HBO premieres Task, a seven-episode crime drama from Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby, Sunday, Sept. 7 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max. The series, set in the suburbs of Philadelphia, follows a widening web of theft, family strain and law-enforcement response after a local trash collector begins robbing gang houses, prompting an FBI task force to intervene.
Task centers on Robbie Prendergrast, played by Tom Pelphrey, a garbage collector who has been stealing from local drug stashes and who has specifically targeted the Dark Hearts, a motorcycle gang that controls narcotics in parts of rural Pennsylvania. Mark Ruffalo plays FBI agent Tom Brandis, called in to head a task force aimed at stopping escalating violence. The series explores the lives orbiting both men, including the Prendergrast family’s struggles and the Brandis household’s trauma. The ensemble cast also includes Emilia Jones, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley, Thuso Mbedu, Fabien Frankel, Alison Oliver, Raúl Castillo, Silvia Dionicio, Phoebe Fox and Martha Plimpton.
Episode 1, titled "Crossings," premieres Sept. 7 at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes will arrive Sundays at 9 p.m. ET through Oct. 19. The seven-episode schedule lists Episode 2, "Family Statements," on Sept. 14; Episode 3, "Nobody’s Stronger Than Forgiveness," on Sept. 21; Episode 4, "All Roads," on Sept. 27; Episode 5, "Vagrants," on Oct. 5; Episode 6, "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river," on Oct. 12; and Episode 7, "A Still Small Voice," on Oct. 19.
Task returns the HBO Sunday-night drama slot to a Delco-set narrative after Mare of Easttown, but it expands the scope. Whereas Mare focused tightly on a single detective and a specific case, Task aims for a broader ensemble approach that charts how one line of criminal activity ripples through families, law enforcement and organized crime. The show incorporates regional details — local shops and dialect — as part of its setting, and it frames the conflict around both the Dark Hearts’ control and what the crimes reveal about the communities involved.
The series was created and written by Brad Ingelsby and produced for HBO. Viewers can watch Task live on HBO or stream episodes on HBO Max. HBO Max subscription options currently include an ad-supported tier advertised at $9.99 per month and an ad-free tier starting at $16.99 per month, with an "ultimate" ad-free option at $20.99 per month that the service advertises as allowing more downloads; annual subscription promotions and bundle options with Hulu and Disney+ are also available through the streaming service’s pricing plans.
HBO is programming Task as a weekly appointment-viewing series rather than releasing all episodes at once; the network’s schedule places the show in its Sunday drama lineup. This run will give viewers six weeks after the premiere to follow the seven-episode arc through mid-October.
Critics and viewers will be able to assess how Task’s ensemble storytelling and regional specificity compare with Ingelsby’s earlier work, while tracking how the series handles themes of crime, family and institutional response over its single short season.
For those planning to tune in, the premiere begins at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, Sept. 7, with subsequent episodes airing each Sunday at the same hour through Oct. 19.