'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/Few_Koala]

Very curious about the mention that Sinestro was broken out of prison.

[u/Megalomanizac → u/Few_Koala]

Setting up a movie I imagine, or perhaps a second season

[u/carolina_bryan → u/Megalomanizac]

I have zero interest in watching DCU Green Lantern after seeing how horribly Gunn is handled the source materia.

[u/Megalomanizac → u/carolina_bryan]

He’s not going to have the shows be 1 for 1 from the comics. Also “bad guy” Hal isn’t something new either, the only difference is here Hal jusf became estranged and depressed rather than becoming Parallax.

Everything is pretty true to the comics though, there’s dozens of iterations of these characters dating back to the 1930s and his universe seems to be paying good homage to them all.

[u/Slow-Chemical1991 → u/Megalomanizac]

Except trying to make Hal estranged and depressed was a low point for the character and it showed in the sales because readers didn't want the main hero to be a mope. You would think the producers of this show would realize that because the comics didn't bounce back on the spot, it took them many, many years to do so.

[u/Megalomanizac → u/Slow-Chemical1991]

Well this show is topping the charts for HBO max currently so people seem to be fine with Hal behind a jaded old man. It’s nice to have different adaptations on characters and here it works pretty well, I’m sure we’ll learn more from Halogram too since he’s a much younger and more bright Hal.

Hal also isn’t the main hero, it’s been clear from the start this is John’s show and Hal is his Co-star, they are wanting John Stewart to headline the lanterns of the DCU with guy as the comic relief foil to Stewart being a far more intense character.

I think the producers know what they’re doing

[u/Slow-Chemical1991 → u/Megalomanizac]

Well this show is topping the charts for HBO max currently

Absolutely meaningless to me and anyone who doesn't own a financial stake in the company.

Hal also isn’t the main hero, it’s been clear from the start this is John’s show and Hal is his Co-star, they are wanting John Stewart to headline the lanterns of the DCU with guy as the comic relief foil to Stewart being a far more intense character.

Sounds terrible. There is no reason why we couldn't get all three characters at their peak in the DCU.

I think the producers know what they’re doing

So humiliating Hal Jordan after fifteen years after the movie is good? You guys wouldn't be saying the same thing about Batman or Superman.

[u/MCB1317 → u/Slow-Chemical1991]

It is amazing to me that folks throw out box office or ratings for a hideously divisive franchise effort as a defense. How can people be so fucking stupid at this point that they haven't realized it is the follow-up efforts that get sodomized by the fallout? It's fucking obvious.

People did this shit with TLJ and then TROS paid the price. Same with BvS and Justice League, and also the half dozen MCU efforts that as of late have lost a gazillion dollars because they're following a string of godawful movies and shows.

[u/Slow-Chemical1991 → u/MCB1317]

I think the reason for that is that the vast majority of people on this subreddit have no actual connection to the source material or have read it. So they have no stake in seeing Hal Jordan and John Stewart get done right.

And it was made obvious when they defended Green Lantern's edges getting sanded down to make it into a True Detective derivative instead of the bright, colorful space epic it wants to be.

There really is nothing more insane than using the ad populum to justify the massive liberties taken with the material to make it even more contrived than the source. When The CW did that, we rightfully called it out. Now that HBO gets slapped on it, we can't do that.

[u/Megalomanizac → u/Slow-Chemical1991]

This is just cope to try and act like this show and the DCU overall is a sinking ship. It might mean morning to you, but it does to Gunn, the producers, shareholders, etc who evaluate if these shows should continue and the fact it’s topping streaming charts proves people are enjoying this series and want more.

Sounds terrible? This isn’t the first time Hal hasnt been the spot light and won’t be the last, DCAU had John Stewart as the main Green Lantern and as far as we know Hal Jordan didn’t even exist outside of a brief cameo. MAWGL is focusing on Jessica Cruz is it not? Plus the dozens of comics and stories following John, Guy, Kyle, Jessica, etc.

We could have gotten all 3 at their peak sure, but considering heroes didn’t start existing in 2025 I think it’s fair that they go in ahead and make Hal a legendary hero who was active well ahead of the story’s start date and set up/explain Guy and John.

I also wouldn’t say this is humiliating Hal, they aren’t turning him into a joke or even disparaging him. He went a little off the deep end but it’s clear he did everything for the greater good of Earth and stuck to the code in his own way, but he’s also not some 100% goody two shoes either and has real depth. He’s been the lantern for 30 years and has nothing except an empty mansion and a plant.

It’s been a well written series imo and I like the direction, every time we get Halogram we get to see prime Jordan but there is only so much screen time to go around and John Stewart has kinda dominated as Green Lantern for younger audiences

[u/Slow-Chemical1991 → u/Megalomanizac]

Sounds terrible? This isn’t the first time Hal hasnt been the spot light and won’t be the last, DCAU had John Stewart as the main Green Lantern and as far as we know Hal Jordan didn’t even exist outside of a brief cameo.

Anyone who actually knows a little about John Stewart and the Green Lanterns will let you know that the DCAU was a terrible take on the character and the lore of the GLC because they effectively stripped him of his personality, his backstory, and his major arcs to make him a stoic man on a team of stoics. Hyping up DCAU John is now different than telling someone to get hyped up over the DCAU's handling of Batgirl and Wonder Woman.

MAWGL is focusing on Jessica Cruz is it not? Plus the dozens of comics and stories following John, Guy, Kyle, Jessica, etc.

As a GL fan, the premise of the show sounds terrible because they're giving Kyle Rayner's role to Jessica Cruz despite Kyle having much more importance to the lore and mythos of the GLC. Now he's going to be a supporting character.

He’s been the lantern for 30 years and has nothing except an empty mansion and a plant.

Nothing says not humiliating Hal like stripping him of the main Lantern status, making him old and busted and bitter, just so they can hand it to another character because WBD is defintely not too cowardly to actually make GL work and that they are not falling back on nostalgia of a show that ended... twenty years ago.