‘Task’ creator says he’d “love to do” a second season

Brad Ingelsby, the creator of Task, has revealed that he is open to making a second season.

Ingelsby is the name behind the HBO limited series Mare Of Easttown, and more recently turned heads thanks to his hit new HBO series Task.

The crime drama series saw Mark Ruffalo take on the lead role, and it reached the conclusion of its first season over the weekend. Now, in a new interview with Deadline, both the creator and the lead actor opened up about the success of the show, and revealed that they are open to working on a second season.

Season one followed Ruffalo taking on the role as an FBI agent in charge of leading a task force in working-class Philadelphia. Their aim was to put an end to the series of violent robberies that were being carried out by an unassuming suspect.

Explaining how they came up with the resolution for the season one finale, Ruffalo said: “We did talk a lot about it and how to wrap it up without it feeling like we were rushing it, but also not lose the momentum of it. Like, how to close each piece up but still keep the audience going.”

Ingelsby continued, saying that while HBO gave them “a little bit of pushback” for that conclusion, “we were pretty passionate about keeping the ending. […] That was always the ending, and we never strayed from that. Although we were always thinking how do we keep momentum?”

When asked if there are hopes that the series and characters will continue their story in a potential second season, the creator was quick to say he would “love to do that”, particularly as the cast and crew “get along so well.”

All seven episodes of Task are available to stream on NOW in the UK.

Alongside Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey leads the show’s cast, and others who appear in the series are Emilia Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Raúl Castillo, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley, Fabien Frankel, Alison Oliver, Silvia Dionicio and Martha Plimpton.

At the time of writing, HBO has not confirmed whether Task will return for a second season, however the fact it is billed as a mini series doesn’t necessarily mean it cannot be extended.

Several shows in the same vein have gone on to get additional seasons and new storylines due to their huge popularity, including Big Little Lies, Beef and The White Lotus.

Ingelsby has hinted at an extension to the series before too. Speaking to Esquire, he said: “I’d love to have a chance to do another season of Task. What I love about TV is just how many characters you get to explore.

“I really see myself as a character writer and not a great plot writer. And so what I love about TV is that you get to explore the Grassos, the Lizzies, the Aleahs. If I was to do a movie, unless I was Robert Altman, I just wouldn’t be able to tap into that many characters.”

He also shared a similar sentiment with The Hollywood Reporter, implying that there could be a crossover between Task and Mare Of Easttown, as they’re both set in the same location of Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

“I think there were still more stories to be told about people in Delaware County,” he said. “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.”