In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall miss out on watching Lanterns. On August 16th, the pilot for Lanterns dropped on HBO Max and once again, DC Studios has another captivating show that will create new fans of DC comic characters. My relationship with the Lantern Corps is pretty limited, being that of the Justice League Animated Series and the Ryan Reynolds led Green Lantern film, this show has made me interested in the mythos of the Lantern Corps and leaves me wanting more.

Created by Chris Mundy (True Detective and Ozark), Damon Lindelof (Lost and Watchemen), and comic book writer Tom King (Mister Miracle and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow) this series does something that the 2011 film could not do. It made me care about Hal Jordan! In 2011, the film failed to resonate with Hal, but luckily a creative team and a great actor gave Hal life. Mundy, Lindelof and King present Hal in a way that he has never been presented before: a jaded old space cop that is forced to be a mentor. It’s a great shift in character, especially with the tone of the series. It is evident that Mundy took his experience with True Detective and decided to input super heroes and aliens in a crime drama.

A little confession before diving into more about Lanterns, I never watched Friday Night Lights. My experience with Kyle Chandler is his supporting roles in many films. Upon the first few minutes of Lanterns, the casting was spot on. Chandler has the ability to have chemistry with every other actor in this show. He is able to show a darkness despite being an sarcastic ass. However, Chandler is not the only casting that made me smile and say, “they nailed it.”

Since the Justice League Animated Shows, I have cared about John Stewart more than any other lantern. And DAMN! Aaron Pierre is John Stewart. Throughout the first two episodes, we have not seen him suit up and we may not see him suit up this season. He has already showed that no other actor is suited for the role like he is. Aaron Pierre blew me away in Rebel Ridge, so I knew he would be a good decision for John Stewart. I did not expect a pitch perfect adaptation from the animated series and Pierre may have found his definitive role early in his career.

After two episodes, Lanterns has ended both episodes with cliffhangers. One that made me question what does this mean for the entire season and character arc for one character. With last episode making me say, “Hell Yeah” out loud. DC and HBO have knocked it out of the park with The Penguin and Peacemaker; Lanterns is proving to be no different with hooking me into a series. With the teases of Sinestro and Guy Gardner, I cannot wait to see what happens in future episodes.

Is there anything that I didn’t like about the show? Honestly no, at least through the first two episodes. The first episode does a great job at establishing the tone and how the characters will be depicted. The second episode shows off that both Hal and John can work being apart from each other and shows the potential of John being more powerful than Hal. The rural crime drama setting grounds a sci fi epic waiting to happen and I have a feeling that the remainder of the season will be an absolute thrill ride!