Will there be a season 2 of Lanterns?

HBO's Lanterns has dropped its hotly anticipated finale, leaving fans to question whether it will return for a second run.

Lanterns has been a major ratings success for the rebooted DC Universe, topping previous live-action offering Peacemaker (starring John Cena) and animated series Creature Commandos.

Taking a considerable deviation from the source material, the new show trades cosmic spectacle for a grounded murder-mystery most commonly compared to another HBO-produced gem: True Detective.

Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre star as veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan and his protégé John Stewart respectively; an unlikely pairing drawn into investigating a killing in a quiet Nebraska neighbourhood.

It unravels into a far larger conspiracy, involving a sinister race of shape-shifting aliens, one of which has taken root inside the town of Rushville.

With the finale teasing more stories to come, attention has turned sharply to whether HBO will order more. If you're as intrigued as we are, here is everything we know about the future of Lanterns.

As of 5 October 2026, Lanterns has not been renewed or cancelled.

A second season remains a possibility rather than a certainty, and no official order has been given by HBO.

Reporting indicates that a writers' room is operating to work on ideas and pitches for a potential follow-up, with co-creator Chris Mundy being joined by Halt and Catch Fire's Christopher Cantwell.

However, that development does not amount to a green light, and the show's future still rests on HBO and DC Studios signing off on another run.

Why has Lanterns season 2 not been confirmed?

Despite strong viewing figures, a renewal has yet to materialise.

The uncertainty has fuelled debate and speculation over whether Lanterns has met the expectations of a project from DC – a fiercely debated franchise online.

It may be that HBO was waiting to see if Lanterns would retain its strong audience across the entire run, or perhaps the network was waiting to see how the finale is received.

HBO has been burned before by genre shows with controversial endings – Game of Thrones being perhaps the most infamous example – so that would be understandable.

For now, the lack of a firm commitment leaves the project in limbo rather than cancelled outright. We'll update this page once a decision is announced.

What have the makers of Lanterns said?

There has been relatively little chatter from the show's creative team regarding what could happen next.

In fact, co-creators Tom King and Damon Lindelof reportedly would not return for a second season, even in the event that it was ordered.

Instead, they are moving on to other projects, including another DC gig in King's case, as he adapts his acclaimed Mister Miracle comic book to animation.

Although not involved in developing season 2, Lindelof remained convinced that any future episodes would not undo the controversial decision to kill off Hal Jordan.

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He told Collider: "I can only tell you that everybody in the season 1 room, inclusive of the writers who are working on ideating on season 2, felt like... the worst possible schmuck-baity thing that we could do is show you a pilot where Hal Jordan was definitively dead, and then try to walk it back and say, 'Oh, he was a clone'."

It suggests that Pierre could be the sole lead actor in a potential season 2, which is a shame for anyone who's been enjoying his viral bromance with Chandler on social media.

Lanterns season 1 is available to watch on HBO Max. Get HBO Max and NOW membership for £6.99 a month.

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