Updated
Updated · Variety · Jul 9
Julianne Nicholson Joins Task Season 2, Reprising Emmy-Winning Lori Ross Role
Updated
Updated · Variety · Jul 9

Julianne Nicholson Joins Task Season 2, Reprising Emmy-Winning Lori Ross Role

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jul 9

Summary

  • Julianne Nicholson has joined HBO’s “Task” Season 2, bringing back Lori Ross — the “Mare of Easttown” role that earned her an Emmy.
  • Brad Ingelsby’s two dramas had not been directly linked before, but both are set in Philadelphia’s working-class suburbs, making Nicholson’s casting the first explicit crossover.
  • Season 2 follows Tom Brandis, played by Mark Ruffalo, as he leads a new task force; HBO has not said how Lori Ross fits into that storyline.
  • Nicholson joins a cast that already includes Mahershala Ali, Harry Melling, Adam Nagaitis, Aminah Nieves and Edgar Ramirez.
  • The move also revives speculation about a broader “Mare of Easttown” return after HBO cited early talks in 2024 and Kate Winslet said this year a second season could film in 2027.

Insights

Is this crossover a creative choice or HBO's new strategy for building a prestige TV universe?
How will a character from a closed murder case fit into a new federal task force's investigation?