Our latest journey into the DC Universe has just begun with HBO’s space-age detective story, “Lanterns.” As it stands, Aaron Pierre, who is no stranger to the DCU after appearing in the “Superman” prequel series “Krypton,” is delivering here as the stoic and super cool John Stewart, who is in the running to become the newest Green Lantern of space sector 2814. Keeping him in check, though, is OG GLC member Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), whose future doesn’t look too promising if the first episode’s final moments suggest anything.
Whatever mystery unfolds, there’s no doubt that “Lanterns” really is just what the DCU needs following the disappointing “Supergirl” movie, and should have fans being hit with a jolt of enthusiasm for what’s to come. But while everyone sits and waits for the answers, perhaps there are some alternative shows to stick on that are still very much in the detective-like mood? Keeping our feet firmly on the ground and skimming through some of the best detective shows that can fill the weekly gap between “Lanterns” episodes.
They feature some best buds and bitter rivals who are all trying to crack a case that left audiences hooked for either whole seasons or entire runs. So what are you waiting for? Charge your rings, cancel your plans for the next few evenings, and when you’re done, get these case files on our desk by Friday, or, you know, whenever is suitable for you. We’re television geeks, not guardians of the universe, after all.
Peacemaker
Now that we’re done and dusted with the first episode of a DCU television show from HBO Max, it’s only fitting that we stay a bit longer in this world of Men of Steel and Green Lanterns. Perhaps the best area to revisit in that case is with Christopher Smith (John Cena), aka “Peacemaker,” in his very own show. After his spin-off series following the events of “The Suicide Squad” debuted on television in 2022, Peacemaker is one of the few characters to have inhabited both iterations of the DC universe before the reboot.
Thankfully, the F-bomb-dropping, incredibly flawed characters that are crossing lines that other heroes of this world rarely do is what made it the booming success that it is, with most of the praise falling on John Cena in what remains a career-best performance. Like only truly great shows can, Gunn’s “Peacemaker” manages to get its audience on-side with a character that comes into his own series with bad baggage and not just pity, but root for him by the end of the second season.
Often fighting for what’s right the wrong way, all while dishing out Gunn’s routinely ridiculous sense of humor, “Peacemaker” still stands as the best thing to come out of the DCU because of how much heart it has that not even some of the greats can compete with, and we doubt any other hero will for some time. Sorry, Superman.
True Detective Season 1
It had long been inferred in the lead-up to “Lanterns” that co-creators Damon Lindelof, Chris Mundy, and esteemed comic book writer Tom King weren’t so much looking to old “Green Lanterns” story arcs as to a legendary HBO series for inspiration. One title that was getting regularly thrown around when the show went into development was “True Detective,” and it only took a first episode of the new series to see that they held true to their word.
Sure, it might’ve become an anthology series, but when watching Stewart and Jordan being cold to one another, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to Woody Harrelson’s Martin Hart or Matthew McConaughey’s Rustin Cohle from the show’s debut season. By doing so, it’ll understandably make you want to revisit Nic Pizzolatto’s groundbreaking series that helped spark the well-documented McConaissance that showed the world the fella known for being “alright, alright, alright” was actually a damn good actor.
Expertly crafted and wonderfully performed by the show’s leading pair, Rust and Cohle did for detectives what “Breaking Bad’s” Walter White did for anti-heroes. The mold was broken in their discovery of the Yellow King and journey through a flat circle of time that is always worth going back to, if only to see Harrelson’s consistently baffled and brilliantly funny look at his partner who never sleeps; he just dreams.
The Wire
It could be argued that, in a show where all the pieces mattered, far more is at play in the television masterpiece “The Wire” than in “Lanterns.” It’s why you might also be scratching your head over why following the latest comic book series up with the groundbreaking crime saga seems like a sensible idea. That’s because at the core of David Simon’s revered drama series is one of television’s best detective pairs in the form of Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) and Bunk Moreland (current Jimmy White of “Superman,” Wendell Pierce), who feel like what John and Hal could be if they stuck it out in the Green Lantern Corps together.
Both severely flawed lawmen in their own right, these longtime pals’ bickering back-and-forth is what makes them such great characters to watch. McNulty is the corner-cutting, law-bending detective who, to quote Bunk, “gives a f**** when it isn’t your turn to give a f***.” As for his backup with a badge, Moreland is the seasoned, stoic detective who is regularly dragged into McNulty’s antics that draw the wrong kind of attention from the higher-ups. Nevertheless, both are exceptionally well-written characters, as demonstrated by one of the greatest crime-scene investigations in television history, where the F-bombs are dropped and we know every step they’re taking. Truly good police.
The Watchmen
It was a big ask for Damon Lindelof to try to restore the reputation of “Green Lantern” after the substantial damage caused by the Ryan Reynolds-starring 2011 slip-up. Thankfully, this isn’t the writer’s first rodeo with superhero-themed material. In 2019, he gave the world the exceptional R-rated sequel series, “Watchmen,” which followed not Zack Snyder’s adaptation but the original
Following the events of the original page-turner that followed gods, monsters, and a murder mystery involving a comedian, Lindelof’s series was set 34 years after Ozymandias’s maniacal scheme, which also led to the disappearance of Dr. Manhattan. Since then, law enforcement has hidden behind masks (imagine) trying to thwart the efforts of a terrorist group known as the Seventh Kavalry that adheres to the journal of Rorschach. It makes for a heated landscape for police officer Angela Abar/Sister Night to fall into a political conspiracy involving her boss (played by Don Johnson), and call on the help of a forgotten hero to help put things right.
Even after seven years, Lindelof’s venture into Moore’s world offers a clearer, all the more alarming reflection of our own world that can’t be ignored. Add to that exceptional performances from stars like Regina King as Sister Night, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as her lover with a strange history, and Jeremy Irons as an aged but excellent Ozymandias, and “Watchmen” still remains one of the greatest superhero adaptations of all time.
The Leftovers
Perhaps one of the toughest and most rewarding entries on this list, once again from the mind of Lindelof, is “The Leftovers.” Based on the book by Tom Perrotta, the sci-fi series is set three years after a global event that saw 2% of the population disappear without a trace. With no explanation as to how or why this happened, the rest of the world is forced to keep on turning. Among them are police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) and his family, including his son, who has joined a newly formed cult since the “Sudden Departure” led by Holy Wayne (Paterson Joseph), who claims to be the second coming of Christ.
Spanning only three seasons, “The Leftovers” is a heavy watch that not only deals with grief but also sees people question their own faith. How can there be belief in the unknown when an unexplainable incident has led to the disappearance of 140,000 people? As a result, “The Leftovers” carry on for better or worse, fighting for their own existence or what’s left of it. Loaded with incredible performances across the board, “The Leftovers” really does feel like another from Lindelof’s back catalog that doesn’t get talked about enough. That’s probably because once you’re done, you’ll be speechless over how to process it all.
