Why Zoe Macon From Lanterns Looks So Familiar

Zoe Macon actor Poorna Jagannathan is just one of many "Lanterns" stars viewers might recognize from elsewhere. In the DC Universe's newest TV show, Jagannathan plays the wife of local militia organizer William Macon (Garret Dillahunt) who also strikes up a romantic fling with John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) in the premiere episode of "Lanterns."

Jagannathan has been featured in a variety of well-known shows over the years. She started off her career guest-starring in the "Law & Order" franchise and subsequently landed single-episode gigs in "House of Cards" and "The Blacklist" in the 2010s. More notably, Jagannathan had a guest role in two episodes of "Better Call Saul" Season 4 as Dr. Maureen Bruckner — whom Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) calls upon to treat Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis) following his stroke.

In 2019, Jagannathan guest-starred in Season 1 of Ramy Youssef's Hulu comedy "Ramy," playing his character's love interest Salma. The next year, Apple TV released its gripping crime drama miniseries "Defending Jacob," which featured Jagannathan as Dr. Elizabeth Vogel — the behavioral scientist Jacob (Jaeden Martell) meets with to determine if he has the "murder gene." From 2020 to 2023, Jagannathan starred as Nalini Vishwakumar in the hit Netflix teen comedy "Never Have I Ever," and more recently, she played the character Lucky in the underrated crime comedy "Deli Boys," which was just canceled by Hulu after two seasons.

"Lanterns" doesn't mark Poorna Jagannathan's first HBO Max original series, as the actress previously appeared in two of the streaming service's other high-profile titles. In 2016, she took on the role of Safar Khan in the acclaimed limited series "The Night Of." As the mother of Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed), who finds himself accused of a murder he cannot remember committing, Safar plays an important part in the tense legal mystery as she deals with the whirlwind of events surrounding her son. 

Jagannathan returned to HBO in 2019 when "Big Little Lies" Season 2 premiered. In the Emmy-winning crime drama's second run, she showed up as Katie Richmond — the lawyer who represents Celeste Wright (Nicole Kidman) in her custody battle. While it's unlikely Jagannathan will appear in the upcoming Season 3 of "Big Little Lies," the show stands out in her filmography due to its high praise from critics and general audiences and its hefty awards haul. Now moving on to "Lanterns," Jagannathan has a trifecta of roles in popular HBO Max series under her belt, with hopefully many more to come.