HBO's Lanterns Kills Off Its Lead in the First Episode
HBO's new DC series Lanterns premiered on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max — and its first episode ended with the death of its protagonist, Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler. The character is found dead in the bleachers during a brutal 2026 winter by John Stewart and local sheriff Kerry. It is a cliffhanger the show's creators have called a bold move for the comic book genre. (Variety)
The premiere uses a non-linear structure, jumping among storylines and timelines. An opening scene set in 1996 establishes a young John's connection to the Green Lantern mantle — the intergalactic space officer role that protects humanity from extraterrestrial threats. A 2016 timeline sets up Hal and John's budding mentor-mentee dynamic, with Hal as a reluctant teacher. (Variety)
In that 2016 thread, Hal and John investigate a school shooting in Rushville, Nebraska, that Hal believes is a front for aliens. The episode delivers set pieces: an alien taunted by Jordan detonates itself and blows a hole in the side of a jail, and Jordan jumps out of a car as it careens off a cliff with Stewart inside. Stewart uses the Green Lantern ring to cushion the crash. (Deadline)
The series was developed for the new DC Studios under James Gunn and Peter Safran, and has been described as True Detective crossed with Green Lantern. Co-creator Damon Lindelof — who created HBO's Emmy-winning Watchmen in 2019 — said the premise was a murder mystery with a Green Lantern solving it. He said discussions kept returning to the question of who gets murdered and why, including "What if it was one of them?" (Variety)
Chandler told Variety he "cheered" at Hal's demise when he first read the ending of the premiere episode. Kelly Macdonald, who plays sheriff Kerry, said Frances McDormand's Oscar-winning performance in Fargo informed how she approached the role. She also said she dreaded filming the scene where her character discovers Hal's dead body. (Variety)
The cast also includes Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, the Green Lantern's back-up guardian for Earth, and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, though Guy Gardner had not appeared by the first episode. Garrett Dillahunt plays William Macon, Kerry's powerful rancher kingpin father-in-law. Chris Mundy and comic book writer Tom King round out the co-creator team alongside Lindelof. (Deadline)
Deadline published a red carpet photo gallery ahead of the premiere featuring Chandler and Pierre. The show's official Max synopsis describes it as following "Green Lantern legend Hal Jordan and fresh recruit John Stewart, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery." (Deadline) (Max)
Killing the lead in episode one is a wager that the mystery around Hal's death will hold an audience longer than Hal himself. Whether it pays off depends on what the remaining episodes do with the world he leaves behind.
