Task Season 2 Secures Mark Ruffalo — Could Kate Winslet Finally Join?

HBO is sticking with Mark Ruffalo and his bruised-and-brooding FBI agent. Task is officially coming back for Season 2, according to THR. If you missed the first run or you just want the receipts on why this thing got fast-tracked, here’s the lay of the land.

• Title: Task
• Creator: Brad Ingelsby
• Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Emilia Jones, Fabien Frankel, Thuso Mbedu
• Season: 1 (so far)
• Episodes: 7
• Premiere date: September 7, 2025
• Streaming: HBO Max
• IMDb: 8/10
• The setup: Ruffalo plays FBI agent Tom Brandis, who runs a task force chasing a string of violent trap-house robberies tied to a motorcycle gang.

Season 2 is happening because the numbers popped

HBO didn’t renew this on a whim. Task had one of the network’s fastest-growing debut seasons. The seven-episode slow burn did the thing weekly TV is supposed to do: it built. Night-of, the finale pulled 4 million viewers (via THR). By the time that finale aired, the premiere episode had climbed to 11.2 million viewers in total. Translation: people caught up and stuck around. That’s the kind of long-tail momentum streamers love.

"We knew well in advance of its launch that we had a powerful drama series on our hands, but it has been so rewarding to witness the audience's fervor and embrace of this show as it grew week after week."

- Francesca Orsi, HBO

Creator Brad Ingelsby, who clearly has HBO on speed dial at this point, thanked the network for its "unwavering support" and called it an "unmatched creative home." HBO loves a winner with legs, and this fits the brand that gave us The Sopranos and Game of Thrones.

Quick refresher on the show itself

Season 1 tracks Ruffalo’s Tom Brandis, an FBI lifer with more cracks than he lets on, as he quarterbacks a task force through a nasty robbery spree tied to a biker crew. It’s a tense crime story with a character study baked in — the show takes its time, and the payoff landed with that finale audience.

The Mare of Easttown connection (and the Wawa of it all)

This is where it gets fun for Ingelsby fans. Task comes from the same mind behind Mare of Easttown, and he’s not shy about saying both shows live in the same general world — Delaware County life, frayed cops, all that texture. There is no official crossover planned, but Ingelsby is already imagining how those worlds could brush past each other.

"I think there were still more stories to be told about people in Delaware County. They exist in the same world, so it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Mare (played by Kate Winslet) walked into a Wawa that Tom (played by Ruffalo) was in. I don't have a story in mind that's a crossover, but I love the idea of their worlds intersecting."

- Brad Ingelsby

Different shows, same spiritual neighborhood: two battered law enforcers trying to hold their corners together. If a quick Mare-and-Tom moment ever does happen, don’t be shocked.

Where to watch

Task and Mare of Easttown are streaming on HBO Max in the U.S. Season 2 of Task is officially on the way; more details when HBO starts talking dates and casting.