Mare of Easttown’s Julianne Nicholson Reprising Role in Task Season 2

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Julianne Nicholson is tackling a new task.

Over five years after Mare of Easttown ended, the actress will reprise her role of Lori Ross—friend of Kate Winslet's Mare—in season two of the detective drama Task in a surprise crossover of the two Brad Ingelsby shows.

"Plot twist," HBO wrote in a July 9 Instagram post, announcing the news. "Julianne Nicholson joins #Task Season 2."

While revealing Nicholson's casting, and therefore, the crossover, the streamer shared a photo of Nicholson in the post, in addition to a split-screen image of Mark Ruffalo as his Task character FBI agent Tom Brandis looking through binoculars alongside a still of Nicholson from Mare of Easttown.

The post also featured a clip of Nicholson's Lori being introduced during a small-town basketball game, adding the words "julianne nicholson joining season 2 of task" over the footage.

Although both Task—which just earned six 2026 Emmy nominations—and Mare of Easttown are created by Ingelsby and are set in the Philadelphia suburbs, it was never revealed that they take place in the same universe...until now.

While HBO did not share further details regarding how Nicholson's character will be brought into the fold for Task season two, the Emmy winner joins a slew of new cast members for the second season, including Mahershala Ali, Harry Melling, Adeam Nagaitis, Aminiah Nieves and Edgar Ramirez, per Variety.

And fans couldn't be more thrilled about the crossover and Nicholson's casting.

"The PCU (Philly Cinematic Universe) coming to fruition," a user commented on HBO's post, while another wrote, "Delco Expanded Universe!!"

Meanwhile, a third fan praised Nicholson as "a phenomenal acting talent" and a "hugely underrated performer."

Sarah Shatz/HBO

Indeed, not only was Nicholson's performance in Mare of Easttown lauded by fans and critics alike, but it also made her a first-time Emmy winner in 2021.

After all, the 55-year-old won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, taking home an award alongside her costars Winslet and Evan Peters.

"The first time [I won] was during Covid when it was a novelty to be gathered together," Nicholson told Emmy Magazine in a May interview. "I felt like family sitting with Kate and at the same table and all of us cheering for the others."

And while the Task season two premiere date has yet to be announced, read on to see when your other favorite shows will be premiering this year.

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