Brad Ingelsby is delivering a new drama for HBO viewers to enjoy following the success of his 2021 series, Mare of Easttown, and as Task gears up for its debut, we caught up with the creative at the premiere, where he weighed in on a potential crossover.
For those less versed in the dramas, Mare of Easttown memorably followed Kate Winslet‘s titular detective as she unraveled a two-layer mystery in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, otherwise known as Delco. Task explores a new story with new characters in a similar setting, with Delco setting the stage for a new mystery.
Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey step into the leading roles as Tom Brandis, an FBI agent who is tasked with heading a task force, and Robbie Prendergast, a blue-collar sanitation worker who gets caught up in a string of robberies. But when it comes to expanding his TV universe, Ingelsby says, “I’m always thinking. That’s the curse. I’m always thinking, I can’t turn it off, unfortunately… I love living in this world. I grew up in this place. As long as audiences want to hear stories about Delaware County, I’ll be here to tell them.”
HBO
Does that mean there’s room for a series that would bring Mare of Easttown and Task characters together in a sort of TV crossover? “I think if there’s a natural way to do it, I don’t see a reason why not,” Ingeslby tells TV Insider of the possibility. “It would have to pay off in a way that I found [satisfying]… I wouldn’t want it to be a gimmick. I would want it to be really organic. So if there was an organic way in, I would embrace it,” he shares.
As for bringing Task to the screen, Ingeslby acknowledges that it was a long road. Originally announced with Mark Ruffalo’s casting back in June 2023, the show was greenlit, and “the writers’ strike shut us down,” Ingelsby recalls. Ultimately, things worked out, and Ingelsby says, “I’m incredibly proud that I got to work with these people, and I’m incredibly proud of how we made the show with a lot of kindness and collaboration.”
See it all come together when Task premieres on HBO, and let us know if you’d like to see a Mare of Easttown crossover with Task in the future.
Task, Series Premiere, Sunday, September 7, 9/8c, HBO and HBO Max