Lanterns Season 2 Renewal Status Get Shocking Updates Despite HBO Ratings Records

Published Sep 11, 2026, 2:51 PM EDT Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour. Lanterns has been a big hit for HBO, so a season 2 renewal seems a given, but there's a shocking new update for the future. Lanterns had the biggest DC Studios premiere in HBO Max history when it debuted in mid-August with 9.3 million viewers, and the ratings have only gone up. Similarly, reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, and the series earned a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score currently sitting at 75%. However, there is no guarantee that HBO will renew Lanterns for season 2. A new report from The Ankler revealed that executives at the premium cable network have no intention of making a decision anytime soon. In fact, it sounds like everything will hinge on the ideas that come out of the writers' room, which opened back up in July. Over the past several weeks, the team has been creating pitch pages to present to the network. HBO executives want to continue the show, which is a good sign, but they're still waiting for the pitches. Lanterns stars Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as Hal Jordan and John Stewart, two Green Lanterns in the DC Universe who team up to investigate the shocking mysteries surrounding a murder in Nebraska. Their co-stars are Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan and Ulrich Thomsen, Jason Ritter, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Paul Ben-Victor and Jasmine Cephas Jones. Nathan Fillion is expected to reprise his DC character Guy Gardner, who previously appeared in Superman and Peacemaker. Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King co-created Lanterns, though the latter two won't be returning next season, should HBO give the green light. Mundy is the showrunner, and he's now been joined by Chris Cantwell as co-showrunner to work with the writers on season 2 pitches. As of right now, Lanterns is the only DC Universe series on the air. Peacemaker, which brought John Cena back as the titular character from The Suicide Squad, aired two seasons in 2022 and 2025, received exceptional reviews from critics, and earned two Emmy nominations. There are no plans for season 3 at the moment because DC Studios co-chair James Gunn plans to use the character elsewhere in the superhero universe. Looking ahead, DC is currently filming The People vs. Gorilla Grodd, which brings Skyler Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen from Superman to the small screen as The Daily Planet seeks to uncover the truth behind the villain's alleged murder of his father. Creature Commandos season 2 is also in the works. It's unknown at this point when the Lanterns writers' room will present their pitches to HBO. The series only has four more episodes left in season 1, with the finale scheduled for October 4. Lanterns airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO and HBO Max. Release Date August 16, 2026 Network HBO Showrunner Chris Mundy Cast Aaron Pierre John Stewart A modern Green Lantern update, Lanterns sees intergalactic law enforcers John Stewart and Hal Jordan unite, defending Earth while they investigate a murder mystery set in the American heartland. 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 Main Genre Sci-Fi Creator(s) Tom King, Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof Executive Producer(s) Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, James Gunn, James Hawes, Peter Safran, Tom King, Ron Schmidt Producers Breannah Gibson, James Gunn, Peter Safran, Ron Schmidt, Vanessa Baden Kelly, Karen Wacker, Kiegan Downs Seasons 1 Release Window 2026