Hi readers,

It’s midweek! You’ve almost made it to the glorious promised land of the weekend, which means you’re only a few days away from watching the premiere of Lanterns, the Green Lantern TV series that’s a spinoff of James Gunn’s Superman movie. Doesn’t that sound terribly exciting? 

Well, I dunno, maybe you are excited. The cast is good: Kyle Chandler, Nathan Fillion, hottie boombalottie Aaron Pierre (who is terrific in the excellent 2024 thriller Rebel Ridge; it’s on Netflix if you haven’t yet watched it), Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Nicole Ari Parker (of Lisa Todd Wexley fame), and more. That’s a nice lineup, and the series is an offshoot of a genuinely good movie. So, I’d understand if you have a green circle around August 16 on your wall calendar and are counting down the days. 

I am having trouble getting excited about it, though, or even curious. Now that we’ve all had our Moonies-style mass wedding to Spider-Man, wouldn’t it feel a little like cheating to all of a sudden start hanging out with a bunch of boys from DC? As far as I know we’re not in an open marriage—well, I guess, Spider-Man kind of is, because he’s got so many spouses, but I’m pretty sure that’s a Big Love one-way street. Whatever the marital rules, though, it seems like a heavy lift right now to get involved with yet another superhero, let alone several of them. (And Garret Dillahunt.) 

But, Lanterns is the big TV premiere of the weekend, so if you are inclined to seek out the new, there that show will be for you on HBO Max on Sunday evening. If you’re on the fence, or have no idea what I’m even talking about, here is the trailer. Maybe it will speak to you. And yes, that is Laura Linney, who I believe makes a cameo as Spider-Man’s divorce attorney.

I’ll have more weekend recommendations for you in Friday’s letter. Before then, there are some other things to discuss.