The decision comes after Task became a surprising hit, generating strong word-of-mouth. The series saw consistent growth in viewership throughout its first season. The finale on October 19th drew 4 million viewers on its first night via HBO and HBO Max. With 11.2 million viewers for the premiere episode (measured on the day of the finale), Task ranks among the fastest-growing new HBO series ever.
Francesca Orsi, Executive VP of HBO Programming, praises the series and Brad Ingelsby’s talent for combining human drama with thrilling, layered storylines. She expects him to deliver once again in the second season.
Ingelsby himself expresses gratitude for HBO's support from the first script to the launch of season one, calling HBO “an unparalleled creative home.”
In season one, we followed Mark Ruffalo as an FBI agent leading a task force in the working-class neighborhoods around Philadelphia. His team attempts to stop a series of violent raids on drug dens, committed by a man (Tom Pelphrey) driven by revenge.
The cast also included Emilia Jones, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley, Thuso Mbedu, Fabien Frankel, Alison Oliver, Raúl Castillo, Silvia Dionicio, Phoebe Fox, and Martha Plimpton — although not all of these characters will return in season two.
I'm especially curious to see how they'll continue the story. The combination of human drama and suspense was precisely what made season one so strong, so if they maintain that, this will be perfect.