rather nobody sees me coming.

NEXT QUESTION →

02

Why join a team at all? Nobody puts on the suit for the reason they say out loud.

ABecause some threats are too big for anyone alone. BBecause people like me are safer together than apart. CBecause I did not want to do any of this alone. DBecause somebody has to hold these people accountable.

NEXT QUESTION →

03

How do you feel about the people in charge? Every team has a chain of command. Very few of them survive contact.

AI will follow a good leader and argue with a bad one. BThey have never protected people like me. I expect nothing. CI am still learning who to trust, and getting it wrong. DThey are the problem. That is the entire point.

NEXT QUESTION →

04

What is your role inside a group? Every roster needs the same handful of people to function.

AThe big personality. I take up room and I earn it. BThe one who protects whoever arrived most recently. CThe heart. I keep everybody talking to each other. DThe one who says the uncomfortable thing out loud.

NEXT QUESTION →

05

How do you win a fight you should lose? This is the scene the entire film gets built around.

AOverwhelming force, and a very good landing. BWorking together in a way nobody saw coming. CRefusing to give up long after I should have. DPreparation, leverage, and one extremely dirty trick.

NEXT QUESTION →

06

What is this work costing you? Nobody does this for free. The bill just arrives differently for everyone.

AMy private life. Everybody knows my face now. BMy safety. The world is frightened of me. CMy childhood. I grew up faster than I should have. DMy peace. I cannot stop now that I know.

NEXT QUESTION →

07

How should the world see your team? Half of this job is public relations, and everybody knows it.

AAs icons. The team everyone is relieved to see arrive. BAs people. Just people, which is all we ever asked. CAs proof the next generation is going to be fine. DThey should not see us at all until it is done.

NEXT QUESTION →

08

The offer arrives. What makes you say yes? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides your team.

AThe scale. If the world is ending, I want to be there. BThe promise that I would not have to hide anymore. CThe people. I would be joining friends, not an employer. DThe chance to take down somebody who deserves it.

REVEAL MY TEAM →

Recruitment Is Complete Your Team Is…

Four teams, four completely different reasons to put yourself in danger for strangers. This is the roster you actually belong on, what they would want from you, and what it would cost you to stay.

The Avengers

You belong where the stakes are largest and the personalities are loudest. This is a team of people who are all used to being the most important person in the room, which is exactly why it works and exactly why it keeps nearly falling apart.

• The Avengers are not friends who became a team. They are a team that slowly and reluctantly became friends, and you would recognise every stage of that process.
• You can hold your own among big egos without needing to win every exchange, which is the real entry requirement here.
• The arguing is part of the method. This group does its best thinking mid-disagreement, usually at volume, usually in a very expensive building.
• When the sky opens, they are who shows up. You would want to be standing in that line.

The X-Men

You have never had the luxury of being thanked for this. The X-Men protect a world that has never once been comfortable with them existing, and something in you understands exactly why they keep doing it anyway.

• This is the only team on the list whose central conflict is not a villain. It is being wanted gone by the same people they keep saving.
• You know what it is to be the outsider in a room and to decide, anyway, that you will not make yourself smaller so everyone else is comfortable.
• The X-Men are the most genuine found family in comics. People arrive with nowhere else to go and are never once asked to explain themselves.
• You would not be joining for the glory. There has never been any.

The Teen Titans

You do not want colleagues, you want your people. The Titans are the team where the friendship came first and the world-saving turned up afterwards as an inconvenient side effect.

• Every Titan is somebody's sidekick who decided to stop being one. That decision, not the villain of the week, is what the team is actually about.
• You would be joining people who are all working themselves out at the same time as you, which is far less lonely than being the only one.
• The Titans lose regularly. Then they eat together and come back better, which is a more honest model of growing up than any other team here manages.
• The tower would be loud, chaotic, and the first place that ever felt like yours.

The Boys

You are not asking who to trust. You worked out the answer a while ago and it was nobody in a cape. This is where you go once you have decided the people in charge need watching, and that nobody else is going to do it.

• The Boys have no powers, no mandate and no funding. What they have is leverage, patience, and a very high tolerance for consequences.
• You are the person in the room who notices the thing everybody else has quietly agreed not to mention.
• This is not a heroic team and it has never pretended otherwise. It is a group of damaged people doing necessary work in ways nobody would call clean.
• You would not sleep well. You would keep going anyway.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

'Spider-Noir' (2026)

Image via Prime Video

If you're in the mood for more superhero detective stories, but you want something that feels a bit more like a traditional comic book, look no further than Spider-Noir. The Prime Video Spider-Man adaptation features Nicolas Cage as web-slinging variant Ben Reilly, a private eye who moonlights as a vigilante known as "The Spider." Available in both black-and-white and color, you can choose your own adventure.

