Five Sci-Fi Series to Watch Like Lanterns

Lanterns recently came to an end, and it more than delivered as both a great comic book series and a great piece of television. The series thrived thanks to the dynamic between Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), and it managed to revitalize interest in the Green Lantern franchise following the less-than-stellar Green Lantern movie from 2011. That achievement belongs to creators Damon Lindelof, Chris Mundy, and Tom King.

Now that Lanterns has ended, fans might want to watch a series to fill that post-Lanterns void on Sundays. Pierre is slated to return as John Stewart in Man of Tomorrow next year, but viewers seeking sci-fi tropes alongside a compelling mystery have several options. Here are five shows that make for the perfect binge-watch.

1 Watchmen

Streaming on: HBO Max

Lanterns is not the first time Damon Lindelof brought an iconic DC Comics series to life. In 2019, Lindelof served as the showrunner on Watchmen, an HBO series based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen operates as a sequel to the original comic, building on a world changed by Ozymandias (Jeremy Irons). Police officers must wear costumes after an attack by the Seventh Kalvary, a white supremacist group. Angela Abar (Regina King), known in costume as Sister Night, uncovers a mystery tying back to her family and a key character from the source material.

Much like Lanterns, Watchmen faced initial skepticism. Alan Moore’s displeasure with adaptations was well known, and fans questioned the need for a TV version after the film adaptation. However, Watchmen won over critics by expanding on the comic’s events and weaving real history into the storytelling. The presence of Doctor Manhattan adds sci-fi elements while keeping the narrative grounded.

2 Andor

Streaming on: Disney+

Lanterns stands out from other superhero television shows because it feels tonally distinct from projects like Superman and Peacemaker. It proves that a creator can enter a long-standing franchise and leave a personal stamp on it. Fans looking for a series in that same spirit should check out Andor. Taking place before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Andor follows Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as he joins the growing Rebellion. Cassian’s growth from thief to revolutionary drives the story, alongside the machinations of Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) and the struggles of Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly).

In the same way Lanterns separates itself from DC Studios work, Andor stands out from other Star Wars projects by examining the steep costs of rebellion. Cassian loses his mother and Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona), the love of his life, and he spends months imprisoned in an Imperial facility. He also witnesses a genocide on the planet Ghorman as the Empire strips it for materials to build the Death Star. Showrunner Tony Gilroy shapes this approach, adding depth to Rogue One and the broader Star Wars universe.

3 Heroes

Streaming on: Netflix, Tubi

There was a time when Marvel and DC characters did not dominate screens. Shows like Smallville appealed primarily to hardcore fans. That dynamic changed when Heroes debuted in 2006. The characters in Heroes possessed superhuman powers like flight and time manipulation, but they started as normal people. They banded together to stop an impending apocalypse, establishing the tagline: “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”

Heroes ran for four seasons, but Season 1 remains the high point. The cast featured future stars including Zachary Quinto, and the show translated comic book elements to television effectively. Demand for fan-favorite characters derailed creator Tim Kring’s plan to make Heroes an anthology, and the 2007 writers’ strike cut Season 2 short. Although later seasons struggled, it was the first series to find humanity in superhumanity.

4 Fringe

Streaming on: Pluto TV, Hulu, Prime Video

Anyone looking for sci-fi elements and a central partnership akin to Lanterns should try Fringe. The series follows the Fringe Division, a secretive FBI branch investigating cases linked to a parallel universe. The team consists of FBI Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble), and Walter’s son Peter (Joshua Jackson). As the story progresses, Fringe escalates its sci-fi concepts, culminating in the Season 1 finale “There’s More Than One of Everything”.

Long before multiverse stories flooded pop culture, Fringe tackled the concept to explore identity and raise stakes. It became the successor to The X-Files that Fox needed. Like Heroes, Fringe launched its creators J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman toward bigger projects, leading them to reboot Star Trek for the silver screen and reunite with Leonard Nimoy.

5 Westworld

Episodes available to purchase on Apple TV and YouTube

A decade ago, HBO launched its most ambitious sci-fi series with Westworld. Inspired by the Michael Crichton movie, Westworld is set in the far future, where the Delos Corporation operates a Western-themed amusement park populated by lifelike androids. The androids eventually gain free will and turn on humanity. What makes Westworld stand out is its reliance on mysteries, including a hidden maze within the park and the existence of sentient hosts.

Critics and fans initially billed Westworld as a successor to Game of Thrones, though its trajectory mirrored Heroes. After two strong seasons, viewership dropped following Season 3, and Season 4 passed quietly. Westworld was later removed from HBO Max during a 2022 library purge, requiring fans to purchase episodes digitally or on physical media. Despite its later struggles, the series helped pave the way for thought-provoking sci-fi television like Lanterns.

Source: Polygon