Mark Ruffalo is back in the Emmy race, and this time HBO’s Task is carrying him there twice. The two-time Emmy winner was submitted as a lead actor in a drama series for his role as FBI agent Tom Brandis, while the show itself was also entered in the top drama series category with Ruffalo listed as an executive producer.
That gives Ruffalo two paths in the competition, one for his performance and another for the series as a whole. Tom Pelphrey, who plays sanitation worker-turned-robber Robbie Prendergrast, will compete in supporting actor in a drama series, joining a crowded field that also includes Fabien Frankel, Raúl Castillo, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley, Emilia Jones, Alison Oliver, Thuso Mbedu and Martha Plimpton. Plimpton is no stranger to the category; she previously won supporting actress in a drama series for CBS’ The Good Wife.
The submission list shows how seriously HBO is leaning into Task as awards season begins to take shape. The series is also in contention for nominations in writing, directing and a long list of craft races, including cinematography, casting, picture editing, production design, contemporary costumes, hairstyling, makeup, prosthetic makeup, music composition, sound editing, sound mixing, stunt coordination and stunt performance.
Brad Ingelsby, the series creator, is submitting the Season 1 finale, “A Still Small Voice,” in writing for a drama series. Jeremiah Zagar is up for directing the opening episode, “Crossings,” and Salli Richardson Whitfield is entered for episode 106, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river.”
The craft side of the campaign also has familiar names attached. Alex Disenhof submitted episode 101 for cinematography for a series, while Elie Smolkin submitted episode 106. Several crew members who received Emmy nominations for Mare of Easttown are also among Task’s craft submissions, a sign that the show is drawing on an awards-season team HBO already knows can get attention from voters.
For Ruffalo, the submissions extend a run that made him a two-time Emmy winner by 2021. This year’s race will test whether Task can turn that pedigree into another round of nominations across acting and behind-the-camera categories, with the series now positioned as one of HBO’s broadest plays in the drama field.
