Emmy-winning actor Julianne Nicholson has joined the cast of HBO's crime drama Task for its second season, and will reprise her role of Lori Ross from the 2021 limited series Mare of Easttown. The move effectively links the two shows into a shared fictional world, which matters because both were created by Brad Ingelsby and are set among working-class communities in rural Pennsylvania.

Task is a crime drama centred on a task force led by Mark Ruffalo's character, Tom Brandis, whereas Lori is a wife and mother rather than a member of law enforcement, so it is unclear how she will feature. As Lori was the best friend of Kate Winslet's Mare Sheehan, the crossover has fuelled speculation that Winslet herself could appear on Task, with Winslet quoted as saying "I think we probably will do it." Task's first season, streaming on HBO Max, recently received six Emmy nominations, including for Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey.