HBO has released a first-look image of South African star Thuso Mbedu in Task, a new drama series from Brad Ingelsby, creator of the four-time Emmy winner Mare of Easttown.
Mbedu plays Aleah, part of a task force trying to put an end to a string of violent robberies.
Four-time Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo plays the FBI agent heading up the Task Force. The stacked cast includes Emmy nominee Tom Pelphrey (Ozark), BAFTA nominee Emilia Jones (CODA), Jamie McShane (Wednesday, 1923), Alison Oliver (Saltburn) and Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole in House of the Dragon).
Task will debut in September on HBO and will premiere first on Showmax in South Africa.
After earning two International Emmy nominations as Winnie in Mzansi Magic’s Is’thunzi, Mbedu’s career went international. She cracked a Critics Choice Best Actress nomination as Cora in the Emmy-nominated The Underground Railroad, won the Black Reel Breakthrough Actress Award as Nawi in the #1 box office hit The Woman King, and has had voice roles in Mufasa: The Lion King and Castlevania: Nocturne.
Task is one of a run of high-profile international titles coming first to Showmax soon. For example:
Mountainhead
| First on Showmax | Stream from Sunday, 1 June
Four friends. $371 billion net worth. One international crisis. Zero responsibility.
Among The Wrap’s Most Anticipated Movies of Summer 2025, Mountainhead is the feature film directorial debut of seven-time Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Jesse Armstrong, creator of Succession.
The all-star cast of billionaire friends includes Emmy nominees Steve Carell and Ramy Youssef, Critics Choice nominee Cory Michael Smith and multi-award winner Jason Schwartzma
Hacks S4
| First on Showmax | Binge from Friday, 2 June
The reigning Best Comedy Series at the Emmys, Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, Hacks is back for a fourth season, with Deborah and Ava working to get their late night show off the ground.
As legendary comedian Deborah Vance, Jean Smart has won the Best Actress Emmy every season, while Hannah Einbinder won Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Critics Choice Awards.
Season 4 has a 97% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As The Guardian says, “Season 4 of Hacks is very funny. But what makes it really special is just how raw it is, too, ready to hit you in the feels when you least expect it.”
The Rehearsal S2
| First on Showmax | June 2025
The Rehearsal follows one man’s journey to reduce the uncertainties of everyday life – with a construction crew, a legion of actors, and seemingly unlimited resources,
Emmy nominee Nathan Fielder (The Curse) helps ordinary people prepare for life’s biggest moments by “rehearsing” them in carefully crafted simulations of his own design. In Season 2, the urgency of Fielder’s project grows as he decides to put his resources toward an issue that affects us all.
Season 2 has a 97% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Guardian hailing it as “TV’s most fascinating show.”
Duster S1
First on Showmax | July 2025
Set in the 1970s, Duster follows a gutsy getaway driver whose life goes from dangerous to wildly, stupidly dangerous when the FBI’s first Black woman agent comes to town, hellbent on taking down his crime family.
From JJ Abrams (Lost, Westworld, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and series creator and showrunner LaToya Morgan, Duster stars Josh Holloway (Yellowstone, Lost) and Rachel Hilson (This Is Us), as well as three-time Emmy winner Keith David (American Fiction), Greg Grunberg (Heroes) and Emmy nominee Corbin Bernsen (LA Law).
Duster has a 90% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Mashable hailing the eight-part series as “nothing less than an absolute joyride.”
The Peacemaker S2
| First on Showmax | August 2025
John Cena is back as Christopher “Chris” Smith, aka Peacemaker. This season, DC’s vigilante superhero struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose, while continuing to kick righteous evil-doer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost.
Season 1 was nominated for Critics Choice Super Awards for Best Superhero Series, Actor (Cena) and Actress (Danielle Brooks), as well as for an Emmy for its stunts.
Multi-award winner James Gunn (The Guardians of the Galaxy) wrote all eight episodes this season, directing three.
New cast members include Frank Grillo (Tulsa King), David Denman (The Office), and Emmy nominee Tim Meadows (Mean Girls).
