Is Task Season 2 Headed for a Mare of Easttown Crossover With Kate Winslet? Here’s What We Know

So, yes, the worlds of Task and Mare of Easttown really do sit side by side. And yes, the idea of Kate Winslet wandering into Mark Ruffalo's Philly crime show has entered the chat. Is it happening? Not yet. But the person who would make it happen is clearly tempted.

Could Mare show up in Task?

Creator Brad Ingelsby has already said both shows live in the same universe. Mare did not pop up in Task's first season, but when The Hollywood Reporter asked him about a crossover, he basically said: never say never.

"They exist in the same world, so it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Mare walked into a Wawa that Tom was in. I don’t have a story in mind that’s a crossover, but I love the idea of their worlds intersecting."

Translation: he does not have a crossover script, but he absolutely sees a door he could walk through later. For now, nothing is confirmed.

Quick refresher

• Mare of Easttown: Kate Winslet plays Detective Sergeant Mare Sheehan, digging into the murder of a teen mom in a tight-knit Pennsylvania town.
• Task: Mark Ruffalo leads as FBI agent Tom Brandis in Philadelphia, working a spree of violent rip-and-run robberies targeting drug houses. (You might see his last name spelled Bardis in early write-ups. Same guy.)
• Task is billed as a seven-episode miniseries and leaves a few threads intentionally hanging, especially around Tom.
• Both shows are rooted in Delaware County/Philly stories, which Ingelsby clearly loves writing about.
• You can stream both on HBO Max.

Task Season 2: where it stands

HBO has not officially ordered a second season. Ingelsby, 45, told Esquire he is absolutely open to doing more if the audience keeps showing up. He says he has more Delaware County stories in him, and TV is the right form because it lets him dig into ensembles — think the Grassos, the Lizzies, the Aleahs — in a way a two-hour movie (unless you are Robert Altman) just does not. In short: if the response stays strong and he can crack the right script, he wants back in.

If Season 2 happens, expect it to build out Task's own universe first. Could that also plant seeds for a Mare crossover later? Sure. But that is a maybe on top of a maybe.

Mare of Easttown Season 2: still a question mark

Winslet has said she would love to return — she told Vanity Fair as much — but she and Ingelsby have also been clear: they will not do it without a story that feels worthy of the first run. The original season wrapped in May 2021, and there has not been a green light since. HBO drama head Francesca Orsi said last year they want to continue, but it ultimately hinges on Winslet, Ingelsby, and producer Mark Roybal aligning on that story.

The bottom line

Task and Mare share a map and a creator, and the creator is into the idea of them brushing past each other. That said, there is no crossover on the books, Task Season 2 is not official yet, and Mare Season 2 is still a long maybe. The pieces are on the table. Now we wait to see which ones actually move.