HBO's drama Task has lined up a fresh batch of familiar faces for its second season. Tim Blake Nelson, Jharrel Jerome, Brían F. O'Byrne, Bethlehem Million, Kevin Dunn and Andrew Russel have all joined the cast, according to a Deadline exclusive published on 3 August 2026.

The additions fill out a wide ensemble orbiting two central figures: Tom Brandis, played by Mark Ruffalo, who takes the helm of a new task force in Season 2, and Eddie Barnes, played by Mahershala Ali. The series is set in the working-class suburbs outside Philadelphia and stems from an original idea by Brad Ingelsby.

Nelson will play Denny Coughlin, a career cop recruited to Brandis's task force. Jerome — an Emmy winner for Netflix's When They See Us — takes the role of Jordan Barnes, Eddie Barnes's son. O'Byrne plays Charlie Boylan, a retired DEA agent who serves as a mentor to Eddie. Million steps in as Lisa Barnes, Eddie's daughter. Dunn, a veteran character actor whose credits range from Veep to Transformers, plays Vince Runyan, an FBI agent and Brandis's boss. Russel reprises his Season 1 role as Ethan Brandis, Tom's son.

The returning cast already carries serious weight. Beyond Ruffalo and Ali, the ensemble includes Julianne Nicholson as Lori Ross, Harry Melling as Brennan Boylan, Adam Nagaitis as Luke Clemmons, Aminah Nieves as Nataly Zamora, Edgar Ramírez as Miguel Contreras, Martha Plimpton as Kathleen McGinty, and Silvia Dionicio as Emily Brandis.

Behind the camera, Ingelsby serves as creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer — the last of those titles meaning he has final say on the creative direction and business side of the production. His fellow executive producers are Paul Lee, Mark Roybal, Jeremiah Zagar, Mark Ruffalo and Ron Schmidt. Casting is handled by Bialy Thomas & Associates.

What makes this stand out is the depth of the bench. Season 2 appears to be widening its lens beyond the Brandis–Barnes dynamic, bringing in family members, federal brass and a retired agent from Eddie's past. Each new character arrives with a defined relationship to one of the two leads, which suggests the writing room is building outward from the core conflict rather than simply swapping in new names.

For fans of the show, the message is straightforward: the world of Task is getting bigger, and the cast list now runs deep enough to fill it.