Despite sharing a creator (Brad Ingelsby), a setting (Delaware County, Pennsylvania), and a vibe (blue-collar suburban crime-thriller), HBO’s Mare Of Easttown and Task have, up until now, existed in their own separate prestige TV universes. But all of that is about to change as the upcoming Task Season 2’s latest casting announcement has teed up an unexpected but very welcome crossover. As reported by Variety, Mare star Julianne Nicholson is set to reprise the Emmy-winning role of Lori Ross in Task‘s sophomore outing.
In Ingelsby’s critically acclaimed Mare Of Easttown, Nicholson’s Lori was introduced as a mother of three who is best friend to Kate Winslet’s police detective Mare, and whose own son was embroiled in that series’ central murder investigation. But while whispers of a second trip to Easttown have persisted in the years since the series’ 2021 release, we’ve yet to see Lori — or Mare, for that matter — return to our screens. How exactly Nicholson’s character will factor into Task Season 2, and to what extent her journey and that of Mark Ruffalo’s embattled FBI Agent Tom Brandis will overlap, very much remains to be seen. But with the new season’s logline teasing that Brandis is set to head up a new task force this time out, it isn’t outside of the realms of possibility that Easttown could be where he’s headed next, or at the very least be a place he stops by for a while as he passes through. Confirmation of the crossover alone is enough to fuel wild speculation…
It’s worth noting that Julianne Nicholson isn’t the only new face heading for Task‘s second season, either. Mahershala Ali, Harry Melling, Adam Nagaitis, Aminah Nieves, and Edgar Ramirez are all contributing to the veritable constellation of stars Ingelsby has assembled for his show’s return. And heck, who knows? Maybe now that Nicholson has crossed over we might see Winslet’s Mare herself taken to Task before long. The world’s unlikeliest Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind reunion is on — watch this space!
