I'll start this post by saying two things. First, I understand that the superhero genre may have worn people out a little. Second, I'm a huge fan of Lindelof's TV shows, not his movies.
As far as the first point is concerned, I believe that while the genre has produced some masterpieces (such as Netflix's original Daredevil, which is one of those shows we didn't deserve), it has also received some much-needed justice over the past five difficult years, with some seriously impressive work like The Penguin and WandaVision.
As for Lindelof, I'll say it again: I'm a huge fan of his shows. I believe The Leftovers deserves a place, at the very least, in the top 10 TV shows of all time. It was also the reason I went back to Lost after leaving it unfinished for years, something I'm very glad I did.
Beyond those now-classic shows, I also absolutely loved his more modern take on Watchmen. A series that was unfairly treated by audiences, with many judging it based on its very first episode, despite it being an incredible story. Not a story about the comic itself, but rather a look at what came after it, the (somewhat) older heroes who remained, and the world as it had evolved. There was no clear black and white, but rather characters who mostly operated in shades of gray, many of them tired and simply looking for a reason to keep going.
And so, Lanterns begins.
You have old man Hal training John Stewart to take over his position. At least, that's the initial setup. A lot is happening in parallel, and here's a mini-spoiler, though you won't avoid it if you watch the show: Hal is dead by the time we reach the time jump at the end of the first episode.
The circumstances surrounding this and the characters' entire backstories gradually unfold as the series progresses, but nothing is answered until just a few minutes before the season finale.
The highlights are the storytelling, but above all, the performances. There's action, too, and some of it is actually pretty good, but it doesn't really kick in until halfway through the series. Don't expect something like Daredevil, for example, because you'll be thoroughly disappointed. What we're essentially dealing with here is a superhero cop drama.
But back to the performances.
Pierre is a very good John Stewart, with a darker background than his comic book counterpart. Kelly Macdonald is fantastic, as she is in pretty much everything. Sinestro is also played by Ulrich Thomsen, aka Proctor from Banshee (which those of you who haven't watched should get on immediately).
Of course, the absolute highlight of the series is Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan.
Not only are we talking about an excellent actor anyway (and I couldn't care less that he's appeared in movies like Argo and Manchester by the Sea, or that he has an Emmy for Friday Night Lights, because to us, he'll always be the guy whose cat brings him the newspaper), but this is also one of the most perfectly suited casting choices ever.
And yes, he's pushing 60.
The energy he brings to the character is incredible. He can come across as funny, tired, irritating, and downright badass, all at the same time. An antihero who used to be a hero.
Overall, I think this is a series that will contribute more to the DCU franchise than the underwhelming movies we've had so far.
Hopefully, Lindelof won't repeat the troll move he pulled at the end of Watchmen, when he announced that he had made the series as a miniseries (yes, he actually did that!), and will return for a second season.
And hopefully, they'll find a way to bring Hal back!