‘The best crime thriller of the year’ is finally available to stream at home now

Coming from the writer of Mare of Easttown, the 'must-see' show stars two major Irish actors.

Streaming via Sky and NOW, the limited series sees Ingelsby returning to Philadelphia, which was where his brilliant smash-hit show Mare of Easttown was set.

Task, however, focuses on Tom (Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight), an FBI agent who is assigned to head up a new task force.

The goal of the unit is to put an end to a string of violent robberies being carried out by a seemingly ordinary family man, Robbie (Tom Pelphrey, Ozark).

The show's story follows both men as their paths grow closer and closer to colliding. As the series' tagline states: "Every force has its equal."

Jamie McShane, alongside Kin star Sam Keeley, in Task

Alongside Ruffalo and Pelphrey, the cast of Task includes two Irish actors. One of these is Saltburn star Alison Oliver, while the other is Sam Keeley, who played the character of Viking on the hit crime drama Kin.

Emilia Jones (Coda), Fabien Frankel (House of the Dragon), Isaach De Bankolé (Ghost Dog), Jamie McShane (Bloodline), Margarita Levieva (Daredevil: Born Again), Martha Plimpton (The Regime), Mireille Enos (The Killing), Owen Teague (The Stand), Phoebe Fox (Black Mirror), Raúl Castillo (Army of the Dead) and Thuso Mbedu (The Woman King) are also all part of the cast for the show.

Consisting of seven episodes, directed by Jeremiah Zagar (Hustle) and Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Winning Time), Task is earning rave reviews.

Currently holding a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the general consensus from critics is that while the series can often make for a grim watch, its cat-and-mouse story, its authentic atmosphere, its rich characters and its undercurrent of hope make it worth seeking out.

You can read a sample of the glowing reviews for Task below:

The Age (Australia): "It is a masterful series, HBO’s next must-see, and more than anything, it embraces love and forgiveness. Amen."

Boston Globe: "Ingelsby understands that the extremes of the crime genre provide the perfect basis for searing human drama, provided they’re handled with skill and conviction. Task has more than enough of both."

Consequence: "A nice reminder that while HBO has found both popular and critical success with its dragons and fungus zombies, it’s also still one of the few places you can see a story like this being told: Smart, powerful, and worthy of your full attention."

The Rewatchables: "I think [Task] is as good as [season one] True Detective."

The Times (UK): "You feel you can smell the mildew on the window panes and the awful food, but this is writing suffused with the odd glimmer of hope."

TV Guide: "As strong as it is as a crime thriller, it's even better as a study of the lives at its core, thanks to remarkable work from Ruffalo and Pelphrey."

Wall Street Journal: "Perhaps the best crime thriller of the year, it’s also a validation of the seven-, eight-, or nine-part TV series."

Task's first episode is available to stream in Ireland and the UK via the service NOW.

The rest of the seven-episode series will drop weekly on Mondays.