Mark Ruffalo anchors Task, a gritty HBO drama where suburban crime meets grief, faith, and fatherhood. Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey ignite an emotionally resonant thriller set in Philadelphia’s underbelly.
True crime is nothing new, but Task—created by Brad Ingelsby (the mind behind Mare of Easttown)—has a sting you didn’t see coming. Set not in dapper urban clean rooms but in the grit-lined corridors of suburban Philadelphia, this seven-episode HBO miniseries unfolds like a weathered photograph: grainy, stained, and emotionally precise.
Plot & Stylistic Approach
Task is a slow-burning thriller that pairs two damaged fathers on a collision course: Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo), a widowed former priest turned FBI agent, and Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey), a sanitation worker driven to rob drug stashes for his kids. Their mirrored pain is carefully sketched, and the pacing is deliberate, often to its benefit—and sometimes its detriment. The series aligns more with The Sopranos’ attention to character than typical procedural tempo.
Performances: A Tale of Two Torn Men
Mark Ruffalo delivers perhaps his most restrained and authentic portrait in years. He carries the quiet grief of a man whose faith and family are fractured. Brian Tallerico praises Ruffalo’s depiction of grief as “subtle… a weight on his shoulders” that only lifts when he’s in extremes—either inebriation or investigative focus.
The friction between Ruffalo and Pelphrey is veritably electric—reader beware: both men are drawn with empathy, not morality. Adding weight are strong supporting performances: Emilia Jones as Robbie’s niece, Thuso Mbedu and Fabien Frankel as committed junior agents, and an imperious Martha Plimpton as Brandis’s reluctant boss, whose every sarcastic quip is gold.
Tone & Structure: A Spark Against Dullness
Critics are divided on the series’ structure. Vulture’s Roxana Hadadi says Task “will test your patience,” reaching its emotional core only in the fifth of seven episodes—and in doing so, risks audience drop-off.
The plotting occasionally veers into familiar territory—violent biker gangs, contrived criminal encounters—but that only heightens how much the storytelling lives or dies by its characters
Why It Matters
In an era saturated with sleek, fast-food thrillers, Task demands attention. It’s moral complexity over spectacle. Thematically, it interrogates fatherhood, grief, and whether redemption is a myth or a burden. This isn’t television for noise, but for quiet rupture.
Critical Voices
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Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert.com): Praises the performances of Ruffalo and Pelphrey, calling the drama high-caliber and emotionally potent.
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Liz Shannon Miller (Consequence): Calls it HBO’s return to Sopranos-style storytelling—character-driven, unhurried, and rewarding.
Attribute Details Genre Crime Drama, Thriller Release Year 2025 (Miniseries premiere September 7 on HBO) Creator / Screenwriter Brad Ingelsby Directors Jeremiah Zagar, Salli Richardson-Whitfield Producers HBO Max, Public Record, wiip studios; Exec Prods: Ingelsby, Ruffalo, Zagar, Richardson-Whitfield Main Cast Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Raúl Castillo, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley, Fabien Frankel, Alison Oliver Production Company / Studio HBO Entertainment / Low Dweller Productions, Public Record Budget Not publicly disclosed Genre Note Detroit-set, flawed morality, moral complexity over cynicism