It feels like 2026 is another superhero-heavy year for TV and film, giving fans a good run with Daredevil: Born Again, Spider-Man, Spider-Noir, X-Men ’97 and the upcoming VisionQuest. And now, Lanterns is set to take viewers into America’s Heartland this summer. The new live-action series from DC Studios and Warner Bros. introduces the intergalactically powered characters to TV for the first time under James Gunn’s watch.
Aaron Pierre steps into the shoes of John Stewart, whose backstory in DC Comics as a ring-carrying member of the Green Lantern Corps shows his background as a US Marine and architect has made him one of the most formidable Lanterns. Kyle Chandler plays Hal Jordan, the very first human Lantern and a legend among the heroes in his own right. Together, the pair gets dropped into a mystery in a small town in Nebraska.
Don’t expect a full-on police-style procedural, though. Sinestro will also appear in the series (as a hero or villain, we’re not sure yet), as will Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, who viewers may recognize from his role in Superman and Peacemaker.
The cast also features Ulrich Thomsen (as Sinestro), Kelly Macdonald, Laura Linney, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, Nicole Ari Parker and J. Alphonse Nicholson. Scroll on to learn where and when to watch every episode of the Lanterns, and click the video below to watch the first five minutes of the premiere.
Release date and time for Lanterns
You can watch the debut of Lanterns on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO Max and HBO. The show’s first season will have eight episodes that drop weekly through October. While this is its own entry into DC’s on-screen universe, if you want to get familiar with Green Lantern lore, check out the animated series on HBO Max, or get into Peacemaker and Superman for a look at Guy Gardner’s place in the DCU.
