Lanterns' Finale Marks The End Of An Era For DC

Published Oct 12, 2026, 5:45 PM EDT Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers. Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism. The ending of Lanterns also marks the end of an era for the DCU as a whole. Lanterns was already a groundbreaking show for the DCU. It introduced a major member of the Justice League in Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, served as just the second live-action show in the franchise after Peacemaker, and the finale of Lanterns season 1 killed off a major character in Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan. Plus, it was a resounding success, both in terms of viewership and critical acclaim, and served as a much-needed win for the franchise after the failure of Supergirl. In spite of all its successes, Lanterns season 2 hasn't been renewed yet. While the writers' room for Lanterns season 2 is reportedly open, HBO hasn't made an official decision one way or another. Lanterns has also proven divisive among fans, a factor that may make it more difficult to renew. Aaron Pierre's John Stewart is set to appear in Man of Tomorrow, the upcoming Superman sequel, but for now, the fate of Lanterns remains uncertain. That uncertainty surrounding Lanterns season 2 is also exactly the reason why it's the end of an era for the DCU as a whole. Lanterns is the start of an era, an era where John Stewart is the franchise's main Green Lantern and where he'll begin appearing in other projects, but it's also the end of HBO's involvement in the DCU, at least for the foreseeable future. HBO Max Has Upcoming DC Shows After Lanterns, But HBO Doesn't For the first time in more than four years, HBO no longer has an upcoming DC show in active development. The slate of upcoming DCU shows, which includes The People v. Gorilla Grodd, Creature Commandos season 2, and Mister Miracle, are all HBO Max originals. While it may seem like an insignificant distinction, the difference between HBO and HBO Max is actually rather large. HBO has always been associated with prestige, live-action television like The Sopranos and Game of Thrones. HBO is also very selective in an effort to maintain that association, producing only a few originals every year. A show being an HBO original is basically a mark of quality at this point; it's a near-guarantee that the series is going to be big-budget, extremely well-written, and worth paying attention to. HBO Max, on the other hand, is a lot broader and less selective than HBO. HBO Max dabbles in everything from animation to reality television, and the streaming service doesn't have nearly the reputation HBO does. While there have been some great HBO Max originals, like The Pitt and Station Eleven, the streamer has also produced just as many failures, like Velma. Now that Lanterns season 2 hasn't been confirmed yet, this is the first time HBO hasn't had a DC project in active development since March 2022, when The Penguin was first announced. The era of DCU shows on HBO rather than HBO Max is over, at least for the time being. There's always the chance that Lanterns season 2 will get the green light, or that HBO will pick another DC property to make a live-action show about. For now, however, DCU fans don't have a guarantee that the franchise will get another HBO-level show any time soon. HBO's Track Record With DC Proves Its Next Show Could Be Another Big Hit HBO likely hasn't announced or confirmed another DC project because of its extremely selective approach to television shows, but that's not a condemnation of the DCU. In fact, HBO and DC have a fairly long and very acclaimed history with one another. The first DC show on HBO, 2019's Watchmen, received 96% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and is widely regarded as the best adaptation of Alan Moore's classic comic series. Then, HBO continued its hot streak with The Penguin in 2024, which got similarly great review scores and even won several acclaimed awards, including Emmys, Critics' Choice Awards, and Saturn Awards. As previously mentioned, Lanterns has also been a major hit with critics and in terms of viewership numbers. Every DC story that HBO has decided to make has been a huge success for the channel. HBO's track record with DC is a great sign that there will not only be another DCU show on the channel in the future, but also that whatever show comes next will be just as great as its predecessors. It was already well-known that HBO can create fantastic television, but now it's clear that the channel's ability to produce great stories easily extends to the superhero genre as well. Lanterns may be the end of the DCU's relationship with HBO for now, but that era is almost certainly going to restart. Release Date August 16, 2026 Network HBO Showrunner Chris Mundy Cast Aaron Pierre John Stewart Directors Alik Sakharov, James Hawes, Stephen Williams, Geeta Patel Writers Damon Lindelof, Chris Mundy, Tom King, Vanessa Baden Kelly, Justin Britt-Gibson, Breannah Gibson Franchise(s) DC Universe Creator(s) Tom King, Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof