Nicholson joins Mahershala Ali and a slew of other newcomers in season 2 of the Mark Ruffalo series
Credit: Michele K. Short/HBO; Peter Kramer/HBO
NEED TO KNOW
- Julianne Nicholson will reprise her Emmy-winning Mare of Easttown role in Task season 2
- Brad Ingelsby created both of the Philadelphia-set HBO shows and previously teased a possible crossover
- Mare of Easttown ran for one season in 2021, with Kate Winslet in the lead
Mare of Easttown is getting a continuation.
Julianne Nicholson will reprise her Mare of Easttown character, mom-of-three Lori Ross, in season 2 of Task, HBO revealed on Thursday, July 9.
She joins previously announced season 2 castmembers Mahershala Ali, Harry Melling, Adam Nagaitis, Aminah Nieves and Edgar Ramírez.
Philadelphia native Brad Ingelsby, who created both shows, previously teased that a crossover could be in the cards. Mare of Easttown, which premiered in 2021, followed detective Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) as she investigated a teenage mother’s murder, while Task followed FBI agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) as he hunted down sanitation worker Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey).
Credit: Sarah Shatz/HBO
“I think there were still more stories to be told about people in Delaware County,” Ingelsby told The Hollywood Reporter. “They exist in the same world, so it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Mare walked into a Wawa that Tom was in.”
At the time, he said, “I don’t have a story in mind that’s a crossover, but I love the idea of their worlds intersecting.”
Season 2 of Task will see Ruffalo’s Tom return for a new challenge. Per the official logline, Tom “takes the helm of a new task force, but the deeper the operation runs, the harder it is to tell who’s the target.”
Following the dramatic events of season 1, it’s unlikely that Pelphrey, Alison Oliver (who played Lizzie Stover) and Raúl Castillo (who portrayed Cliff Broward) will return for season 2.
Credit: Peter Kramer/HBO
Ever since Mare of Easttown’s award-winning run in 2021, fans have wondered about a possible season 2. After taking home an Emmy Award for her role, Winslet, 50, told E! News that there had “been conversations” about another installment, but she didn’t “have a clear answer.”
“I truly don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said at the time.
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Nicholson, who won an Emmy for her performance in the series, also expressed her hope for another season at the time. She told PEOPLE in 2023 that she would “100%” reprise her role as Lori if there was an opportunity. “It’s not impossible,” she said. “You never know.”
“I’m not losing sleep over it. But if that was happening and I was invited to join, yeah, definitely,” she said.
On Wednesday, July 8, Task scored six Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Ruffalo and Outstanding Supporting Actor for Pelphrey.
“We’re thrilled beyond words,” Ruffalo said in a statement. “Tom Pelphrey’s nomination for Supporting Actor is so richly deserved. His performance is so much of the heart of the show and to see it stand alongside nominations for cinematography, directing, editing and our incredible writing team led by Brad Ingelsby is a testament to the level of craft everyone brought to Task.”
Task and Mare of Easttown are streaming on HBO Max.
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