Since the gritty crime miniseries Mare of Easttown became a smash hit for HBO in 2021, fans have demanded a follow-up, even as creator Brad Ingelsby returned to the network last year with the series Task. The cast and crew of the series have discussed a potential return, but now, the series is coming back…but not the way anyone expected.

According to reports, Julianne Nicholson, who won an Emmy for her performance as Lori Ross on Mare of Easttown, will appear on the upcoming second season of Task…as Lori Ross. Ross was the best friend of Kate Winslet‘s local cop, Marianne “Mare” Sheehan, until a shocking crime drove a wedge between them. The character’s return establishes both Mare of Easttown and Task, both of which take place in rural Pennsylvania, as taking place in the same shared fictional universe, a distinction usually reserved for worlds full of superheroes or procedural detectives, and not prestige TV series. Ingelsby has previously described Task as feeling “like it lives in the same world as Mare.”

What Is ‘Task’ About?

Task stars Mark Ruffalo as Tom Brandis, an FBI agent and former Catholic priest who’s reeling from the recent death of his wife at the hands of their adopted son. The first season sees him put in charge of a task force charged with investigating a string of violent robberies targeting drug houses operated by the Dark Hearts, a local biker gang. The unlikely mastermind behind them is Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey), a local garbage collector with a bitter grudge against the Dark Hearts. At season’s end, Brandis gets to the bottom of the case, even as a mole on his team undermines the investigation. The upcoming second season will feature Brandis running a new task force. Joining Ruffalo in the new season are Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Harry Melling (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Adam Nagaitis (Chernobyl), Aminah Nieves (1923), and Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty).

Will Mare of Easttown return? Creator Ingelsby has previously stated that coming up with a second season of the series would be difficult, as it would have to live up to its acclaimed predecessor. However, earlier this year, Winslet said that a second season had a “strong likelihood” of happening, and that it might film in 2027.

The second season of Task is in development; no release date has yet been announced.

via Collider