A new report addressed the chances of Lanterns' Season 2 renewal following a viral debate over whether HBO will continue the DCU series. James Gunn's DCU already renewed one major original for a sophomore outing, as Creature Commandos Season 2 is expected to premiere in 2027. Peacemaker also received a second season under DC Studios but isn't expected to return for a third.
A recent report from Puck offered an update on Lanterns' Season 2 renewal chances amid online debate about its potential fate. The report confirmed that DC Studios opened a writers' room for Season 2 before the show premiered in August, but the current work is limited to "pitch pages." A renewal is "not imminent" despite "execs at HBO hope to continue the show."
Even before getting a green light, Lanterns is already making major changes for Season 2, as Lost creator Damon Lindelof and DC Comics veteran Tom King have exited the writers' room. Instead, while Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy is sticking around, he will now be joined by Halt and Catch Fire writer Chris Cantwell.
King and Lindelof may not be the only key figureheads leaving Lanterns after one season, as Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan has seemingly been killed off. Many will be hopeful to see Hal return in Season 2, given that Chandler has been massively praised, but that would require a major turn of events in the coming episodes.
By all accounts, Lanterns opened strong when it premiered on HBO and HBO Max, garnering 9.3 million views in just 3 days. That is far higher than It: Welcome to Derry, which opened with 5.7 million views and was recently renewed for Season 2, albeit likely with a much lower budget to justify (via Variety).
Part of the online debate surrounding Lanterns' future stemmed from an interview between HBO CEO Casey Bloys and Deadline. The HBO exec answered, "No, not right now," when asked if any more DCU projects are in active development at the studio beyond The People v. Gorilla Grodd, which is now in production.
Many took that as a sign that there is no Lanterns Season 2 writers' room and any reports of progress are bogus. However, Mundy confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter in August that work was underway, saying they are "about six weeks into laying out a season" and will "talk to folks about it really soon," but exactly when remains to be seen.
The online debate surrounding Bloys' comments stems from a misunderstanding of the quote: Lanterns Season 2 isn't considered to be in active development right now, as it is only in the pitching stage and will remain that way for some time.
Some also called the viewership figures into question, as Nielsen published its Top 10 streaming rankings for the first three weeks of Lanterns. The data revealed that the DCU mystery missed the charts in its first two episodes, only charting in the week of Episode 3 (August 31-September 6) and landing at #8 with 500 million minutes watched based on its first three episodes.
As Lanterns is technically an HBO original that also releases on HBO Max, it places on Nielsen's acquired ranking. The #8 spot and 500 million minutes watched make Lanterns the biggest show on HBO Max right now across both the acquired and original rankings, underscoring its success on the service.
In terms of the acquired list, Lanterns is behind shows like The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, Bluey, and SpongeBob SquarePants, all of which have hundreds of episodes and have remained streaming successes for years.
If Lanterns was on Nielsen's originals ranking, 500 million minutes watched would place it at #9, with similar numbers to Silo, Leanne, and SEAL Team. For comparison's sake, Reacher had 1.246 billion minutes watched in the same period, while Ted Lasso had 899 million minutes watched, but both shows had three seasons of back catalog to bolster their fourth seasons, which aired this year.
There has been plenty of online debate about just how successful Lanterns has been, and, of course, what that means for its Season 2 renewal chances. At least based on its early episodes, Lanterns appears to be a resounding success, but only time will tell how well its viewership holds in the weeks that follow, especially as the Nielsen data doesn't factor in its live HBO audience.
Will Lanterns Actually Get Renewed for Season 2 at HBO?
While many were concerned that Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. could stonewall further DCU greenlights, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn confirmed that "nothing is on hold" due to the deal, which is heading into its final stages. That means Paramount probably isn't getting in the way of Lanterns Season 2 yet, though only time will tell whether they force any changes to the DCU later.
But it's not just DC Studios that needs to be on board for Lanterns to continue; as fans recently saw with the MCU's Wonder Man, the streamer, HBO Max, needs to be equally on board. While Marvel Television originally renewed Wonder Man for Season 2, Disney+ eventually reversed that decision due to its viewership.
Lanterns' chances of renewal hinge on maintaining strong viewership throughout the season and on the new writers' room delivering a worthwhile pitch. On the matter of the pitch, Mundy told The Hollywood Reporter that Season 2 will be told "in a slightly different way, so that it feels fresh," but still with the characters fans love, presumably with Aaron Pierre's John Stewart returning to headline.
Looking at the current status quo, Lanterns is a worthy contender for renewal, given its strong viewership, stellar reviews, and high audience interest. But as Puck reported, a decision on Lanterns' fate may be some time away, as HBO waits for the series to end before examining the complete picture of its viewership.
