‘Lanterns’ Finale Sneak Peek Revisits Hal Jordan a Decade Later as Rushville Wrestles With Forgiveness
Few DC projects have arrived with as much skepticism as HBO’s ‘Lanterns.’ Green Lantern has a lackluster live-action history, and the show launched on Aug. 16 amid social media trolling and review-bombing. Yet as the season finale approaches, it has become one of HBO’s biggest DC hits, and the ‘Lanterns’ finale sneak peek has fans talking.
Created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King, the series stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, with Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry Kane and Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro. It follows the two Green Lanterns stationed in the small town of Rushville, Nebraska, in 2016, then jumps forward 10 years to reveal that Hal is dead. By then he had been stripped of his ring and had spent a decade trying, and mostly failing, to make amends with the town.
On Oct. 2, HBO Max shared a new sneak peek from the season finale, captioned ‘Hal ten years later.’ The clip centers on Macdonald’s Sheriff Kane, who stands up for Hal in front of Rushville’s residents. It offers a rare glimpse of how the town’s divided feelings played out during his final years.
#Lanterns finale sneak peek: Hal ten years later.
— HBO Max (@hbomax) October 2, 2026
Stream the season finale of #Lanterns this Sunday at 9pm on HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/SU5boppJpi
The scene fits the complicated legacy the series has built around Hal. According to coverage of the clip, Kerry’s speech doesn’t stop at defending him, and she also speaks about her own loss from a decade earlier. The moment adds a human layer to a character viewers have found difficult to love over seven episodes.
The finale, titled ‘Dirt and Stars,’ airs Sunday, Oct. 4, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and streams simultaneously on HBO Max. International viewers get it a day later, with the UK seeing it early Monday. The episode is expected to run about 55 minutes.
There is a lot to answer. Hal was found dead in 2026, and suspects have included Sinestro, the Macon family, Sheriff Kerry herself and even the Guardians of the Universe. In episode 7, John and a digital projection of Hal, fans call the Hal-O-Gram, traveled through a portal to Antaan, a destroyed alien homeworld, where they found Sinestro imprisoned in a tower.
That cliffhanger has fueled plenty of theories. One popular idea suggests John may become the DCU’s first Yellow Lantern, an idea fans connect to the finale trailer’s focus on Sinestro and fear. Whether any of those theories pan out will be clear soon.
The numbers back up the buzz. According to Nielsen data, each episode has averaged about 19 million viewers worldwide across HBO and HBO Max, with 12 million of them in the U.S. The premiere opened to 9.3 million viewers worldwide, and episode 3 climbed to 10 million, the series’ global high.
Episode 7 reached 7 million viewers in the U.S. over its first 3 days, tying the show’s U.S. series high. HBO didn’t provide a worldwide total for that episode, which some observers noticed. Even so, the audience appears to be holding strong.
DC Studios co-head James Gunn has confirmed that ‘Dirt and Stars’ is a season finale rather than a series finale. HBO hasn’t officially renewed the show, though a writers’ room has reportedly reconvened and is pitching ideas for a second season. The Ankler has reported that a renewal isn’t imminent, so fans will have to wait for an official word.
John Stewart’s future is already mapped out in the wider DCU. Pierre is expected to reprise the role in Gunn’s Superman sequel, ‘Man of Tomorrow,’ which opens July 9, 2027. That film’s timing means the finale has to set up John for his next chapter, while still answering the mystery at the show’s heart.
It also complicates the show’s own future. With John set to become a mainline DCU hero, the creatives could save him for bigger projects. For now, ‘Lanterns’ remains one of the franchise’s brightest successes, and the finale will determine just how bright its legacy shines.
Should Lanterns get a Season 2?
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