Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), right, and trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) are terrific in “Lanterns.” (photo courtesy of HBO)

After “Supergirl’s” poor performance at the box office during the summer, the DCU encountered its first major hurdle. Last year, “Superman” reached soft success, but high production costs and criticism of inconsistent tone incited concern. Luckily, small-screen endeavors proved more trustworthy.

Even then, “Peacemaker’s” second season was apparently its last (an odd choice following a cliffhanger and no announced path forward) and “Creature Commandos,” while fun, has limited appeal as an adult animated series. Then comes the “Lanterns” marketing material. Featuring classic Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) in everyday clothes wandering a rural town, this buddy story seemed too mundane at first.

These are galactic heroes hanging out in the heartland, not space. Why would anyone ground these space police who don powers comparable to Superman? But that’s not the question any of us should’ve asked.

Instead, why did we ever doubt? “Lanterns” not only tops the DCU and 2026 TV slate, it surpasses most DC screen media. For the love of Krypton, Themyscira and Gotham, please, DC, give us more like this.

The marketing didn’t quite lie about the series. Our Lanterns don’t reach any far-off locales, unless you consider the Corn Belt exotic. Don’t expect a Silver Age depiction of Hal Jordan, either. Call this one twilight Hal. He’s older, wiser and doesn’t care as much. He forgets to charge up his power ring, ignores orders from the Guardians – those intergalactic beings who created the Lantern Corps – and shirks his mentoring duties. That last one’s a problem.

Opposite Hal’s special brand of chaos, John Stewart is strategic, formal, in need of more guidance than Hal will provide. For those unfamiliar with Green Lanterns – including that monstrously terrible Ryan Reynolds film that even he disowns – the ring’s power lies in the wielder’s fearlessness and imagination. So Hal’s vague directions on flying don’t help, but he can create and sustain a bird (the ring can generate a green version of whatever the wearer can imagine and retain through will). To call the relationship contentious seems appropriate enough.

As for the mission, Hal learns of an anomaly in Rushville, Nebraska. They arrive immediately after a peculiar incident at a local football game. Sheriff Kane (Kelly Macdonald) doesn’t appreciate the outside influence or anyone poking around the town.

And this town has some characters, with one family at the center. There’s local lawyer Billy Macon (Jason Ritter), and his father, William (Garret Dillahunt), who runs a militia-style ranch for an anonymous benefactor. And then we have his wife Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan), who takes a liking to John.

Some familiar Green Lantern characters grace the screen, including Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and the mysterious, prideful Guardians. Others enjoy a quick nod, like a squirrel Lantern and the iconic Lantern directly responsible for permitting Hal to become the first human to join the corps. All those winks are fine, but two central mysteries of the season and the dynamic between John and Hal are the primary focus.

Prepare for complicated character exploration, especially John’s concerning origin that might make you question his upbringing. As for Hal, he’s no longer the young pilot whisked into the hero’s journey by an alien device. That story came and went. He’s something else now.

All praise to the three creators responsible for this gem. We begin with Eisner Award winner Tom King, a comics writer who worked on Batman and Supergirl titles. Then we have showrunner Chris Mundy, who previously helmed “Ozark.” Finally, meet Damon Lindelof (co-creator of “Lost,” “The Leftovers”), who created and ran HBO’s “Watchmen.” That much talent in one writers room seems like a recipe for too much compromise and split creative choices. Not the case at all.

This is the type of show that’s so rich, so enticing, so raw that it can spark folks’ curiosity for years to come. Hopefully upcoming DCU installments, from body-horror flick “Clayface” to “Man of Tomorrow” next year, can keep the momentum going. If the DCU fails, don’t pretend “Lanterns” shares any of the fault.

“Lanterns,” starring Aaron Pierre, left, and Kyle Chandler, is a win for the DCU.” (photo courtesy of HBO)