HBO’s 7-Part Crime Thriller With A Near-Perfect RT Score Is Built For A Weekend Binge

HBO Max‘s 7-part crime thriller with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 96% and total runtime of roughly 7 hours is built for a weekend binge. Whether you’re diving in on a Friday night or looking for something to start watching on a lazy Sunday, this HBO original series is one of the very best to stream in just a few sittings on the platform – and is also one of the most critically acclaimed new HBO shows.

With its high Rotten Tomatoes score of 96%, which ranks higher than all-time HBO classics like The Sopranos, The Wire, The Leftovers, and Succession, this series isn’t just one of HBO’s most celebrated series of the 2020s, but of all time. Considering season 2 is already in development, and the series was one of HBO’s most-watched shows last year, this 7-part crime drama is expected to make a splash at the 2026 Emmys in September.

HBO’s 7-Part Crime Thriller Is Built For A Weekend Binge

HBO’s renowned 7-part crime series Task is built for an immersive and rewarding weekend binge. The series was created by Brad Ingelsby, whose 2021 HBO miniseries Mare of Easttown won 4 Emmys, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited/Antholgy Series for Kate Winslet. Task features one of the best new ensemble casts of 2025, led by Mark Ruffalo, Emilia Jones, Tom Pelphrey, Alison Oliver, Fabien Frankel, and more.

Fans of Mare of Easttown will find many of its strongest qualities in Task as well. Both are gritty crime dramas set in suburban Pennsylvania whose protagonists are experienced law enforcement officials struck by great personal tragedy. Despite this, they pour themselves into their work, which centers around solving a mysterious crime that shakes a small-town community. In Task, Ruffalo plays Tom Brandis, a former Catholic priest-turned-FBI agent who leads a task force investigating a series of home invasions.

The main thief behind the home invasions, Robbie Prendergast (Pelphrey), is not a mystery in Task and actually serves as a secondary protagonist who is set on a collision course with Tom. Robbie is a surprisingly sympathetic antagonist who falls on desperate times, choosing to target and rob local trap houses to provide for his children. Tom reluctantly comes out of retirement to hunt down Robbie, but as the series plays out, it becomes apparent that the hero and the villain of this story are oddly similar.

Task Is One Of HBO’s Most Acclaimed New Crime Series

Peter Kramer/HBO

Task has received a similar degree of praise to Mare of Easttown, making it one of HBO’s most promising new drama series. In fact, the success of Task sparked the continuation of the series as well as Mare of Easttown, both of which are currently in development for season 2. Task proved that Ingelsby and HBO have found a winning formula with their gritty, exceptional crime series, as both offer tension and thrills while also diving into complex human emotions.

Related

Netflix’s 6-Part Crime Thriller Is Perfect For An Easy One-Night Binge

Netflix’s forgotten yet rewarding 6-part crime thriller is perfect for an easy one-night binge that viewers can start and finish in just one sitting.

Screen Rant gave Task 9/10 stars, noting, “Task is stunning. Ingelsby writes with natural immersion and masterful authenticity that transcends both genre and medium. It’s HBO’s new masterpiece.” In the same vein, IndieWire writes, “Enriched by regular moments of grace, Task still moves at an engrossing, steady pace. Ingelsby preserves the thrills of a relentless investigation while foregrounding his ensemble’s relatable experiences with guilt and forgiveness.” Out of 83 published reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, only 6 gave a “Rotten” score.

Chances are, if you’ve had an active HBO Max subscription last year, you’ve already seen Task, or at least heard of it. HBO had an outstanding year of new releases in 2025, including The Pitt, The Chair Company, and IT: Welcome to Derry, and Task undoubtedly belongs in that category. As such, it’s one of the best new shows to binge-watch on HBO Max, even if it’s for a re-watch.

Task

9/10

Release Date

2025 – 2025-00-00

Network

HBO