Of course, Spider-Noir is quite different from Lanterns in style. While the HBO series is a contemporary alien-focused crime drama, Spider-Noir is a period piece that echos Hollywood's Golden Age as it seeks to evoke the cinematic style of classic noir pictures like The Big Sleep. Still, Lanterns fans will enjoy the solid leading man as he fumbles his way through a super-powered mystery, no matter whether you watch in color or not.

'Green Lantern: The Animated Series' (2011–2013)

Image via Cartoon Network

Now, if more Hal Jordan is what you're after, then there's really only one television series out there already tailor-made for you. If you haven't watched Green Lantern: The Animated Series, it may be about time you started. Following the adventures of Hal Jordan (Josh Keaton) as he and his partner Kilowog (Kevin Michael Richardson) explore "Frontier Space" in an effort to stop an invasion of wrathful Red Lanterns from taking over the universe.

Despite being animated, Green Lantern perfectly captures the heart and soul of Hal Jordan as a character. It's enjoyable both for younger audiences looking to get into the cosmic aspect of the DC Universe and mature viewers hoping to find Hal in his prime. As one of the greatest animated shows out there with fewer than 40 episodes, Green Lantern: The Animated Series is a perfect Lanterns follow-up — especially if you thought the HBO drama was too grounded and wanted to get more into the "space cop" aspect of the character.

'Justice League' (2001–2004)

Image via Warner Bros. Animation

If you're going to watch Green Lantern for more Hal Jordan, then you should give Justice League a go if you want more John Stewart. Voiced by Phil LaMarr, the animated take on DC's greatest heroes — and a seminal installment in the DC Animated Universe — propelled John into the forefront. For many who grew up with this cinematic animated production, John was always their Green Lantern.

Although not every episode focuses specifically, episodes like "In the Blackest Night," "Hearts and Minds," "Wild Cards," and Starcrossed" really lean into John's character. Of course, he's a main staple of plenty of Justice League adventures (including the best Justice League episodes), and that would also continue in the sequel series Justice League Unlimited. This version of Green Lantern is a bit more defined than his Lanterns counterpart, but perhaps that's exactly what you're looking for!

'Gotham' (2014–2019)

Image via FOX

If you love the idea of a detective series set within the DC Universe, then Gotham may just be the next binge for you. The Batman prequel series follows a young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), but it mostly centers around a younger Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) as he navigates the Gotham underworld, trying to be a good cop in a city full of bad. What starts as a pretty grounded detective procedural quickly turns into a full-on love-letter to the Batman corner of DC Comics.

Offering an inspired depiction of Gotham City, the Fox drama ran for five seasons as Gordon exhausted his ability to keep the city from tearing itself apart and Bruce learned how to best protect the streets as the Dark Knight. Even if it's a bit more comic book-y than you are hoping for as a Lanterns fan, you'll find that this take on the Batman mythos has plenty to offer. Gotham was never a perfect show, but then again, Lanterns isn't either — so enjoy it for what it is.

'Arrow' (2012–2020)

Image via The CW

Speaking of imperfect DC Comics adaptations that change foundational elements of the characters and re-imagine iconic heroes beyond the page, Arrow is a more grounded take on Green Arrow, at least at first. Stephen Amell played Oliver Queen, a wealthy billionaire playboy who spends five years in hell before returning home with a new mission: save his city. Now a bow-and-arrow-clad vigilante, Oliver is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that darkness is vanquished.

While Arrow began as an especially grounded take on the character, it also birthed the larger Arrowverse of shows, including The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and others. As time went on, Arrow itself leaned more into the fantastical, though Oliver himself remained a largely grounded character. Sure, sometimes he was more Batman-like than Green Arrow, but if you love Lanterns, then you likely don't care about strict comic book continuity much anyway.

'Daredevil' (2015–2018)

If Arrow is the more soap operatic version of grounded superhero television, then Daredevil is the mature version of what a grounded comic book show can (and arguably should) look like. A co-production between Marvel and Netflix, the three-season take on lawyer-turned-vigilante Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) not only honors the comics that came before, but cleverly reworks them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And if you thought the fight sequences on Arrow were impressive, they're nothing compared to Daredevil.

Lanterns fans will appreciate both the grounded approach and mature storytelling. Although there is plenty of detective work at play here, the series largely focuses on combining meaty character drama with action spectacle, just like the best Daredevil comic books. The series would be revived years later in Daredevil: Born Again, which continues the battle for New York City in the present.

Daredevil

• 

  Matt Murdock / Daredevil

• 

  Karen Page