A New HBO Crime Series Has Stephen King's Stamp Of Approval

HBO has long been a destination for great TV. In many ways, the cable network helped usher in the golden age of television with "The Sopranos." Even in today's very crowded, streaming-dominated landscape, that largely holds true. Case in point: The network's latest crime series, "Task," has not only been met with a great deal of acclaim, but it has even captured the attention of prolific writer Stephen King.

King is one of the most celebrated authors to ever do it, writing everything from "It" to "Under the Dome." His works have also inspired dozens of movie and TV adaptations over the years, with both "The Life of Chuck" and "The Long Walk" arriving on the big screen just this year. King himself is also a big movie and TV fan, frequently highlighting what he's been watching on social media. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), King shared his brief review of "Task," which hails from "Mare of Easttown" creator Brad Ingelsby. Here's what King had to say about it:

"TASK (HBO): It's a crime story; it's nailbiting suspense. You'll care about the lawmen (led by Mark Ruffalo) and the criminals. Most of all, you'll care about the kidnapped little boy."

The series is set in the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia and centers on FBI agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo), who heads a Task Force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspecting family man, Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey). The show also stars "House of the Dragon" alum Fabien Frankel, as well as "CODA" actor Emilia Jones.

As of this writing, we're just a couple of episodes into "Task" season 1, but critics have largely been very impressed with what Inglesby has cooked up, agreeing with King's assessment. The show currently holds a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Again, that perhaps shouldn't be too surprising, given HBO's long history of producing great crime dramas. All the same, for those who love the genre, this one might be worth putting on your radar, if it isn't there already.

Ruffalo, who's best known for his work as Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is wearing a very different hat in this series. He's played a cop before in movies like "Zodiac," but as he explained in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, this show's aim isn't the traditional delineation of good guys versus bad guys. It's a cops and robbers story, but one that seeks to shed a different light on the robbers. Here's how Ruffalo laid it all out:

"I have a dear friend who is an ex-con, and he's actually in the series, and we were talking about the material of the show and he told me, 'Mark, there's no excuses, but there's always a reason' — that became the ethos of everything for me, it never left me. There are reasons that people end up in the lives that they have, and those reasons are just as meaningful as someone who decides to become a doctor or lawyer. That's what allows this show to offer a really compassionate and empathetic take on cops and robbers."

"Task" premieres new episodes Sunday nights on HBO and HBO Max.