July 09, 2026
Sarah Shatz/HBO
Julianne Nicholson, left, will reprise her 'Mare of Easttown' role in Season 2 of 'Task.'
The long-rumored "Task" and "Mare of Easttown" crossover is becoming a reality.
Julianne Nicholson will reprise her Emmy-winning role as Lori Ross, Mare's best friend, in the second season of "Task," Variety reported. The casting will unite the two HBO series. Both were created by Berwyn native Brad Ingelsby and set in Delaware County, but they never were explicitly linked until now.
MORE: 'Task' scores 6 Emmy nods, but gets shut out of biggest category
Little else is known about how Lori will figure into the story, which sees FBI agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) heading up a new task force. It comes into conflict with a DEA team led by Philadelphia field agent Eddie Barnes (Mahershala Ali). But that's all the plot information that HBO has dispensed on Season 2, which recently began filming in Manayunk.
Fans have been speculating about a crossover since "Task" debuted last fall, and not without reason. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Ingelsby suggested the lead characters of his shows could walk into the same Wawa, saying he loved "the idea of their worlds intersecting." Mare herself has hinted she might take up her vape pen again. Kate Winslet, who won an Emmy for playing the titular role, told Deadline earlier this year there was a "strong likelihood" that a new season of "Mare of Easttown" would go into production in 2027.
Unlike her pal Mare, Lori is not involved in law enforcement, making her "Task" appearance even more mysterious. Will Tom's investigation lead him to Easttown? Is it somehow linked to the murder case in "Mare," which implicates various members of Lori's family? Or is she randomly friends with Eddie? Start forming your best theories, and keep an eye out for Nicholson in Manayunk.
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