Green Lantern’s 26-Episode Series Is So Good, It’s Perfect for HBO ‘Lanterns’ Fans

If you want more science fiction beyond what Lanterns currently offers and you have no interest in revisiting the 2011 Green Lantern movie (despite making waves again on streaming), we have some good news for you. For no cost at all, you can watch the very best GL adaptation out there in the form of Green Lantern: The Animated Series — which can now be streamed on Tubi! If you haven’t given this 26-episode gem a try yet, consider this your summoning to Oa.

‘Green Lantern: The Animated Series’ Honors the Source Material While Diving Into New Sectors

From the creative minds of Batman: The Animated Series producer Bruce Timm, Avatar: The Last Airbender producer Giancarlo Volpe, and Scooby-Doo producer Jim Krieg, Green Lantern: The Animated Series hit Cartoon Network in 2011, meant to be in tandem with the Ryan Reynolds film. Of course, unlike the big-screen version, the often forgotten animated series honors the original DC Comics mythos and kickstarts an epic space adventure into full gear. When Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Josh Keaton) and Kilowog (Kevin Michael Richardson) steal an experimental spacecraft called the Interceptor and head to the uncharted “Frontier Space” to investigate the deaths of several Green Lanterns, they discover a whole universe full of unexplored possibilities. Along the way, the pair are joined by the ship’s navigational AI named “Aya” (Grey DeLisle) and a repentant Red Lantern named Razer (Jason Spisak). Together, this group of heroes faces the vengeful Red Lantern Corps, hoping to stop them from spreading their hatred throughout the galaxy.

Like some of its DC-focused predecessors, Green Lantern: The Animated Series does the seemingly impossible by telling both a compelling story for mature audiences that also speaks to younger viewers. In short, it does what the very Green Lantern comic books aim to do. Utilizing many of the same mythos and concepts explored in Lanterns, Green Lantern: The Animated Series is willing to fully embrace the cosmic aspect of the Green Lantern franchise, visiting unique alien worlds with every episode and expanding the scope of the GL’s reach and heroism. The worldbuilding is astounding for a show that aired for only a single season on Cartoon Network — during the network’s now-defunct DC Nation programming block alongside Young Justice — as Green Lantern challenged its audience (and its characters) with unforeseen plot twists, vulnerable backstories, and reinterpretations of classic Green Lantern stories reworked for younger viewers.

‘Green Lantern: The Animated Series’ Continues to Make Waves Throughout DC Lore

In addition to following Hal Jordan and his cohorts through the stars, Green Lantern doubles as a redemption story for original characters like Razer and a journey of self-discovery for Aya. In short, the entire series — short-lived as it is — feels like a “cosmic odyssey” that speaks to what makes Green Lantern comics (especially the Geoff Johns era) so great. It even explores the Manhunters, which recently appeared on Lanterns. With colorful space battles and deep lore-building deviations that echo some of DC’s greatest comic panels, Green Lantern doesn’t leave much to be desired — except for the fact that we still want more, that is. Sadly, the show ended after only a season, though certainly not without plenty to do during those 26 episodes. It tells a largely complete story, but the show’s main cliffhanger is one that DC has been teasing fans with for over a decade.

While Hal Jordan and Kilowog are staples of Green Lantern comics, Razer and Aya were beloved franchise newcomers who graduated beyond the animated series itself. Aya would cameo in an episode of Justice League Action, while Razer would appear next alongside Kilowog in Young Justice, as both characters seek to continue where we left them. They also show up in the animated Tommorowverse and even more recently in the Green Lantern comic books penned by former Green Lantern: The Animated Series scribe Jeremy Adams (who also penned the animated streaming hit Batman: Knightfall — Part 1: Knightfall). No doubt, of all the media adaptations of Green Lantern and his mythos, the animated series has made the most impact — and it’s an impact we can continue to revisit for free on streaming.

Green Lantern: The Animated Series is available for streaming on Tubi.