Lanterns Episode Schedule: Full HBO & Streaming Plan

Photograph by John Johnson/HBO Max Published Aug 14, 2026, 6:49 PM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Sign in to your ScreenRant account Lanterns' release is coming closer, and the new Green Lantern series from HBO is set to change this corner of the DC Universe once and for all. Nathan Fillion's role as Guy Gardner in Superman served to boost the Green Lanterns' public perception after years of Ryan Reynolds' ill-received Green Lantern movie being the butt of jokes in the Deadpool films. Despite Superman's packed cast of characters, Guy emerged as a breakout hero. Now, he will return in HBO's upcoming series, only Fillion will not be one of the leads in the Lanterns' cast. That responsibility falls on the shoulders of Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. The veteran DC hero will have to train the rising star against his will. Lanterns is billed as DC's answer to one of HBO's best TV shows to date, True Detective. The new live-action DC show will follow Hal and John across timelines, with the duo investigating a mystery in Rushville, a small town, in 1996, and a major mystery rising in 2026, after the events of Superman. How Guy fits in remains to be seen. Sector 2814 · Ring Active How Well Do You Know Lanterns? “In brightest day, in blackest night...” 💍The RingPowered by will 🔦The Corps3,600 sectors 🌌OaThe Guardians 👮Earth BeatSector 2814 ⚠YellowPerilThe fear entity ACTIVATE RING → 01 Lanterns is one of the tentpole TV series launching James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe. On which streaming platform does it air? ANetflix BHBO Max CDisney+ DApple TV+ ✓ Correct! HBO Max — Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship streamer and the natural home for DCU prestige TV alongside Peacemaker and The Penguin. Lanterns is positioned as the DCU’s high-end serialised drama counterpart to Gunn’s theatrical Superman relaunch, sharing canon with the films. Disney+ runs Marvel; Netflix and Apple are rival streamers. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is HBO Max. Netflix has had various superhero shows but not DCU. Disney+ is Marvel’s home. Apple TV+ doesn’t house DC. HBO Max is Warner Bros. Discovery’s streamer and the TV home of the Gunn/Safran DCU — Lanterns joins Peacemaker and upcoming DCU series there. NEXT → 02 Unlike most Green Lantern adaptations, Lanterns pairs two Earth-based ring-bearers in a buddy-cop framework — a weathered veteran and a newer recruit partnered together on Sector 2814 duty. Which two Lanterns lead the show? AHal Jordan & Guy Gardner BHal Jordan & John Stewart CJohn Stewart & Kyle Rayner DHal Jordan & Kyle Rayner ✓ Correct! Hal Jordan and John Stewart — two of the most beloved Earth-assigned Lanterns — are paired as the show’s central duo. Hal is the hot-shot test-pilot veteran, John the disciplined ex-Marine architect with a sharper sense of justice. The pairing draws heavily from the Geoff Johns comics era and lets the show explore two very different philosophies of what a Green Lantern should be. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Guy Gardner (played by Nathan Fillion) is a separate DCU character who appears in the 2025 Superman film. Kyle Rayner is a beloved Lantern but not part of this show. The Lanterns duo is the Hal/John pairing — a pointedly contrasting veteran and recruit on Sector 2814 duty together. NEXT → 03 The role of Hal Jordan — the weathered, test-pilot-turned-space-cop original Earth Lantern — went to a veteran actor best known as Coach Eric Taylor on Friday Night Lights and for leading Bloodline. Who plays Hal? ARyan Reynolds (reprising) BKyle Chandler CNathan Fillion DChris Pine ✓ Correct! Kyle Chandler — Emmy winner for Friday Night Lights, star of Bloodline, and part of the Monsterverse (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) — plays an older, weathered Hal Jordan. James Gunn wanted a seasoned, grounded presence rather than a rookie. Ryan Reynolds played Hal in 2011’s widely-mocked Green Lantern film (a different continuity); Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner in the 2025 Superman film. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Kyle Chandler. Ryan Reynolds’ Hal was the 2011 film (a separate, mostly-disowned continuity). Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner in the 2025 Superman film — not Hal. Chris Pine isn’t in the DCU. Chandler’s weathered, Friday-Night-Lights gravitas is exactly the mature Hal energy Gunn wanted for the show. NEXT → 04 John Stewart — ex-Marine sniper, architect, and one of DC’s most iconic Black heroes — is played by a British actor who broke out in Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad and Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge. Who is he? AAaron Pierre BWinston Duke CSterling K. Brown DJohn Boyega ✓ Correct! Aaron Pierre — the British actor who earned raves as Caesar in The Underground Railroad (2021) and carried Netflix’s Rebel Ridge (2024) with a performance frequently compared to early Denzel Washington. Gunn called his casting “a no-brainer.” Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown and John Boyega are all great actors but not in the role. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Aaron Pierre. Winston Duke is M’Baku in the Marvel universe. Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, American Fiction) is Marvel-adjacent too. John Boyega famously played Finn in Star Wars. Pierre’s Rebel Ridge performance — playing a disciplined ex-Marine — is essentially his audition for John Stewart, and Gunn’s team cast him off it. NEXT → 05 James Gunn has repeatedly pitched Lanterns as a grounded, small-town murder-mystery thriller — where the space-cop rings are secondary to a detective case on Earth. Which acclaimed HBO series is his go-to tonal comparison? ATrue Detective BThe Wire CWestworld DWatchmen ✓ Correct! Gunn has explicitly called Lanterns his “True Detective in the DCU” — a slow-burn, atmospheric, character-driven case with superhero elements layered over a grounded murder mystery. Showrunner Chris Mundy actually did True Detective: Night Country duties, bringing that DNA directly. Watchmen (Damon Lindelof) was also cited, and Lindelof has consulting writer credits, but True Detective is the primary comp. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is True Detective. Gunn has named it as the explicit tonal blueprint — a slow-burn, character-driven murder mystery with superhero elements layered over it. Chris Mundy, the show’s runner, worked on True Detective: Night Country, bringing the DNA directly. Watchmen was a secondary comp (Damon Lindelof consults), but True Detective is the primary pitch. NEXT → 06 When James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as DC Studios co-CEOs in 2022, they announced a rebooted slate of interconnected films and TV shows — with Lanterns among the launch titles. What is this first DCU phase officially called? AChapter 1: Gods and Monsters BCrisis on Infinite Earths CThe Flashpoint Initiative DDark Knights Rising ✓ Correct! Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters — announced in January 2023 as the Gunn/Safran DCU’s opening slate. It includes Superman (2025), The Authority, Supergirl, The Brave and the Bold, Paradise Lost, Waller, Creature Commandos, and of course Lanterns. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a comics event; Flashpoint and Dark Knights are other DC storylines, not the chapter branding. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. Crisis on Infinite Earths is a famous DC comics crossover event (and Arrowverse crossover) but not a DCU chapter label. Flashpoint was referenced in The Flash (2023) from the now-defunct DCEU. The Gunn/Safran era officially named its launch phase Gods and Monsters — Superman 2025, Lanterns, and related titles. NEXT → 07 Green Lanterns serve the Guardians of the Universe, an ancient race who created the Corps’ 3,600-sector peacekeeping force and charge the Lantern rings from a central Power Battery on their home planet. What is the Guardians’ homeworld called? AKrypton BOa CThemyscira DApokolips ✓ Correct! Oa — the small blue-skinned Guardians’ home at the centre of the universe. It houses the Central Power Battery from which all Green Lantern rings draw their energy, and serves as the Corps’ academy and operational base. Krypton is Superman’s destroyed homeworld; Themyscira is Wonder Woman’s hidden Amazon island; Apokolips is Darkseid’s hellscape. