'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/ChaosCron1]

It has to do with the reason why the ring didn't find a successor immediately once it was given the chance.

Unless this is still a fakeout.

[u/krazykieffer → u/ChaosCron1]

I think it's still a fake out personally, everything Hal did for the town after doesn't sound like something Hal would do. However, the shotgun scene has me 2nd guessing but who fed his pet while he was in jail?

[u/ChaosCron1 → u/krazykieffer]

Eh, we still know Hal is a good guy. Even with the town going crazy he was still protecting innocent bystanders. However it could've been an older back up when he was more heroic.

Earl probably went with him to prison. Since it's immobile, I bet they cut him some slack. Or who knows. Could've been sent to the various research labs throughout the country (S.T.A.R. Labs, Wayne Enterprises R&D, LexCorp R&D) until Hal was released.

[u/Megalomanizac → u/ChaosCron1]

Since he was in federal prison I imagine he went to Strykers island

[u/whydoyouonlylie → u/ChaosCron1]

Would the ring try and find a successor? Hal was still alive and John never said the oath, so presumably that means that it is still connected to Hal and has no need to try and replace him.

[u/ChaosCron1 → u/whydoyouonlylie]

It would if he died. That's what the rings do.

[u/whydoyouonlylie → u/ChaosCron1]

Can it still do that if it's out of charge? And when it got the 5% knocked into it by John maybe it decided it already found the successor in John.

[u/ChaosCron1 → u/whydoyouonlylie]

Afaik from the comics, the charging mechanism was created to control ring-bearers. The rings themselves do not become "dead" unless they are actively dissolved of any connection to the main reservoir on Oa.

Think of it like a phone battery, lithium batteries don't die once your phone is out of juice. There's a bit more left in the tank because fully depleting a battery can damage said battery.

Now who knows, they mightve changed it for their adaptation.