Liked 'Lanterns'? Five Shows With Cops, Capes or Curses

'Lanterns' is the 2026 series on Max that takes on a long-running comic book property. If you are following it, or you just like shows that mix superheroes, urban fantasy and police procedure, there are established series worth your time while you wait. They have the advantage of already existing.

What 'Lanterns' is going for

'Lanterns' is confirmed for Max, with an episode dated August 16, 2026. Many details have been kept quiet. The source material is about people given extraordinary powers by a cosmic organization and told to keep order across enormous distances. The series is expected to narrow that down to two central characters investigating a mystery on Earth, which reads like superhero action crossed with detective work, with science fiction and the supernatural in the background. Cosmic scope, local case.

That mix of cases, powers and something bigger behind the scenes runs through the five picks below, all from TMDB's recommendations. They split three ways, depending on which part of the mix you came for.

City crime, before the capes

If it is the crime-fighting in a city that pulls you in, try 'Gotham' (2014). It is an origin story for a famous fictional city, told through a police department fighting crime and corruption before its best-known masked vigilante shows up. The show is a police procedural with a steadily growing roster of eccentric villains. The city is always one bad week from collapse.

There are no traditional superheroes. The show builds the world they will need, and keeps its attention on the people who police it and the people who wreck it. The detectives do the work. The vigilante gets the credit later.

Powers, and the paperwork

For shows that deal with super-powered people head on, 'Powers' (2015) and 'Titans' (2018) take opposite angles. One watches the heroes from the precinct. The other watches from inside the team.

A precinct for superheroes

'Powers' is set in a world where superheroes exist, and follows the police unit that investigates crimes committed by them or against them. It puts the fantastic inside a standard detective format, which is close to what the investigative premise of 'Lanterns' suggests. It is more interested in what powers do to a society than in the spectacle. Somebody has to file the report.

The team, with problems

'Titans' follows a group of young heroes learning their abilities and working together against a series of threats. It leans on team dynamics and on the personal cost of having powers, with a darker tone and more complicated character arcs than a lot of superhero shows. The stories often turn on untangling a mystery and facing a strong enemy, which lines up with the investigative side of 'Lanterns.' Between them, 'Powers' and 'Titans' show life with powers from both sides of the badge. Neither side gets an easy week.

Old myths, new case files

If it is the supernatural and mythological side that appeals, look at 'Grimm' (2011) and 'Sleepy Hollow' (2013). Both take very old stories and give them a case number.

The family business

'Grimm' follows a detective who learns he comes from a line of guardians, the Grimms, charged with keeping the balance between humans and mythological creatures. Most episodes build a case around one of those creatures, so the police work comes with folklore attached. The legends are real, they live among us, and they need to be interviewed.

History, back from the dead

'Sleepy Hollow' takes an old legend and moves it into the present as a fight against supernatural forces. The show mixes action, mystery and fantasy, and draws on established lore to drive the plot. Like 'Grimm,' it puts ancient myth into a modern setting, with a larger unseen world pressing on everyday life, and given its cosmic scope, 'Lanterns' may have some of that too. The setup: a resurrected Ichabod Crane teams up with a present-day sheriff against the Headless Horseman and other apocalyptic threats. Back from the dead, and straight to work.

Which one to pick

Pick by what you like about 'Lanterns.' The police procedural in a strange city points to 'Gotham.' Superheroes with case files points to 'Powers' or 'Titans.' Folklore with a badge points to 'Grimm' or 'Sleepy Hollow.' They are spread across Max, Prime Video and Hulu, so start with the one on a service you already pay for. That is a recommendation with no extra monthly cost. Binge Boss tracks release dates and where each one streams, which saves you checking every service by hand.