‘Lanterns’ Just Dethroned Every Other DCU Show On Rotten Tomatoes
The DC Universe has had a wildly uneven track record when it comes to critical reception under James Gunn’s new regime. Some entries have soared while others, like ‘Supergirl’, have struggled to win over reviewers, leaving fans wondering which project would finally break through as a genuine critical darling.
That question now has an answer, and it comes from an unexpected corner of the DCU slate. ‘Lanterns’, the HBO series built around Hal Jordan and John Stewart, has quietly become the buzziest new entry in Gunn’s franchise, drawing comparisons to prestige crime dramas rather than typical superhero fare.
According to numbers shared by DC Film News on social media, ‘Lanterns’ is now the highest rated DCU project on Rotten Tomatoes, posting a 95 percent critics score alongside an 85 percent audience score. That places it ahead of every other live action DCU release to date, a remarkable feat for a show many assumed would be a niche cable curiosity.
The gap becomes even clearer when stacked against the rest of the DCU roster. ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 sits at 94 percent with critics and 79 percent with audiences, while ‘Creature Commandos’ holds 93 percent and 79 percent respectively. ‘Superman’ trails critics at 83 percent but actually beats ‘Lanterns’ with audiences at 90 percent, and ‘Supergirl’ lags far behind at 52 percent critics and 73 percent audiences.
Critics have been effusive in their praise for the series, with ScreenRant’s Felipe Rangel awarding it a 9 out of 10 and calling it the solo Green Lantern project that DC fans deserve, while CBR’s Sean O’Connell went even further, calling it the DCU’s best project to date in his own review at Collider. The Hollywood Reporter noted that even in its uneven moments, the stars shine, while Rolling Stone praised the show’s willingness to still deliver classic superhero spectacle.
Much of that praise centers on the performances of Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, whose chemistry has become one of the show’s defining strengths. Fans have specifically pointed to their partnership as a major reason to keep watching, even after the premiere’s brutal twist involving Hal Jordan shocked viewers and caused some audience scores to dip slightly before stabilizing. The series comes from showrunner Chris Mundy alongside executive producers Tom King and Damon Lindelof, and it currently airs Sundays on HBO.
Looking ahead, ‘Lanterns’ is far from the last we will see of these characters in the wider DCU. Aaron Pierre is set to reprise John Stewart in the upcoming Man of Tomorrow movie, while Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is expected to appear in both this season and the next Superman film. That continuity suggests Gunn’s team sees this cast as central to the franchise’s future, not just a one season experiment.
With ‘Lanterns’ now sitting atop the entire DCU on Rotten Tomatoes, do you think this Green Lantern reinvention deserves the crown, or is there another DCU show that still holds your heart.
