HBO’s Task climbs streaming charts months after Season 1 finale

Collider reports that HBO’s crime thriller Task has quietly climbed back onto streaming charts months after its seven-episode Season 1 finale, finding a new audience in early 2026.

The Mark Ruffalo-led drama debuted modestly and built viewers episode by episode, following a federal task force hunting a sprawling criminal network. By the time the finale aired it had become one of HBO’s most critically praised new series of 2025, and its slow-burn reputation helped drive renewed interest after the season wrapped.

A review by Carly Lane said creator David Ingelsby’s Task delivered a darker, more sprawling crime saga driven by grief and revenge, anchored by Ruffalo and Dylan Pelphrey, and that it balanced an FBI manhunt with an intimate look at two broken men spiraling after personal loss. The review added that, while sometimes uneven in pacing, the series’ performances and emotionally brutal finale were deeply affecting; its penultimate episode, written by Ingelsby and directed by Salli Richardson-Whitfield, was described as a masterclass in tension featuring a deadly, nigh-cataclysmic showdown.

Task is streaming now on HBO Max. The series was released in 2025, and credited directors include Jeremiah Zagar and Tom Robbie.

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Culture, Task, Mark Ruffalo, Dylan Pelphrey, David Ingelsby, Hbo Max