CABLE | Philly 'Heat' – Mark Ruffalo Takes HBO to 'Task'

"When things go terribly wrong, people want to know why God let it happen."

Low Dweller Productions / Public Record

HBO and Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby are back together for another compelling procedural crime series, once again set in the outskirts of Philadelphia. Here we follow a Heat-style cat-and-mouse chase between a birdwatching but haggard FBI field agent (Mark Ruffalo) investigating a string of targeted robberies of biker gang-controlled stash houses spearheaded by an otherwise mild-mannered garbage collector (Tom Pelphrey) and his Philly crew. That's the straightforwardly titled Task's initial setup as we witness a tense back-and-forth pursuit of deliberate escalation.

First directed by Pennsylvania native Jeremiah Zagar, who establishes the moody, investigative template, the titular task force consists of Thuso Mbedu, Fabien Frankel, and Alison Oliver as various moulds of archetypal cop characters. Ruffalo's Tom begins the series off reeling from a recent family tragedy affecting both his adopted daughter and involving her now-incarcerated biological brother. He's then reluctantly called back into active duty thanks to budget cuts within the FBI.

An unrecognizable Emilia Jones, who clearly stands out as Pelphrey's matriarchal but frustrated young adult niece, and Raúl Castillo as another sanitation worker turned robber, build out the opposing side of the law. From its premiere episode, Ingelsby carves out a captivating cast of characters as he immediately establishes a world we care about with real stakes.

Much of Task is standard, hard-boiled two-hander fare executed to the highest degree in the elevated prestige television format. Ruffalo and Pelphrey are in their element, barely breaking a sweat as they move forward on parallel paths of hopelessness, leading to each other. Both craft not dissimilar but complementary portraits of fractured fatherhood and suffering, headed in opposing directions.

Task's seven-episode first season airs weekly on HBO and is available to stream on Crave in Canada (and on HBO Max in the U.S.).


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