‘Task’ Officially Renewed for Season 2 at HBO

Task, the HBO crime drama starring Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey, has been renewed for Season 2. One of the best shows to come out in 2025, Task follows troubled Philadelphia FBI agent Tom Brandis as he tries to solve a series of violent crimes. After one robbery ends up in a massacre and a kidnapping, Brandis puts together a task force who can come up with some answers for the mysterious hits carried out by a charismatic thief.

The renewal for a second season was announced by Warner Bros. Discovery during a press presentation. Casey Bloys, HBO CEO, revealed that the drama was set to return in the future, with original showrunner Brad Ingelsby also returning. Ingelsby, also famous for his other HBO hit, Mare of Easttown, expressed his excitement about continuing Brandis’ story, and that of whoever remains of his crime-fighting team:

“We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have HBO’s unwavering support of Task from the very first script onwards, throughout production, and during their extraordinary launch of our first season to audiences. They are an unmatched creative home. On behalf of the entire Task team, in front of and behind the camera, I am honored and excited to get back to work on a second season of our show.”

Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, Francesca Orsi, talked about the series renewal, and praised Ingelsby’s storytelling: “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. Rarely does a writer balance humanistic storytelling with intricate, explosive plotting, but Brad Ingelsby is one of our industry’s greats, and we have no doubt he will strike as profoundly and addictively once again in Season 2.”

‘Task’ Is One of the Year’s Best Crime Shows – And the Perfect Weekend Binge

HBO

If you’re looking to catch up before the eventual release of Season 2, Task Season 1 is one of the few shows on streaming that’s actually perfect for a weekend binge. The first season consists of only seven one-hour episodes, and they’re available to stream on HBO Max. The show joins other notable releases by HBO in 2025, such as The Last of Us Season 2, The White Lotus Season 3, The Pitt Season 1, and It: Welcome to Derry.

Season 1 of Task holds a whopping 96% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes with a Certified Fresh label. On the audience side, it sits at 74%. Sophie Butcher, of Empire, said, “You’ve seen this kind of show before, probably many times – but Task’s compelling characters, patient writing and undercurrent of emotion helps it stand out from the crowd.” Writing for Forbes, Erik Kain praised Task as easily “the best thing on TV at the moment. A gripping crime drama with deeply sympathetic and complex characters on a collision course with no good outcomes likely. It’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.” On the other hand, Lucy Mangan wrote a negative review for The Guardian, saying, “It flattens the characters into ciphers, deadens the story, and as time goes on, makes the whole thing inescapably boring. It is not as if we haven’t seen everything on shows before.”