In August, Peacemaker Season 2 premiered, bringing the hit DC show back after a three-year absence. Bolstered by strong reviews and enthusiasm for the DC Universe after Superman‘s successful box office run, Peacemaker continues to be a massive draw on HBO Max. The combination of absurd humor, intense violence, and a surprisingly emotional multiverse narrative has made it must-watch each week as fans theorize what the future could hold for Christopher Smith and friends. While Peacemaker will surely continue to see high viewership until Season 2 wraps up next month, it’s no longer HBO Max’s No. 1 show.
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According to FlixPatrol, which measures the popularity of various titles on streaming services, Peacemaker now ranks second on HBO Max’s Top 10 TV series. It’s been surpassed by the new show Task, which stars Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo as an FBI agent tasked with putting an end to a string of violent robberies. Task premiered on Sunday, September 7th and new episodes debut weekly through the middle of October.
How Task Was Able To Beat Peacemaker on the HBO Max Charts
Some might be surprised to see a DC series dethroned as HBO Max’s top show, but there was a lot working in Task‘s favor. The drama series hails from creator Brad Ingelsby, who previously made waves with 2021’s critically acclaimed miniseries Mare of Easttown. That show was a huge success for HBO, receiving numerous accolades. At the Emmys, Mare of Easttown was nominated in the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series category, and stars Kate Winslet and Evan Peters won awards for their performances. Given Ingelsby’s pedigree, TV fans were going to be intrigued by whatever he tackled next.
It also helped that Task has earned similar amounts of praise. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show boasts a Certified Fresh critics score of 90%. Ruffalo and his co-star Tom Pelphrey have earned high marks for their respective turns, and people are impressed by Task‘s ability to tell a captivating yet dark crime story. The response to Task proves the success of Mare of Easttown wasn’t a fluke, and the word of mouth should help bring even more viewers to it as the season progresses. If Task had earned a more mixed reception, then perhaps Peacemaker would have retained its top spot. But since both series are acclaimed, the new arrival was able to surge ahead.
It will be interesting to see if Peacemaker is able to reclaim the No. 1 position at any point before Season 2 wraps up. As the show begins to flesh out its alternate dimension, there could be some massive DCU twists in store, and fans have been speculating about high-profile cameos from Superman characters. Depending on how the story in Peacemaker Season 2 unfolds, any massive developments could spark a new wave of popularity, shooting the DCU series back to the top of the charts. Given how unpredictable the narrative is shaping up to be, fans will want to tune in so they don’t get spoiled.
Even if Task eventually loses the top spot, it’s going to go down as another win for the Ingelsby/HBO partnership, establishing the creative as one of TV’s definitive voices for crafting compelling crime dramas. Like Mare of Easttown, Task is also billed as a miniseries, meaning a second season is unlikely (making a limited series is how you get a big movie star like Ruffalo onboard). But Tasks‘s popularity means there will be an audience for Ingelsby’s next project — whatever that might be.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
