A Philadelphia-based FBI agent (Ruffalo) is put in charge of a task force to end a string of violent robberies undertaken by an unassuming family man (Pelphrey).[1]
Cast
Main
Mark Ruffalo as Tom Brandis,[2] an FBI agent and former Catholic priest who is called in to head a task force investigating a series of armed robberies after taking time off from field duty due to a family tragedy
Tom Pelphrey as Robbie Prendergrast,[2] a garbage collector for J&W Sanitation who robs "trap houses" operated by drug gangs at night in the Philadelphia area
Emilia Jones as Maeve,[2] Robbie's 21-year-old niece who has been saddled with the raising of Robbie's young children since the departure of his wife almost a year earlier
Fabien Frankel as Anthony Grasso,[2] a Delaware County detective who joins the task force Tom sets up to investigate the robberies
Thuso Mbedu as Aleah,[2] a no-nonsense Chester detective sergeant who joins Tom's task force
Raúl Castillo as Cliff Broward,[2] Robbie's friend and co-worker who joins in the trap house robberies
Alison Oliver as Lizzie,[2] an inexperienced PSP trooper on Tom's task force
Owen Teague as Peaches, Robbie and Cliff's accomplice in the trap house robberies
Silvia Dionicio as Emily, Tom's adopted daughter and biological sister of Ethan, Tom's adopted son
Mireille Enos as Susan Brandis, Tom's wife who was murdered by their adoptive son Ethan
In addition, Andrew Russel co-stars as Ethan, Tom's adopted son and Emily's biological brother, who is currently incarcerated for the murder of Susan, Tom's wife.
In Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Catholic priest turned FBI special agent Tom Brandis works recruitment as he prepares for the upcoming sentencing hearing for his adopted son, Ethan, who is pleading guilty to third degree homicide. He drinks heavily every night, a fact that is not lost on his teenage daughter, Emily, who is Ethan's sister. Meanwhile, Robbie Prendergrast lives in his late brother's home with his two young children. He is at odds with his niece, Maeve, who has looked after them since Robbie's wife left months ago. He and his friend Cliff Broward use their employment as waste collectors to case "trap houses" operated by drug dealers as potential robbery targets. Robbie, Cliff, and friend Peaches conduct a home invasion and steal money from one such house. Tom is assigned to lead a task force consisting of State Trooper Lizzie Stover and detectives Aleah Clinton and Anthony Grasso; they are to investigate the robberies of houses used by the Dark Hearts, an outlaw motorcycle gang. Robbie, Cliff, and Peaches rob another house owned by Dark Hearts member Deric. The robbery goes wrong when another biker arrives at the house unexpectedly. A gunfight ensues, leaving the three bikers and Peaches dead. Robbie and Cliff discover Deric's young son, Sam, in the house and abduct him.
Jayson, president of the Dark Hearts Delaware County chapter, learns of the fatal home invasion and vows retribution. Robbie and Cliff discover they have stolen a duffel bag of pure fentanyl from Deric's house. Robbie is forced to keep Sam at his home and tells Maeve he is the child of a friend from work. Maeve realizes the truth when Sam mentions the name of his father, Deric, a name she recognizes. Knowing the police are looking for Sam, she drops him at a store near the arcade where she works and makes an anonymous call to the FBI tip line. But rather than being picked up by police, Sam returns to her car. When Tom arrives in response to her call, Maeve purposely misleads him and returns home with Sam. As Tom's task force continues their investigation, his elder daughter Sara arrives for a visit and a family argument ensues over Emily's plan to give a family impact statement at Ethan's sentencing. It is revealed Ethan pushed their adoptive mother down the stairs during a bipolar episode, accidentally killing her. Sara is infuriated by the idea that Emily's statement might persuade the judge to give Ethan a lighter sentence. Tom meets with fellow FBI agent Easley, who tells him that Jayson murdered a Dark Hearts member named Billy, Robbie's brother and Maeve's father.
Teleplay by : Brad Ingelsby Story by : Brad Ingelsby & David Obzud
October 12, 2025 (2025-10-12)
TBD
7
"A Still Small Voice"
TBA
Brad Ingelsby
October 19, 2025 (2025-10-19)
TBD
Production
Development
In June 2023, it was announced HBO had greenlit the series, with Brad Ingelsby serving as creator and writer, and Jeremiah Zagar set to direct multiple episodes.[11] In December 2023, it was announced Salli Richardson-Whitfield would also direct multiple episodes and serve as an executive producer.[12] In November 2024, the series's title, Task, was announced.[13]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 89% approval rating based on 53 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey are superb in Task, a culturally-specific crime story that's unrelentingly bleak but equally riveting."[27]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 76 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable".[28]
