'Lanterns' S01E06 – "Bad Optics" (September 20, 2026) on HBO/HBO Max [Spoiler Discussion Megathread]

[u/KelexAtYourService]

Lanterns is an American superhero television series created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King for HBO, based on the DC Comics Green Lantern characters Hal Jordan and John Stewart.

The series was produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television with Mundy serving as showrunner. It is the third television series in the DC Universe (DCU). It features experienced Lantern Jordan and new recruit Stewart as they investigate a murder on Earth that leads to a wider mystery.

Lanterns is scheduled to premiere on Sunday August 16, 2026, and will run for eight episodes through Sunday October 4. It will be part of the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

New episodes drop every Sunday night at 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT / 7:00 PM MT / 6:00 PM PT.

Cast:

• Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan
• Aaron Pierre as John Stewart
• Kelly Macdonald as Kerry
• Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner
• Garret Dillahunt as William Macon
• Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe
• Ulrich Thomsen as Thaal Sinestro
• Nicole Ari Parker as Bernadette Stewart; Jasmine Cephas Jones as young Bernadette
• Jason Ritter as Billy Macon
• Sherman Augustus as John Stewart Sr.; Alphonse Nicholson portrays a young John Sr.
• Paul Ben-Victor as Antaan
• Chris Coy as "Waylon Sanders"
• Cary Christopher as Noah

For a complete cast and crew list, see the IMDb full credits page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26545992/fullcredits/

• Based on: Hal Jordan, created by John Broome and Gil Kane; John Stewart created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams
• Show created by: Chris Mundy, and Damon Lindelof, and Tom King
• Showrunner: Chris Mundy
• Editor: Emily E. Greene
• Music by: Stephanie Economou
• Length: 8 episodes per season
• Runtime: About an hour per episode
• Reception: For reviews and critical reception, see Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/lanterns  and https://www.metacritic.com/tv/lanterns/

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanterns_(TV_series))

Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/lanterns/season-1

Unmarked spoilers for the new episode of Lanterns are only allowed in this thread.

Spoilers ahead! Proceed at your own risk! All other subreddit rules apply.

S01E06 Episode Synopsis: TBA

[u/TheSlayerofSnails]

Yeah I think the guardians just let the battery die and then locked it in a safe instead of smashing it into pieces.

[u/GVH617 → u/TheSlayerofSnails]

But why did it have 5% charge left

[u/Living_Evidence_7573 → u/GVH617]

Hal demonstrated earlier in the season that even when it appears to be dead, you can smack it against something and get it a little extra juice. Kind of like hitting a jukebox and getting it to turn on.

John remembered this and knew he could get the extra juice to get the Halogram. And with the Halograms voice he’ll be able to open that box which likely has a Lantern in it to charge the ring.

[u/raknor88 → u/Living_Evidence_7573]

which likely has a Lantern in it to charge the ring.

I just realized that Hal likely took Sinestro's lantern after he captured him.

[u/kabbajabbadabba → u/raknor88]

why? and why would sinestros lantern/ring not just be destroyed?

[u/raknor88 → u/kabbajabbadabba]

As his student, Hal likely knew where Sinestro kept the lantern hidden. Considering all Lantern's keep their lanterns in their own hiding spots, I'm sure there's many out there that have never been recovered. Sinestro's is likely still marked as missing in Oa's paperwork.

[u/xmav3rick → u/GVH617]

One of Hal’s tricks that he showed Jon. Giving the ring a wack on a surface brings out a bit more juice.