HBO’s Lanterns has taken many fans by surprise. Under the creative direction of Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy, Watchmen architect Damon Lindelof, and acclaimed comic book writer Tom King, the series steers clear of the standard “popcorn” superhero formula.
Veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan (played by Kyle Chandler) and rookie John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) find themselves thrust into a dark murder investigation in the small town of Rushville, Nebraska. As the inquiry deepens, the local homicide unravels a conspiracy of cosmic proportions. While the screen is still packed with comic book Easter eggs and superhero tropes, the show’s true strength lies in its gritty, hard-boiled detective aesthetic—specifically, the high-tension chemistry between the two leads and a slow-burning, suspenseful narrative that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
If Lanterns has piqued your interest in this brand of hard-core investigative drama, you might want to check out these five similar titles once you’ve finished the series. While most of them lack glowing power rings, they deliver just as much—if not more—crime, grit, and profound exploration of the human condition:
- True Detective
Streaming on: HBO Max
Comparing Lanterns to True Detective is no coincidence; the show’s DNA is clearly modeled after that series. It mirrors the classic “detective duo” format and the slow, methodical unraveling of a mystery almost exactly. The interplay between Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson amidst the humid, desolate landscapes of Louisiana in Season 1 has achieved legendary status; whether through its somber, violent aesthetic or its complex character arcs, it aligns most closely with the tone of Lanterns. Season 4 (Night Country) paired Jodie Foster with Kali Reis, delivering yet another dynamic duo of evenly matched investigators. Even the more divisive seasons—Season 2 (a California-noir ensemble piece involving gangsters) and Season 3 (Mahershala Ali revisiting the past while teetering on the edge of memory loss)—masterfully captured the sense of nihilism and fatalism inherent in crime storytelling.
- Spider-Noir
Streaming: Prime Video
If you can’t quite let go of the “comic book adaptation meets hardboiled detective” hybrid genre, Spider-Noir is the perfect alternative. The story strips away the flashy trappings typical of superhero tales, relocating the action to 1930s New York during the Great Depression.
Nicolas Cage stars as Ben Reilly, a man long past his superhero prime who has become a down-and-out private eye scraping a living from the gutter. The series is steeped in the atmosphere of Raymond Chandler-esque hardboiled noir; the high-contrast black-and-white visuals vividly evoke rainy nights, trench coats, jazz music, and the scent of tobacco. It delivers both crisp, visceral action sequences and a poignant look at a weary middle-aged man grappling with self-deprecation and moral ambiguity.
- The X-Files
Streaming: Hulu
When discussing “male-female investigative duos with complementary personalities” that also touch upon alien conspiracy theories, it is impossible to overlook the iconic pairing of Mulder and Scully. The essence of The X-Files lies not merely in the spectacle of a “monster-of-the-week” format, but in the pervasive, suffocating atmosphere and the government conspiracies (embodied by the ever-present “Cigarette-Smoking Man”). The show strikes a brilliant balance between Mulder’s obsessive belief and Scully’s rational skepticism. While the overarching mythology wavered somewhat as the series dragged on, it remains the gold-standard textbook for depicting the eerie mysteries and supernatural tension of remote small towns.
- Mare of Easttown
Streaming: Prime Video
If you are drawn to the insular, oppressive small-town atmosphere found in Lanterns, this limited series starring Kate Winslet is a must-watch.
There are no superhuman feats here; the story focuses entirely on the murder of a teenage girl and the disappearance of another in a small Pennsylvania town. Detective Mare investigates these cases within a tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone, all while her own life is in shambles—weighed down by the suicide of a loved one and a fractured family. Spanning just seven episodes, the series is compact yet packs a powerful punch. It eschews cheap suspense twists, opting instead to unflinchingly dissect the hidden traumas and bone-deep grief of a close-knit community.
- Watchmen
Streaming: Prime Video
Damon Lindelof, the creator of Lanterns, was also the driving force behind the 2019 Watchmen series. Like Lanterns, this show subverts conventional expectations for comic-book adaptations.
Set 34 years after the events of the original graphic novel, the series boldly unearths the long-buried history of the Tulsa Race Massacre and weaves it into an alternate-reality America teeming with masked vigilantes. It is not merely a case of hunting down a killer to solve a crime; rather, it is an intricately interlocking “puzzle box.” Regina King stars as a masked detective navigating multiple timelines and fractured perspectives, gradually unearthing a shocking conspiracy rooted in systemic violence—a sharp, biting, and deeply resonant work.