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is Oa. Krypton is Superman’s homeworld. Themyscira is Paradise Island where Wonder Woman was raised. Apokolips is Darkseid’s grim world in the Fourth World mythos. Oa is specifically the Guardians of the Universe’s planet — home to the Central Power Battery that fuels every Green Lantern ring in all 3,600 sectors. NEXT → 08 Every Green Lantern recites the same oath when charging their ring — a four-line rhyming incantation that’s become one of the most famous pieces of verse in comic-book history. How does it famously begin? A“In the darkest hour, a light shall rise...” B“In brightest day, in blackest night...” C“By the power of Oa, I serve...” D“Ring of willpower, heed my call...” ✓ Correct! “In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil’s might / Beware my power — Green Lantern’s light!” The oath dates back to 1940’s All-American Comics #16, was refined through the Silver Age, and is considered one of DC’s most sacred bits of verse. Every canonical adaptation includes some version of it. ✗ Ring malfunction! The answer is “In brightest day, in blackest night...” The full oath: “No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil’s might / Beware my power — Green Lantern’s light!” It’s been canon since 1940 and remains one of comics’ most instantly recognisable pieces of verse — recited in every major Green Lantern adaptation. REVEAL MY SCORE → Ring Depowered · Report to Oa Your Corps Rank 💍 / 8 Honor Guard veteran — or still in Corps training? ⤴ RECHARGE RING In the streaming age, superhero shows have had many different release schedules. Some Marvel and DC shows have been released weekly, while others dropped all of their episodes at once as a binge. There are even superhero shows that had a multi-episode premiere and then switched to a weekly format. So, what is Lanterns' release schedule on HBO? Lanterns Season 1 Premieres Sunday, August 16, On HBO Lanterns will debut on HBO on Sunday, August 16, at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT. Different from superhero series like WandaVision and The Boys, the new DC show will only air a single episode on that day. In addition to its release on HBO, Lanterns' season premiere, as well as the rest of season 1, will also be released on HBO Max at the same time. Lanterns takes over House of the Dragon's timeslot after season 3 came to an end. Before the DC show's first episode airs, HBO has already released the first five minutes of Lanterns. As such, anyone who is interested in the gritty detective twist to what are superheroes used to cosmic action, can check out how Lanterns sets up Hal Jordan and John Stewart through a key flashback in its first moments. Alongside the trailers released thus far, this should help anyone still on the fence about whether they should watch Lanterns or not make a decision. What Time New Episodes Of Lanterns Release On HBO Max Every Week Photograph by John Johnson/HBO Max As Lanterns season 1 debuts with only one episode, the rest of the DC series' eight episodes will be released on HBO and HBO Max weekly, on Sundays, in the same 9 PM ET/6 PM PT timeslot. There will be no multi-episode drops for the live-action DC series. After its August 16 debut, Lanterns will come to and end with episode 8, the season 1 finale, on October 4. Those watching Lanterns will also have a companion series to check out each week. Right after watching new episodes of HBO's Green Lantern series, fans will be able to go straight into The Lanterns Official Podcast. The companion series will be hosted by Juju Green, airing new episodes after each new Lanterns entry. The podcast will be available on HBO Max, YouTube, and the usual podcast platforms. Interviews with Lanterns' cast, creators, writers, and more are to be expected, and you can watch the exclusive trailer for The Lanterns Official Podcast here. Lanterns Season 1 Full Episode Schedule Explained With eight episodes in Lanterns season 1 and the first hour of the new HBO drama releasing on Sunday, August 16, at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT, there is really no mystery to its release schedule. Unless an unforeseen factor makes itself known, this is how Lanterns season 1's episodes should roll out: Lanterns Season 1 Release Schedule Episode # Release Date (at 9 p.m. on HBO & HBO Max) 1 August 16, 2026 2 August 23, 2026 3 August 30, 2026 4 September 6, 2026 5 September 13, 2026 6 September 20, 2026 7 September 27, 2026 8 October 4, 2026 Ahead of Lanterns' release, ScreenRant learned from co-creator Damon Lindelof about HBO's plans for Lanterns season 2. According to the creative, "Chris Mundy has already started a new writers’ room, figuring out what new stories could be for Lanterns." So, if Lanterns season 1 is successful, season 2 and beyond could get made by DC. Release Date August 16, 2026 Network HBO Showrunner Chris Mundy Cast Aaron Pierre John Stewart Kelly Macdonald Sheriff Kerry Directors James Hawes Writers Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof Franchise(s) DC Universe Creator(s) Tom King, Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof