TV

Mark Ruffalo’s Task Season 2 Fate: Is He Back and Is the Show Renewed?

Mark Ruffalo’s Task Season 2 Fate: Is He Back and Is the Show Renewed?
Image credit: Legion-Media

Mark Ruffalo powers HBO’s gritty Task as an unflinching FBI agent on the streets of working-class Philadelphia, and its twist-packed penultimate episode just detonated. Fans are already demanding more — even as HBO still files it as a limited series.

HBO has a hit on its hands with Task, and the penultimate episode just threw a grenade into the story. Mark Ruffalo leads the series as an FBI agent hunting violent crime in working-class suburban Philadelphia, and after the latest twists, fans are already yelling for a Season 2. The catch: Task is technically a limited series. For now.

So, is this a one-and-done? Maybe not.

Task was built as a complete story for its first season. But creator Brad Ingelsby clearly sees more room to play in Delaware County, Pennsylvania — the same setting as his other HBO drama, Mare of Easttown. The two shows don’t overlap story-wise, but Ingelsby confirmed they live in the same world, and he’s not against letting those worlds bump into each other.

'They exist in the same world, so it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Mare walked into a Wawa that Tom was in.'

That’s Ingelsby talking about Kate Winslet’s Mare potentially crossing paths with Ruffalo’s Tom. To be clear, he doesn’t have a crossover script in his back pocket — but the door is open. Cast members (Tom Pelphrey included) have already said they’re into the idea. Thematically, Task and Mare are cousins anyway: both are about trauma, violence, and messy families — they just tell those stories in different ways.

Also worth noting: HBO has changed its mind on the 'limited series' tag before. The White Lotus was supposed to be a one-off, and now look at it. Ingelsby told THR he’ll keep writing if people keep watching, which is basically the gentle way of saying: if the audience shows up, there could be more.

OK, let’s talk about that episode

Spoilers ahead for Task Season 1, Episode 6.

The second-to-last episode ends with a brutal, bloody showdown that takes out two major players: Lizzie (Alison Oliver) and Robbie (Tom Pelphrey). The clash goes down when Ruffalo’s FBI agent Tom Brandis finally collides with the Dark Hearts motorcycle gang’s leaders, Jayson (Sam Keeley) and Perry (Jamie McShane). It’s shocking not just because of who dies, but because the show just casually nuked characters who felt pretty safe a week ago.

Ingelsby, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, said Lizzie’s death hits the whole crew like a truck, especially Grasso, whose carefully balanced life collapses under the guilt and shame. It’s one of those turns that redefines the stakes heading into the finale.

Ruffalo also broke down what Robbie’s loss does to Tom. In short: Tom sees the humanity in a guy driven by revenge and grief, and that connection lands hard. He frames it almost spiritually — like witnessing a soul up close and wrestling with what justice actually means when the blood has already been spilled.

If there is a Season 2, expect the fallout from these deaths to shadow everything. Tom will be carrying the psychological wreckage, and the moral gray areas he’s been circling all season just got a lot darker.

Quick facts (so we’re all on the same page)

  • Title: Task
  • Creator/Writer: Brad Ingelsby
  • Directors: Jeremiah Zagar, Salli Richardson-Whitfield
  • Main cast: Mark Ruffalo (Tom Brandis), Tom Pelphrey (Robbie Prendergrast), Alison Oliver (Lizzie), Emilia Jones (Maeve), Thuso Mbedu (Aleah), Raúl Castillo (Cliff), Jamie McShane (Perry), Sam Keeley (Jayson), Fabien Frankel (Anthony)
  • Setting: Philadelphia suburbs, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
  • Genre: Crime drama
  • U.S. streaming: HBO Max
  • Season 1: 7 episodes total
  • Premiere: September 7, 2025
  • Finale: October 19, 2025

The bottom line

Task and Mare of Easttown share a zip code and a creator, and now, possibly, a future. Episode 6 just rearranged the board in ways that make a second season feel both risky and irresistible. The finale lands October 19. Place your bets — and maybe keep an eye on the nearest Wawa.

Task is now streaming on HBO Max in the U.S.