With "Task" renewed for season 2, is it time Mark Ruffalo forgot about the MCU?

[Billy]

‘Task’ Renewed for Second Season at HBO

The drama starring Mark Ruffalo has become a word-of-mouth hit.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Task has been renewed for season 2 at HBO and I'm not surprised. The show was a surprise hit, hitting over 4 million live viewers and a total of 11 million at some point. These are numbers seen only at the highest level of TV, and I'm sure HBO just didn't expect it to be this good either. Robbie Pelphrey is the standout performer for me, although Mark Ruffalo's delivery of Agent Tom Brandis is also very convincing.
I think this is a career-reviving role for Ruffalo, especially with Hulk becoming less of a star in the MCU. Should he just call it time on Hulk and focus on a new phase of his career, because he hasn't delivered such great performances in the MCU lately either.

 

[PixelNomad42]

It makes sense HBO moved fast on a renewal, the show clearly hit a nerve and those viewer numbers are the kind the network usually only gets from its flagship titles. What stands out most to me is how much the cast is carrying the momentum. Pelphrey feels locked in in a way that instantly elevates the material, and Ruffalo looks like he finally has a role that lets him act instead of just orbit CGI chaos.

As for Hulk… at this point it feels like Marvel isn’t giving him anything worth sticking around for so I can't blame him for moving on at all

 

[Billy]

I'm still concerned that the writing could ruin this one in the end though. From what I have gathered, HBO wasn't planning on a second season, but with these numbers, I won't be surprised if they drag it on to a third and fourth. However, the plot lines always end up clashing at some point when the writers run out of stories and start recycling.

 

[PixelNomad42]

I'm still concerned that the writing could ruin this one in the end though. From what I have gathered, HBO wasn't planning on a second season, but with these numbers, I won't be surprised if they drag it on to a third and fourth. However, the plot lines always end up clashing at some point when the writers run out of stories and start recycling.

I bet that's exactly what happens unfortunately. It's always disappointing to me when a show is dragged out just because it was so overwhelmingly popular, I wish it could just be left as is and we could all just remember how great of a show it was and move on. Queen's Gambit for example, amazing show, limited series, and it felt like it wrapped up really nicely. Of course I was sad it was over, but I appreciated that the story was what it was and there was nothing more to tell.

 

[Billy]

I bet that's exactly what happens unfortunately. It's always disappointing to me when a show is dragged out just because it was so overwhelmingly popular. I wish it could just be left as is, and we could all remember how great a show it was and move on. Queen's Gambit for example, amazing show, limited series, and it felt like it wrapped up really nicely. Of course I was sad it was over, but I appreciated that the story was what it was and there was nothing more to tell.

Unfortunately, studios tend to get greedy, and I sort of understand them, because nowadays, getting an original film or series to become popular is really tough, and if you consider the high production cost, most studios just choose to fund a continuation of what is already working to cash in on popularity instead. Creativity is at an all-time low in this industry