One of 2025's Best Shows Is Now on HBO Max — Here's Why You Should Watch It

Four years ago, Brad Ingelsby‘s Mare of Easttown captured the attention of viewers and critics alike. Now, Ingelsby’s new crime drama, Task, may enjoy the same kind of success.

Ingelsby cast Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey in the leading roles as FBI agent Tom Brandis and garbage man Robbie Prendergast, respectively.

Robbie and Tom don’t know each other yet, but their paths are inevitably going to cross. That’s because Tom is in charge of a task force to solve the robberies that are being committed by Robbie and his friends.

After last night’s series premiere, it looks like Task may live up to the hype. Now, Watch With Us is sharing three reasons you need to watch Task on HBO Max.

Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey Ground ‘Task’ With Compelling Performances

Task doesn’t waste any time before establishing Tom and Robbie as two very different family men. Tom is a former priest turned FBI agent who has lost his faith. Ruffalo conveys this through Tom’s inability to pray and the way he refuses to engage with his son, Ethan, after the latter’s currently undisclosed crime against his family. The only thing Tom has going for him in his personal life is his daughter, Emily (Silvia Dionicio).

Robbie has his own cross to bear and more children to provide for than Tom does. The key difference between them is that Tom’s solution for his unhappiness is to go on a string of robberies that target drug dealers. Pelphrey does a good job of portraying the desperation that leads Robbie to this choice. But it’s even more impressive that Pelphrey can make Robbie so sympathetic, even after he does some very morally questionable things by the end of the episode.

On one hand, we want Robbie to keep his family together. On the other hand, Tom’s attempt to identify Robbie and arrest him is completely justified. Someone has to lose when these two eventually collide, but it’s going to be even more interesting if we love both characters when that happens.

The Family Dynamics Are Very Interesting

As alluded to above, Tom’s son Ethan is in prison and facing a sentence for something he did to his family. The shadow of that crime seems to hang over Tom like a dark cloud. Presumably, Task will provide some more context for what happened. It’s one of the show’s biggest mysteries at the moment.

Like Tom, Robbie is near the end of his rope at the beginning of the show. He didn’t take up a life of crime because he was bored. It’s simply the only thing he can think of to improve his life and provide for his kids.

Surprisingly, it’s Robbie’s niece, Maeve (Emilia Jones), who has the most well-defined personality among his household. She calls him out for telling lies about what he’s doing and for not being there to take care of his kids. Maeve’s eventual reaction to Robbie’s nocturnal activities is probably going to be explosive, and we can’t wait to see it.

The First Episode Has an Intriguing Cliffhanger

We’re not going to spoil the specifics about the cliffhanger that closes out the first episode. For now, all we’ll say is that a thrilling shoot-out leaves Robbie with a choice. And the decision he makes is likely going to throw his family into turmoil and potentially lead Tom right to his door.

Although this choice seems like it will lead to Robbie’s downfall, it was also the only morally justifiable decision he could have made, given his options. That probably won’t be enough to keep Robbie from facing justice, but it might just be enough to save his soul. Either way, that cliffhanger has us hooked to see how Task‘s story is going to play out.

Task is streaming on HBO Max.