Moving from TV Time? Keep your original dates and rewatches.Import free
Beta. This product is in beta — features and design are still changing.
Start tracking

TV Shows

10 Shows Like Lanterns to Watch Next, From Watchmen to Smallville

Shows like Lanterns include Watchmen, True Detective, Peacemaker, and The Leftovers, plus DC picks from Gotham to Smallville for your next watch.

Oluwafemi Peter5 min read
Shows Like Lanterns

The best shows like Lanterns may not be superhero shows at all. According to TVLine, Lanterns was pitched as a "True Detective" take on superheroes, so it makes sense that its closest relatives are prestige crime dramas with a cosmic streak.

This list covers both lanes. You'll find DC shows that treat capes as a backdrop for mystery, crime stories that borrow the same slow-burn pacing, and a couple of older superhero series for when you want something lighter.

Some of these are a one-episode commitment and some are a full weekend. Each entry says what links it to Lanterns so you can pick by mood.

Important Note: Watchmen, Peacemaker, True Detective, Mare of Easttown, and The Leftovers appear repeatedly in the Lanterns recommendation roundups we reviewed, and Gotham and Arrow show up on a similarity list. The remaining picks are our own, based on how closely they match the same mix of mystery and DC mythology.

1. Watchmen (2019)

This is the obvious starting point, and the roundups agree on it. Collider points out that Watchmen is another HBO drama based on DC Comics characters from Lost showrunner Damon Lindelof. It is technically a sequel to Alan Moore's original comic, but it tells a different story with different characters in the aftermath of that book's ending.

Lifehacker's roundup describes Regina King as Angela Abar, a modern cop whose grandparents were killed during attacks that echo through the series. Like Lanterns, it focuses on life on the ground in a world where gods fly above. Another list describes the show as grounding superhero mythology inside a prestige mystery driven by institutional corruption.

If you only watch one show from this list, make it this one.

2. Peacemaker (2022)

Peacemaker is the loosest and loudest pick here, and that's the point of including it. BGR lists it among the five shows to watch if you liked the Lanterns premiere, and BestSimilar also places it near Lanterns.

It will not give you the same hushed, investigative mood. What it does give you is another corner of the DC universe told from a street-level angle. Treat it as the palate cleanser after a heavy mystery.

3. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2026)

This is the stretch pick, and it speaks to the fantasy superhero drama crowd. The roundups we reviewed do not mention it, so this recommendation is our own. The case for it is structural: Lanterns keeps its eye on people on the ground while bigger powers loom overhead, and the title promises a similar view of a mythic world, this time through a knight and the Seven Kingdoms.

It won't scratch the crime itch. If what you liked about Lanterns was the sense of a huge mythology seen at human scale, give it a look.

4. The Penguin (2024)

Where Lanterns goes up into space, The Penguin stays in the gutter. It is a crime drama built around a Batman villain, and it trades capes and rings for street-level power struggles.

That makes it a good fit for the viewer who liked the cop-partner investigation in Lanterns more than the cosmic lore. It is our pick rather than one from the roundups, so judge it on that basis.

5. Gotham (2014)

BestSimilar lists Gotham among the titles closest to Lanterns. The show treats Batman's city as a place for police work and gang politics before any hero shows up, which is the same instinct behind Lanterns' investigative framing.

It is the more serialized, melodramatic option on this list. Pick it if you want a long run of episodes set in a DC city.

6. True Detective (2014)

This is the show Lanterns was pitched against, so it belongs near the top of any watchlist. TVLine's comparison describes both as gritty, HBO-level violent and sexy crime dramas in which partners investigate a case.

The Review Geek calls True Detective deliberately slow and incredibly atmospheric, with as much emphasis on its complicated characters as on the crimes. It also says the quality fluctuates between seasons, so a rough patch in one season is not a reason to skip the rest. Another roundup notes the use of dual timelines and fragmented storytelling to reveal how large a case really is.

7. Mare of Easttown (2021)

If the cop-and-case half of Lanterns grabbed you, this is the closest match without any superheroes at all. One detective-show roundup calls it a must-watch for people who like small-town mysteries brought to life with excellent performances, while noting the bleak setting might not be for everyone.

It is also easy to find: BingeNext lists it on HBO Max alongside Watchmen, True Detective, and Peacemaker. That makes a single-subscription marathon possible.

8. The Leftovers (2014)

Damon Lindelof turns up again here. BGR includes The Leftovers in its short list of what to watch after the Lanterns premiere, and Looper goes further, arguing that thanks to Lindelof's hard narrative pivot the show is now regarded as a modern classic and is better than Lanterns.

It's an odd match on paper, since there are no superheroes and no case to solve. The overlap is the way it treats a huge, unexplained event as something people have to live through. Expect more grief than plot, and give it a few episodes before you decide.

9. Arrow (2012)

BestSimilar places Arrow among the shows closest to Lanterns. It is a CW-era superhero series, so the tone is more serialized and less prestige than the HBO entries above.

The easy part is the length: there is plenty to binge. If you like seeing where network superhero TV came from, our list of TV shows filmed in Vancouver covers a number of CW superhero series from the same era.

10. Smallville (2001)

Smallville is the oldest show here, and the most nostalgic. It tells Superman's early story across a long run, so it is the one to pick when you want a DC show with no mystery pressure at all.

It will feel dated next to Watchmen or True Detective, and that's fine. For more shows from the same production era, see our roundup of sci-fi classics and CW superheroes filmed in Vancouver.

If you want to pick by mood, start with Watchmen or True Detective for the closest match, Mare of Easttown for mystery without capes, and Peacemaker for something lighter. If you're ready to leave TV for a while, our picks for movies like Kingsman offer stylish action, and the list of movies like Fast and Furious on Hulu is a good next stop if you're looking for something to stream.

About the author

Oluwafemi Peter

Oluwafemi Peter is a content creator who has an interest in music, tech, sports and people. He resides in Ogun state, Nigeria.

Keep reading

See all
TV Shows6 Oct3 min readThe Institute Season 2 Trailer Introduces Alfie Allen as Nolan ReevesThe Institute season 2 trailer gives a first look at Alfie Allen as tech billionaire Nolan Reeves, with the MGM+ premiere set for November 8.TV Shows6 Oct3 min readJames Gunn Defends Clayface and Says Hollywood Isn't a Public VoteJames Gunn answered the "Why Clayface?" question on Threads, arguing Hollywood isn't a public vote on IP, as DC's first horror film nears release.TV Shows6 Oct3 min readPrime Video Debuts First Look Images for Bloodaxe, From the Vikings CreatorPrime Video has debuted first look images for Bloodaxe, a new eight-episode Norse saga from Vikings creator Michael Hirst and Horatio Hirst.