Ali, Ruffalo Join Task Crossover
Mahershala Ali and Mark Ruffalo Join Task Season 2 Amid Mare of Easttown Crossover
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Key Points
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Mahershala Ali has joined Task Season 2, portraying Eddie Barnes.
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Season 2 adds multiple new cast members to Task, including Edgar Ramirez as Miguel Contreras; Harry Melling as Brennan Boylan; Adam Nagaitis as Luke Clemmons; Aminah Nieves as Nataly Zamora.
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Task Season 2 is currently in pre-production.
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Several Season 1 regulars — Tom Pelphrey, Alison Oliver, and Raúl Castillo — are unlikely to return for Season 2.
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Brad Ingelsby previously said a Mare of Easttown crossover would need to be organic and payoff in a meaningful way rather than feel gimmicky.
HBO has confirmed a major crossover between two of its biggest crime dramas. Julianne Nicholson will reprise her Emmy-winning role as Lori Ross from Mare of Easttown in Task Season 2, according to AOL and People. The move officially places both shows in the same universe — both set in the Philadelphia area and created by the same writer.
Season 2 also adds Mahershala Ali to the cast as Eddie Barnes. Mark Ruffalo returns as Tom Brandis, who will lead a new task force. The season is currently in pre-production, Coming Soon reports.
Mahershala Ali and a Wave of New Faces Join
Ali's casting as Eddie Barnes is the headline addition for Season 2. He joins a large group of new characters. Edgar Ramirez will play Miguel Contreras. Harry Melling takes on the role of Brennan Boylan. Adam Nagaitis plays Luke Clemmons, and Aminah Nieves joins as Nataly Zamora, according to Epicstream.
Not everyone from Season 1 is coming back, though. Tom Pelphrey, Alison Oliver, and Raúl Castillo are all unlikely to return for Season 2. Ruffalo's Tom Brandis remains the anchor of the show heading into the new story.
Lori Ross Crossover Makes the Shared Universe Official
Nicholson's return as Lori Ross is more than a cameo — it locks in that Task and Mare of Easttown exist in the same world. Epicstream reports both shows are set in the Philadelphia area, which makes the overlap feel grounded rather than forced.
Whether Kate Winslet's Mare Sheehan will also appear remains unconfirmed. Winslet starred in the original Mare of Easttown, which premiered in 2021 and became a massive hit for HBO, People notes.
Brad Ingelsby Wanted the Crossover to Feel Earned
Creator Brad Ingelsby made both shows, so a crossover was always possible. But he set a clear bar for it. Ingelsby previously said any crossover would need to be organic and pay off in a meaningful way — not feel gimmicky. It had to earn its place in the story.
The Season 2 logline sets up a murky mission. Tom Brandis leads a new task force, but as the operation goes deeper, it becomes harder to tell who is actually the target, Yahoo reports. That moral ambiguity fits the tone of both shows.
Task Season 2 Timeline and What Comes Next
Task Season 2 is still in pre-production. No specific premiere date beyond a general 2027 window has been announced. The show's first season aired on HBO and built a strong following, setting the stage for this bigger, more connected second run, according to Coming Soon.
The scale of the new season is clearly larger. More cast members, a crossover with a beloved series, and a story that questions who the real target is — Task Season 2 looks to be one of HBO's most ambitious crime projects yet.
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