Lanterns recently came to an end, and it more than delivered when it comes to being both a great comic book series and a great piece of television. Not only did the series thrive thanks to the dynamic between Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), but it also managed to revitalize interest in the Green Lantern franchise following the less-than-stellar Green Lantern movie from 2011. That's a superhuman feat in and of itself, and Lanterns creators Damon Lindelof, Chris Mundy and Tom King deserve credit for pulling that off.
Now that Lanterns has ended, the question lingers: "What's next?" While Pierre is slated to return as John Stewart in Man of Tomorrow next year, some fans might want to watch a series to fill that post-Lanterns void on Sundays. Those fans are in luck, as there are plenty of series that manage to feature sci-fi tropes and elements alongside a compelling mystery or two. Here are five that make for the perfect binge-watch.
Lanterns isn't the first time that Damon Lindelof has brought an iconic DC Comics series to life. In 2019, Lindelof served as the showrunner on Watchmen, an HBO series based on the legendary graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. What makes Watchmen stand out is that it's fundamentally a sequel to the original comic, building on a world that was changed by the actions of Ozymandias (Jeremy Irons).
Police officers are required to wear costumes after an attack by the Seventh Kalvary, a white supremacist group, made it necessary. One of these officers, Angela Abar (Regina King) — or "Sister Night", as she's known in costume — uncovers a mystery that ties to her family and one of Watchmen's key characters. Much like Lanterns, Watchmen was met with mixed reception when it was first announced.
Alan Moore's displeasure with adaptations of his work was well known at this point, and most fans asked why they should tune in when there was already a movie adaptation. However, Watchmen won over critics thanks to the way that it built on the original comic's events, while also weaving real history into its storytelling. It also weaves sci-fi elements into its narrative thanks to the presence of Doctor Manhattan, while still staying grounded.
Fans looking for something that's similar to Lanterns definitely need to give Watchmen a look. What makes Lanterns stand out from other superhero TV shows is that while it's part of DC Studios' creative slate, it feels tonally different from projects like Superman and Peacemaker. It's proof that a creator can enter a long-standing franchise and put their own creative stamp on it, and if fans are looking for a series that follows in the same spirit, they need to check out Andor.
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