10 TV Shows Like Lanterns That You Should Watch in the Future.
Under James Gunn’s leadership, the DC Universe promised diversity, and in that spirit, we’ll soon be getting Lanterns, a series starring Kyle Chandler as veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as rookie John Stewart, battling evil… in Nebraska. The two superheroes find themselves embroiled in a murder investigation in a tiny town, a far cry from the typical intergalactic adventures of the Green Lantern Corps—cosmic police officers who can create almost anything with their fancy rings. (Though it’s not unprecedented, as in the 1970s comics, Hal teamed up with Green Arrow to travel the country and see how we live here on Earth.)
Clearly, it’s too early to draw conclusions about the new HBO Max series, and it remains to be seen whether it will be seen as a successful genre move or a limited waste of potential. Either way, Lanterns won’t be the first series to push the boundaries of the sci-fi and superhero genres. Here are 10 other series that have arguably succeeded.
Watchmen (2019)
A standalone sequel to the groundbreaking ’80s graphic novel by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins, this series explores the world of that book (arguably the origin of all modern superhero deconstruction), with a little help from Lanterns co-creator Damon Lindelof. Set in an alternate Tulsa, Oklahoma, where vigilante superheroes exist and are banned, the series opens with a depiction of the real-life massacre and destruction of Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street” by white residents in 1921. Regina King plays Angela Abar, a modern-day police officer whose grandparents died in the attacks. These events resonate throughout the series, which focuses on the aftermath of the original comic’s plot and the conspiracies that arose from it. Like Lanterns , this series explores life on earth in a world where gods fly above us. Watch Watchmen on HBO Max or buy episodes on Prime Video .
Green Lantern: The Animated Series (2011–2013)
Produced by arguably the best Green Lantern adaptations to date, this series from the creators of Batman: The Animated Series takes a decidedly opposite approach to reality. Instead, it uses decades of comic book history to send Green Lantern and his team into deep space for the biggest adventures imaginable. Hal Jordan (Josh Keaton) is one of the best Lanterns in the Corps, but his reputation for recklessness makes his superiors distrust him. When he learns that enraged Red Lanterns are killing his comrades in deep space, he defies orders and steals a prototype ship to help. Things get complicated on the frontier, as the series balances standalone adventures with a longer storyline about the nature of the Red Lanterns and whether their green counterparts are entirely good guys. Buy Green Lantern: The Animated Series on Prime Video .
Penguin (2024)
Dark and violent stories set in Gotham City are nothing new, so this series is perhaps a little less different from Lanterns —though, prestige superhero crime dramas were relatively new territory back in 2024. This spinoff of the latest Batman film (starring Robert Pattinson) follows a rising gangster star, played by Colin Farrell. After the murder of boss Carmine Falcone, Penguin and the completely deranged Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti, who won an Emmy for her role) fight for control of the criminal underworld. After decades of Batman adaptations, it’s refreshing to see what happens in Gotham City when the Caped Crusader turns his back. Watch Penguin on HBO Max .
Superman and Lois (2021–2024)
It’s a bold claim to say Elizabeth Tulloch and Tyler Hoechlin are one of the best Lois and Clark couples in live-action cinema, but still. Skipping the plot of previous seasons, the series jumps to the future, where the couple is now married and raising two teenage children, Jonathan and Jordan. They’ve just returned to Smallville to provide their children with a semblance of a normal life. Good luck with that! The series blends small-town drama with big-time superhero action, especially in the final seasons, when crime boss Bruno Mannheim (Chad L. Coleman), who cares about the local community, uses a Bizarro-style clone to take Superman out of his way while their wives battle cancer. Watch Superman & Lois on HBO Max .
Doom Patrol (2019–2023)
This is a bold and incredibly queer superhero series, featuring characters like the non-binary Danny the Street (literally, street), paranormal investigators called “Sex Men,” Imaginary Jesus, and orgasm-inducing bodybuilder Flex Mentallo. All this queerness is bolstered by superb, often emotional performances from the entire cast, including Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, April Bowlby, Diane Guerrero, Joivan Wade, Michelle Gomez, and Timothy Dalton. The series’ queer and sex-positive approach sets it apart from the typically chaste, heterosexual superhero universe on television. Watch “Doom Patrol” on HBO Max .
Batman: The Caped Crusader (2024–)
There are plenty of Batman TV shows, but this one has a real style, harking back to the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series (which isn’t surprising, considering it was also developed by Bruce Timm). Set in the 1940s, the series eschews some of the more over-the-top superhero tropes, focusing on a Gotham City teeming with crime, corrupt cops, and gang warfare. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s a strong enough reinvention to feel fresh, especially when most other superhero shows seem to invest heavily in crossovers and spinoffs. Watch Batman: The Caped Crusader on Prime Video .
Commando (2024 – )
In this animated series, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, reprising her role from the DC films) assembles a special forces team to protect a foreign nation from the Amazonian sorceress Circe. Waller can’t trust real people, so her team consists entirely of real monsters: The Bride (Indira Varma), Doctor Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), Eric Frankenstein (David Harbour), and the aquatic mutant Nina Mazursky (Zoe Chao), as well as a Nazi-obsessed robot soldier and the rodent-like Weasel (both Sean Gunn). While intensely violent and darkly humorous, this series from James Gunn and his team also infuses an impressive amount of heart. Plus, it’s set in the same relatively new universe as The Lanterns , so you won’t fall behind on your homework. Watch Commando on HBO Max.
Echo (2024)
Alaqua Cox returns as Maya Lopez, a deaf assassin who once worked for Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk. Now on the run from the mob boss, she returns to her Oklahoma hometown to confront her past and reconnect with her family and Choctaw roots. The personal motives mark a welcome shift toward the personal and away from the multiversal scope of recent Marvel films—even though the series spans centuries of Choctaw history. Watch “Echo” on Disney+ .
Andor (2022–2025)
They’re in different galaxies, but if you’re looking for a realistic series rooted in science fiction, Andor is the one for you. Just when I thought I was done with Star Wars , along comes this prequel, the morally complex story of thief-turned-Rebel spy Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), who becomes radicalized and becomes the heart and soul of the Rebellion. We follow the Empire’s slow advance, the galaxy’s inhabitants becoming accustomed to growing fascism, and delve into the conflicts between the various Rebel factions: Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly, fights from within the Galactic Senate, while Luten Rael, played by Stellan Skarsgård, Andor’s handler, prefers dark deeds carried out under cover of darkness. Forest Whitaker’s So Gerrera is willing to burn the galaxy to the ground rather than let it become what he hates. The film’s scope is vast, but its focus is on those at the bottom of society and what they do—or don’t do—in the face of tyranny. And there’s a lot of dust. Watch Andor on Disney+ .
True Detective (2014–)
Much has been made of Starlight as the DC Universe’s answer to True Detective , and here we are. This crime series began with a murder investigation in Oklahoma, with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson investigating a case that leads to a larger mystery bordering on cosmic events. In the final season, seasoned police chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Sergeant Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reyes) confront their complicated pasts while searching for missing scientists at a research station in a remote Alaskan town. Watch True Detective on HBO Max .