The next big Sunday night HBO show is going to be Task, a gritty crime drama from the creator of Mare of Easttown, Brad Ingelsby. Like Mare, Task looks at life, death, love, hate, crime, justice, and just what everyone is ordering at Wawa’s in the gritty DelCo suburbs of Philadelphia. Unlike Mare of Easttown, Task is focused on a wider cast of characters, each dogged by their own demons.

Task follows two tortured family men on a collision course. FBI Agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) is pulled out of the career fair circuit by boss Kathleen McGinty (Martha Plimpton) to lead up a special Task Force focused on a string of home invasion robberies. Tender-hearted trash man Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey) has been hitting gang houses in the hours after their lucrative drug deals to give his children a better life. Naturally, things get messy for Robbie and his friends, and Tom and his ragtag team of relative newbies are stuck trying to crack the case.

So when does Task come out? And what exactly — if anything — does it have to do with Mare of Easttown? Here’s everything you need to know about when Task comes out on HBO and HBO Max…

Is Task On Tonight (8/31/25)?

Nope. The new show Task is not out on HBO yet.

However, if you’re in the mood to watch a grizzled DelCo detective take on a hard case, there is a Mare of Easttown marathon on HBO tonight.

When Does Task Come Out? Task Show Release Date:

Task premieres next week on Sunday, September 7 at 9 PM ET on HBO and HBO MAX.

How Many Episodes are in Task? Task Episode Guide:

There are a total of seven episodes in Task, which is envisioned as a limited series. The first episode of Task drops on Sunday, September 7. New episodes will continue to air on HBO and MAX on Sundays through October 19. Here’s your guide to when each and every episode of Task comes out on HBO…

• Episode 1 “Crossings”: Sunday, September 7
• Episode 2 “Family Statements”: Sunday, September 14
• Episode 3 “Nobody’s Stronger Than Forgiveness”: Sunday, September 21
• Episode 4 “All Roads”: Sunday, September 27
• Episode 5 “Vagrants”: Sunday, October 5
• Episode 6 “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river”: Sunday, October 12
• Episode 7 “A Still Small Voice”: Sunday, October 19

What Is Task About? Is Task a Spin-off or Sequel to Mare of Easttown?

Much like creator Brad Ingelsby’s last big HBO limited series Mare of Easttown, Task is set in the working-class suburbs of Philly. Mark Ruffalo’s priest-turned-FBI agent Tom Brandis had been put in charge of a Task Force investigating a string of violent home invasions and robberies. Tom Pelphrey is Robbie Prendergrast, the doting family man organizing these hits on gang houses to give his kids a better life.

While Task is set in the same world as Mare of Easttown, namely DelCo, they are different shows. Still, they both rep Wawa and the local Philly sports teams. (Go birds.)

Task Season 3 Cast Info:

Besides Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey, Task also stars actors you’ve seen in CODA, Saltburn, The Underground Railroad, House of the Dragon, and more. The Task cast includes: Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley, Thuso Mbedu, Fabien Frankel, Alison Oliver, Raúl Castillo, Silvia Dionicio, Phoebe Fox, and Martha Plimpton. 

How To Watch Task:

Task is an HBO original, so you will need either HBO or HBO MAX to watch it when it comes out next Sunday, September 7.

If you don’t already have HBO MAX, the streaming service is currently available monthly ad-free for as little as 16.99/month or for $9.99/month with ads. An ultimate ad-free subscription goes for $20.99/month and includes up to 100 downloads on the go.

Trying to get the best deal possible? You can get two months of HBO MAX free if you decide to commit to an annual subscription. Ad-free annual bundles go for $169.99/year or $209.99/year for the ultimate tier. A year’s worth of HBO MAX with ads goes for $99.99/year.

You can also bundle HBO MAX with your existing Hulu and Disney+ subscription for an addition $16.99/month with ads or $29.99/month ad-free.