'Lanterns' Debuts With a Bigger Audience Than 'The Penguin' Did

Gizmodo Published Aug 21, 2026 Reviewed Aug 22, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

Lanterns attracted 9.3 million viewers during its first three days on HBO and HBO Max, including 6.6 million U.S. viewers.

9.3 viewers · Lanterns6.6 viewers · U.S. viewers Variety and Deadline, report

The Penguin series attracted 10.4 million viewers during its first 11 days after release.

10.4 viewers · The Penguin

Lanterns, the latest HBO Max series from DC Studios, touched down this past weekend, and the numbers are in: it’s a hit. And it’s an even bigger hit on its debut than another recent HBO Max series from DC Studios, Emmy winner The Penguin.

As both Variety and Deadline report, Lanterns, which takes place in the DC Universe, pulled in 9.3 million viewers during its first three days on HBO and HBO Max, 6.6 million of which were in the U.S.

The Penguin, which is set in the “Elseworlds” realm of The Batman, got to 10.4 million viewers in 11 days after release.

While those are not House of the Dragon-level ratings, they’re still excellent; Variety notes it’s “the biggest premiere for a DC Studios show on HBO Max to date and one of the top five premieres on the platform overall.”

While there aren’t too many live-action DC Studios shows to make up the list—other than Lanterns and The Penguin, there’s Peacemaker—it’s still encouraging that HBO Max is trumpeting Lanterns‘ success so early. Showrunner Chris Mundy recently said he’s already breaking season two even though it’s yet to be greenlit, and with this news he’ll surely keep pressing on.

Season one of Lanterns follows Green Lantern Corps vet Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) at different points in time as they investigate an alien-adjacent crime in small-town Nebraska. Did you tune into the pilot, and are you eager to see more?

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Whether your budget is $10 or $1,300, we've got tech and gear recommendations that will make the new semester more productive and entertaining.

'Game of Thrones' and 'House of the Dragon' know nothing about Tennessee Ernie Ford, but this show's version of Westeros does.

Showrunner Chris Mundy is already six weeks into breaking season two, hoping he gets to make it.

The co-creator of 'Lost' and 'The Leftovers' as well as 'Watchmen' is now working on HBO's new DC Comics series.

'Lanterns' sets up a intriguing mystery in its first episode—then pulls the rug out from under you.

This article was originally published by Gizmodo ↗. citations.press indexes the source-backed facts above and links to the original. Something wrong? Corrections policy · Report an error