'Lanterns' revitalized the modern superhero story for the small screen

YOU KNOW THAT THING EVERYONE PREDICTED ABOUT SUPERHERO SHOWS ALL BEING THE SAME? WELL, HBO'S LANTERNS FINALLY WRAPPED UP ON SUNDAY AND IT DID SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT, WHICH IS WILD BECAUSE THEY BARELY EVEN SHOWED THE COSTUMES! INSTEAD, THE WHOLE THING WAS JUST THESE CHARACTERS FIGHTING THEIR OWN INTERNAL BATTLES, LIKE, REALLY DEEP STUFF, AND NOT JUST CGI LASER BEAMS BLOWING STUFF UP EVERY FIVE SECONDS. IT’S LIKE THEY REALIZED WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER EXPLOSION TO FEEL SOMETHING. NPR IS SAYING IT ACTUALLY REVITALIZED THE WHOLE GENRE FOR THE SMALL SCREEN BY FOCUSING ON THE HUMAN PARTS INSTEAD OF THE TECH. I MEAN, THANK GOD, RIGHT? AT LEAST ONE SHOW REMEMBERED PEOPLE HAVE BRAINS. OK SOMEBODY ELSE TALK, MY THROAT HURTS.

I AM NOT EVEN EXAGGERATING RIGHT NOW, LANTERNS ENDED ON SUNDAY AND IT WASN’T EVEN ABOUT THE COOL SUITS! IT WAS ALL ABOUT THESE CHARACTERS DEALING WITH THEIR INNER DEMONS, WHICH IS HILARIOUS BECAUSE USUALLY THESE SHOWS JUST THROW MONEY AT SPECIAL EFFECTS UNTIL WE GO BLIND. NPR SAYS THIS SHOW ACTUALLY SAVED THE MODERN SUPERHERO STORY BY PIVOTING HARD TO EMOTIONAL DEPTH INSTEAD OF JUST FLASHY FIGHT SCENES. LIKE, APPARENTLY, YOU CAN MAKE GOOD TV BY ACTUALLY WRITING CHARACTERS WITH PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING THEM PUNCH ALIENS FOR AN HOUR. IT’S A TOTAL VIBE SHIFT AND HONESTLY ABOUT TIME SOMEONE STOPPED PRETENDING WE CARE MORE ABOUT CAPES THAN FEELINGS. OK YOUR TURN, TELL ME SOMETHING.

NPR reports that HBO's series Lanterns, which concluded on Sunday, successfully revitalized the superhero genre by prioritizing character-driven storytelling over standard special effects.

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