HBO Developing Neo-Western Series Lanterns

It is difficult to escape Yellowstone. The Western drama series stars Kevin Costner as the patriarch of the family that owns the largest cattle ranch in Montana. The show entered popular culture after premiering on the Paramount Network in 2018. The Taylor Sheridan flagship series ended in 2024, and prequel series 1883 and 1923 have concluded as well. However, the story of Yellowstone continues through spin-off series like Marshals and Dutton Ranch. Viewers looking for a similar experience can turn to a different new show.

Lanterns is HBO’s live-action adaptation of the DC Green Lantern mythos. The series recently concluded its first season. The intergalactic space cops at the center of the story might seem distant from Yellowstone, but the show plays up that contrast. The rural town of Rushville, Nebraska serves as the setting for the majority of the series. The town features untrustworthy cattle barons, sheriffs, and residents familiar to fans of the Yellowstone universe.

Part of the appeal of Lanterns is watching established Green Lantern Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler from Friday Night Lights, and his new trainee John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre from Rebel Ridge, navigate this setting while handling a cosmic threat. Season 1 consists of eight hour-long episodes, making it much shorter than the complete Yellowstone franchise.

HBO provides an official logline for the series. Lanterns follows two intergalactic cops, new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, who are drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. Chris Mundy from Ozark and True Detective, Damon Lindelof from Watchmen and The Leftovers, and comic writer Tom King co-created the series. They serve as executive producers alongside DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran.

The ensemble cast of Lanterns features Kelly Macdonald from Brave as Sheriff Kerry Kane, Poorna Jaganathan from Never Have I Ever as Zoe Macon, and Garret Dillahunt from Raising Hope as William Macon. Jason Ritter from Gravity Falls plays Billy Macon, J. Alphonse Nicholson from They Cloned Tyrone plays John Stewart Sr., and Jasmine Cephas Jones from Hamilton plays Bernadette Stewart. Ulrich Thomsen from Banshee portrays Thaal Sinestro, and Laura Linney from Ozark plays Lianna, a cosmic Guardian of the Universe. Nathan Fillion from The Rookie reprises his role as Green Lantern Guy Gardner from 2025’s Superman and Peacemaker Season 2.

A second season of Lanterns has been in development for several months. Christopher Cantwell, creator of Halt and Catch Fire, will showrun the new episodes alongside Mundy. Lindelof and King will not return for Season 2, choosing to focus on the HBO series The Chain and the DC animated series Mister Miracle respectively. Season 1 averaged a record-breaking 19 million viewers per episode ahead of its finale, making an official renewal likely.

Source: Polygon