It's a new year, and that means a fresh look at everything on the 2026 TV schedule, especially what's ahead from the DC Universe (DCU). Just keeping tabs on the premiere dates for everything exclusive to a Max subscription. With all that James Gunn has done over the last few years in his giant revamp of the DCU, lots of things have changed about the upcoming TV shows.
The biggest show on the horizon is Lanterns, but there is a lot more than that on the horizon. All the release dates below are subject to change, so be sure to check back for any updates.
Lanterns, Season 1 - Max (TBD)
We're still waiting for Lanterns. For years, a Green Lantern TV show for HBO, run by Greg Berlanti, was in development, until a whole new, True Detective-style idea was greenlit and is now set to debut sometime in mid-2026. It feels like there have been a million starts and stops here, and at least getting a release date from HBO would be encouraging. It's coming for sure, we just don't know when, yet. The rumors are that it could come after Supergirl hits the big screen in June on the 2026 movie schedule.
Emmy-nominated Ozark executive producer Chris Mundy is Lanterns' showrunner, after co-creating it with Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof and Tom King.
The show will feature multiple Green Lanterns, including Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, and John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre. Nathan Fillion, who crushed his role in 2025's Superman, is also expected to appear, though how big a role he will play is unknown. In January 2025, it was announced that Ulrich Thomsen would play the villain Thaal Sinestro. Kelley Macdonald will also star.
Creature Commandos, Season 2 - Max (TBD)
The first season of the animated series – following a secret military unit made up of unusual beings – ended in January 2025. Before it ended, Creature Commandos Season 2 was greenlit. We don't have a release date or anything, but we know the show is now in production, with DCU-head James Gunn relaying on Threads that he would not be writing the show, as he did for Season 1.
In January 2026, Gunn again posted on Threads to say that the show is currently in production, so hopefully we'll see it either in late 2026 or possibly early 2027.
Batman: Caped Crusader, Season 2 - Amazon Prime (TBD)
The cliffhanger ending to the first season of the Dark Knight's latest animated adventures has many fans wondering when they can return to 1940s Gotham. According to executive producer Bruce Timm's comments to The Wrap, scripts and recording sessions for Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 got going in August 2024, and we know that the show will drop sometime in 2026.
Beyond that, there have been some tidbits of information that have come out, like showrunner James Tucker telling The Direct to expect a "very different" Joker than we've seen on the screen over the last few decades. Like Lanterns, we know it'll be this year, we just don't know when.
Booster Gold, Season 1 - Max (TBD)
While he was portrayed by Donald Faison on The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow in 2022, Booster Gold would finally get his own screen adaptation when it was confirmed to be part of the new DCU slate. The underrated hero will be the focus of an upcoming Max TV show that sees him travel back in time with futuristic technology, seeking justice and public validation.
Over the summer, in July 2025, Deadline reported that the show David Jenkins would be writing a pilot for the show and was attached as the showrunner as well. That's as much news as we have on it at this point. As of February 2026, there have been no updates since that announcement.
Waller, Season 1 - Max (TBD)
The live-action Max original series, Waller, will see Academy Award winner Viola Davis reprising the ruthless title role as she teams up with members of Team Peacemaker. The show was meant to be the second installment of the DCU’s first chapter, “Gods and Monsters,” but, according to Deadline, Peter Safran explained that they have "taken a couple of cracks at Waller and we haven’t been able to land it," also citing the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes as reasons for the struggle.
However, James Gunn insists that while he has said in the past that he is still working on the show, he was quoted in the Fall of '25 as saying the show was delayed. Adding:
We’ll never greenlight something where the scripts aren’t working, and we just haven’t had that yet with the Waller show.
So, the future of Waller seems very much in flux, if not in doubt. We'll keep an eye out for any new developments.
Paradise Lost, Season 1 - Max (TBD)
Before Patty Jenkins resigned from directing a third Wonder Woman movie, she also had plans for a spin-off focusing on the women of Themyscira. It appears that the idea has been rebranded into a new DCU-canon TV show called Paradise Lost, for which Peter Safran cited Game of Thrones as an inspiration, according to Collider. While there has been some movement of the show, it still remains very much up in the air.
As of February 2026, there have been no updates in quite a long time, and it seems that this show has been shelved.
Untitled Jimmy Olsen Series
After Skyler Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen took the world by storm after the release of James Gunn's Superman in the fall of 2025, Gunn confirmed that he would be getting his own show. Beyond that, the DC head honcho has kept the details under wraps.
Untitled Blue Beetle Animated Series
First announced in July 2024, there have been some updates on an animated series about Blue Beetle. In January 2025, star Xolo Maridueña revealed that production would start in 2025, but since then, there have been no updates, and it doesn't appear that production has started. The status is currently unknown.
Untitled The Night Begins To Shine Series, Season 1 - Cartoon Network (TBD)
The ‘80s style, 2005 dance song “The Night Begins to Shine” by B.E.R. has been featured prominently in Teen Titans GO! – most notably in a four-part special from 2017 about a mystical, musical land and its five-part, 2020 sequel. Said mystical land is, reportedly, supposed to be the focus of a Cartoon Network original spin-off series, which went into development in February 2021, but without any updates since.
Given all that has gone on in the DC world over the last few years, it seems likely that this show has also been shelved.
Be sure to check back for additional information and updates on these DC TV shows, as well as any upcoming DC movies in 2026 featuring these characters on the big (or small) screen, too.
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