With the conclusion of the first season of Lanterns at the start of the month, the most recurring question now is: will there be a second season? Will HBO want to produce it in light of the overall viewing averages? And would the audience watch it, after the general reflections on the events just past? The situation, curiously, is somewhat disarming. Because, while the ratings were fairly solid and the series secured broad critical consensus, the public’s approval rating appears less encouraging, even the lowest among all DC Universe titles.
Lanterns: What Didn’t the Audience Like?
The figures released by HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery are clear and would seem encouraging: 19.3 million average viewers per episode worldwide and 10.5 million viewers around the world for the season finale in the first three days. This is one of HBO’s best-ever results, but a bit distant from the absolute top. Lanterns, for instance, performed better than the fourth season of True Detective (17.5 million), but not than another DC production, The Penguin (over 27 million). The series also lags behind The Last of Us Season 2 (37 million), A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (36 million), the recent season of House of the Dragon (33 million), and the final season of Euphoria (27 million), as well as the more recent seasons of The Pitt and The White Lotus, two other major platform productions.
Critics especially praised the performances of Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, the writing, and the investigative-thriller vibe. The series indeed chose a more mature and grounded setup, with less emphasis on traditional superhero spectacle. A portion of the audience, however, proved less enthusiastic: among the criticisms is precisely the distance between what many expected from a Green Lantern story and what HBO actually delivered. The 69% on Rotten Tomatoes signals a generally decent reception, but decidedly less unanimous than that of the critics. To compare with other DCU titles, the second season of Peacemaker sits at 79%, while the film Supergirl stands at 72%.
Analyzing some of the more negative fan reviews, it becomes evident that the split with this segment of the audience stems primarily from the gap between what many hoped for from a Green Lantern series and what HBO actually produced. The lack of cosmic spectacle and the handling of Hal Jordan’s character were the most recurrent criticisms. Many expected more constructs of green energy, spectacular battles in space, aliens and science-fictiony settings, and a broader exploration of the Green Lantern Corps. HBO, instead, favored a terrestrial detective noir, with an adult-police tone. Science fiction is present, but it does not dominate the narrative. Then, regarding Jordan, the character portrayed by Chandler, some fans expected him to resemble the charismatic, self-assured, and daring hero from the comics. The series’ version is rather more troubled, marked by age, mistakes, and a difficult past. The character often seems discredited, rather than celebrated as a Corps legend. Moreover, some viewers feel that the script downplays Hal to foreground his successor, John Stewart.
The finale, then, further divided the audience. The revelation of Hal Jordan’s death — if you haven’t watched the episode, beware of spoilers! — killed by Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald), provoked one of the strongest reactions. For some viewers, the choice was too abrupt and not respectful of the character’s historical importance. Others argued that the death of such a central figure was treated in a relatively sober manner, instead of with a more epic conclusion. The decision, it must be said, is consistent with the show’s stance, which prioritizes human drama and the consequences of choices over traditional superhero tales. But precisely for this reason it disappointed a portion of fans who expected a finale closer to the major events of the comics.
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