TV franchises are all over broadcast history. Happy Days launched Mork and Mindy, Cheers launched Frasier, and Law and Order launched an entire Dick Wolf-iverse. Even today, that hasn’t stopped: The Big Bang Theory sparked both Young Sheldon and the upcoming sci-fi series Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.
But this trend of spinoffs usually doesn’t touch one facet of the TV landscape: prestige streaming TV dramas. Unless it’s part of an established universe like Game of Thrones or the DC Universe, HBO shows rarely build upon each other. But a new addition to a star-studded series reveals that two fan-favorite shows are actually set in the same universe.
Julianne Nicholson will bring her Mare of Easttown character, Lori Ross, back to the screen in Task Season 2.
According to Variety, Julianne Nicholson is set to appear in Season 2 of Task, starring Mark Ruffalo. She’ll play Lori Ross, the tough-as-nails mom from the 2021 series Mare of Easttown. This means that Task and Mare — both created by Brad Ingelsby and both set in rural Pennsylvania — co-exist with one another, creating a brand-new TV franchise for HBO.
Nicholson won an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Lori Ross, the best friend of detective Mare (Kate Winslet), who finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. Without getting too much into spoilers, she shares a big similarity with Task’s protagonist, FBI Agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo), namely that their children were both involved in tragedies.
Mark Ruffalo’s Tom Brandis shares a big similarity with Lori Ross that they can discuss in the new season.
Even if we don’t see Mare herself, it’s likely that Lori will become someone Tom can relate to as he deals with his difficult family, and we will also get an update about what’s happening over at Easttown. It also means that Inglesby’s next series, whatever that may be, will likely be another Pennsylvania-set gritty drama in this same world, opening up the possibility for any character (or, at least, any character who survives) to appear once again.
This appearance could be teasing something much bigger. Even though Mare of Easttown was initially supposed to be a limited series, there have been rumors that a Season 2 could be on the horizon. If Lori Ross is going to appear in Task, then that’s one step towards the entire show returning. Regardless of what lies ahead, one thing is very clear: Brad Ingelsby doesn’t want us to forget the case that captured the audience’s attention five years ago, as if that’s even possible.
